Aug 15, 2022

Goodwill awarded EGLE Recycling Market Development Grant

PRESS RELEASE

Goodwill Industries of West Michigan (GIWM) was recently awarded a $500,000 Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE) Recycling Market Development Grant in support of its new joint-venture, plastic recycling initiative with HydroBlox Technologies.

“We are so grateful to EGLE for their support of this exciting new enterprise,” Goodwill Business Development Director Nick Carlson said. “We have the opportunity to significantly reduce the amount of plastic going into our local landfills, while creating useful products, and providing good-paying jobs.”

Goodwill’s startup with HydroBlox Technologies, will manufacture “planks” made of 100% plastic to be used in stormwater management projects such as road construction, retaining walls, hydroponic farms, solar fields, green roofs, and other applications. Goodwill is currently in the process of purchasing an 80,000-square-foot building in Muskegon County with plans to produce and distribute HydroBlox products by late 2022. 

“The work EGLE is doing to advance recycling through grants and its relationships with groups such as NextCycle Michigan, Resource Recycling Systems (RRS), Michigan Sustainable Business Forum (MISBF), and the Michigan Recycling Coalition (MRC), is truly helping to change the landscape of recycling in Michigan. I am so proud of the collaborative effort and commitment to advancing recycling in our state,” Carlson said.

EGLE’s Recycling Market Development Grants are designed to create new markets or expand existing markets and create supply chains for recycled materials. They also aim to assist businesses that manufacture, market, and use recycled-content products.

For more information on HydroBlox Technologies, visit www.hydroblox.com