Recycling and Waste Reduction Programs

The Recycling and Waste Reduction Program is part of the Office of Pollution Control at the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality.

The program works with municipal, county, state and federal governments, commercial and industrial facilities, military facilities, schools, institutions including colleges, universities and hospitals, and the general public. The goal of the program is to:

• Increase the amount of recycling and composting in the state
• Increase awareness and efforts of non-hazardous and hazardous waste pollution prevention
• Increase awareness and efforts of buying products manufactured from recycled materials
• Educate the public of the importance of recycling and solid waste reduction.

The Recycling and Waste Reduction Program staff works closely with numerous organizations across the state and region. Some of these organizations include Keep Mississippi Beautiful (KMB) and their local affiliates, Mississippi Recycling Coalition (MRC), and the Earth 911 Network.

Recycling in Mississippi

Announcement of a Recycling Measurement Program for Local Governments

To help determine progress towards meeting the state 25% waste reduction goal, MDEQ’s Waste Division is initiating a statewide recycling measurement program through a new electronic reporting system. MDEQ is partnering with Emerge Knowledge Design, Inc. (Emerge) and The Recycling Partnership to employ its electronic reporting system, the Municipal Measurement Program (MMP), provided through Emerge’s Re-TRAC Connect Software platform.

County and municipal local governments can use the MMP at no cost and MDEQ is requesting that all local governments that offer recycling services participate in the MMP. To register with the program, use the following link.

The program assessment survey takes approximately 30 minutes to complete and can be stopped and started as needed to facilitate the input of accurate information. More information about the Municipal Measurement Program and its many features and benefits can be found on the MMP’s homepage. Additionally information on the MMP will be sent to local governments by MDEQ and a MMP Frequently Asked Questions document has been prepared for those interested in the program.

Any questions or requests for additional information should be directed to Jennifer Wells , State Recycling Coordinator at MDEQ, at 601-961-5739 or by email to jwells@mdeq.ms.gov.