Carmel Utilities official named an Indiana ‘Recycling Rock Star’

The Indiana Recycling Coalition has named Sue Maki, the Manager of Environmental Initiatives and Education for Carmel Utilities, one of Indiana’s top “Recycling Rock Stars” of 2020. Maki was one of 30 chosen as part of the Coalition’s 30th anniversary. The Indiana Recycling Coalition is a statewide not-for-profit group that focuses on uniting Hoosiers in waste reduction, reuse, recycling and composting in order to preserve our communities for future generations.

The Recycling Rock Stars were chosen because of their efforts to make a significant impact on the circular economy in Indiana. Maki manages the City of Carmel’s trash and curbside recycling program. Under her leadership the residential program has been extended to small businesses in the City to increase the overall level of recycling. In addition, curbside recycling is now available to all homes in Carmel, an accomplishment that earned Maki and the City of Carmel Utilities the 2014 Governor’s Award in Environmental Excellence in Recycling.

“We certainly agree that Sue has been a rock star when it comes to promoting recycling in Carmel,” said Mayor Jim Brainard. “She collaborates with Carmel Clay Schools and their Green Teams, which is important for kids, and she has worked hard to expand our Holiday Light Recycling Program which gets people to think before they simply throw things away.”

Maki serves as President of the Hamilton County Solid Waste Board which oversees the County’s Household Hazardous Waste Disposal Site and the community recycling compactors. She also serves on the Board as Environmental Chair for the Carmel International Arts Festival. Maki is responsible for bringing full scale recycling to the event for the first time in 2019. She also developed the Carmel Utilities Citizens Academy which includes a session focused exclusively on recycling and includes a tour of the Republic Services Material Recovery Facility.

Maki also spearheaded the collaboration of the Central Indiana Crime Stoppers with the Technology Recyclers to merge two previously separate events in Carmel to one joint semi-annual event. This shredding and electronic recycling event has now expanded to all five Central Indiana Crime Stoppers Shred-It Day locations each April and October.

“I am proud to have received this recognition but it could not have been possible without the support of dedicated people in our Carmel community,” said Maki. “Even though recycling is an important part of environmental stewardship, it is more important to reduce the amount of waste we generate in the first place.”