Friends of the Shaker Library receive grant to upgrade library recycling

This week, Shaker Library deployed brand new, clearly labeled recycling bins in both buildings, thanks to the Friends of the Shaker Library, who secured $8,500 in grant funding from the Cuyahoga County Solid Waste District. 

The Waste Reduction, Recycling, and Composting Equipment grant has allowed the library to purchase bins and accompanying signage to communicate more clearly to customers how to recycle correctly, thereby reducing contamination.

“Lots of people want to recycle correctly but don’t always know how,” says Shaker Library Green Team Leader Erin MacLean. “We’re grateful to the Friends, and to the Solid Waste District, for this opportunity to make recycling simpler and more understandable for our customers.”

The Friends were awarded the grant in March. 

In August 2025, library staff conducted a Waste Audit, collecting a full day’s trash and recycling from both buildings to get a bird’s eye view of the library’s waste streams.

The audit found that 25% of what was thrown in the trash at Main Library and 40% of what was thrown in the trash at Bertram Woods could have been recycled or composted.

In terms of recycling, 20% of Main Library’s recycling stream had been contaminated with trash. At Bertram Woods, 98% of the recycling was clean, with only 2% contamination.

“We’re looking forward to seeing how the new containers and signage improve our numbers,” MacLean says. “We're proud to serve a community that cares about this issue.”