In Ann Arbor, recycling is easy. Weekly recycling collection is available to every home, apartment, nonprofit and business located in Ann Arbor for no additional charge.
Recycling helps curb greenhouse gas emissions, creates cleaner air and water, reduces space necessary for landfills, allows manufacturer's easy access to raw materials reducing the need for new mining, saves energy, creates new jobs and conserves resources for future generations.
According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the average American produces 4.4 pounds of waste per day, totaling 229 million tons of waste each year. By participating in existing recycling and composting programs, we can easily cut that residential waste in half.
Craft Recycling
The City of Ann Arbor's monthly Recycling Craft events (PDF) are held one Saturday a month between 10 a.m. and Noon, September through June. Put on by the Ecology Center, all events include an activity or craft and unless otherwise noted, free. Pre-registering is encouraged. Contact the Ecology Center at education@ecocenter.org for more information.
Recycling Carts
Recycling carts are required unless location is using an approved recycling dumpster for materials. Recycling carts are managed by Recycle Ann Arbor.
Single family home/duplex:
- May select one free 32, 64, or 96-gallon recycling cart.
- First cart delivery is free.
- Additional recycling carts are $50 each.
- $25 delivery fee or free if picked up. Carts must be empty and clean before being traded in.
Single family/duplex:
- Each household may select one free 32- 64, or 96-gallon recycling cart.
- Free first cart delivery to new construction or annexation address.
- Additional recycling carts $50 each, one-time cost, payable to Recycle Ann Arbor.
Multi-family/duplex:
- No charge for delivery of initial recycling carts, based on need.
Sign up
For most homeowners, residents or businesses, please contact
Recycle Ann Arbor to find out how you can start recycling today.
If your business, however, is located within the Downtown Development Authority (DDA) region, or if your business has a recycling dumpster only (no carts), please contact the Customer Service Center by email at customerservice@a2gov.org.
Recycle guide
Yes:
- Mixed paper – newspapers, magazines, catalogs, junk mail, office paper, cardboard (including pizza boxes, minus the pizza), frozen food and cereal-type boxes, milk cartons, juice boxes, shredded paper (placed in a clear plastic bag).
- Metal cans, lids, glass bottles and jars
- Scrap metal up to 1 cubic yard, 20 pounds per piece
- Rinsed plastic bottles, containers and tubs labeled 1, 2, 4, 5, 6 and 7
- Larger plastic items like laundry baskets, milk crates, lawn chairs and buckets may also be recycled so long as they fit into the cart with the lid closed.
- "Aseptic" and "Tetrapak" packages. These are typically containers/boxes that are used for juice, soymilk, chicken broth, almond milk, etc.
- Keep lids on glass, metal and plastic recycling containers.
No:
*Carts must not exceed 112 pounds for the 32-gallon, 224 pounds for the 64-gallon or 336 pounds for the 96-gallon size. Carts over the limit will not be serviced.
Please visit Recycle Ann Arbor's A-Z online recycle guide.
Business
If your business is located in the Downtown Development Authority (DDA) region, or if your business has recycling dumpsters only (no carts), your recycling services are provided directly by the City of Ann Arbor. Call 734.994.2807 for more information.
If your business is located outside of the DDA, and has recycling carts, your recycling services are provided by
Recycle Ann Arbor. Call 734.662.6288 for more information or to report a missed pickup.
Reuse and bulky item disposal
Reduce, Reuse, Recycle! The biggest savings to the environment in terms of resource use, energy savings, and pollution reduction come from thrifty purchasing (avoiding consumer waste) and reusing/repairing items before recycling.
Materials Recovery Facility (MRF)
Ann Arbor's municipal Materials Recovery Facility or MRF (pronounced like "murf"), located at 4150 Platt Road, is the City's recycling plant. The MRF property is currently closed to the public.
Future MRF operations
In early 2016 the City hired CB&I (Chicago Bridge and Iron Company Environmental and Infrastructure, Inc.) to examine the City's MRF (Material Recovery Facility) Operating Contract and compare it with other contracts and business models for MRFs across the country. Recognizing that there have been changes to the recycling market over time, the goal of this study was to evaluate alternative business models and develop a more streamlined contract that reflects current industry best practices and standards.
