After major upgrades, Ann Arbor is about to have an operational recycling plant again for the first time in over five years. Local nonprofit Recycle Ann Arbor, under contract with the city, has been busy overseeing repairs and getting new equipment installed at the Materials Recovery Facility at 4150 Platt Road. “We are excited to report the project is nearly complete,” said Erica Bertram, Recycle Ann Arbor communications director. “The equipment is operational, and we have just completed the testing to ensure that it works as envisioned.”

After the testing phase, the city-owned facility will be officially considered open Dec. 1, Bertram said. The new and improved plant will be a cutting-edge facility driven by a zero-waste ethic, according to Recycle Ann Arbor. In hopes of minimizing contamination of the recycling stream going to the plant, the nonprofit is trying to educate residents about what not to place in curbside recycling bins.

“Help us prevent contamination and dangerous equipment jams at the MRF by keeping plastic bags out of your curbside recycling bins,” the nonprofit wrote on Facebook recently, posting a photo of a worker pulling plastic bags off the sorting line during testing. “This pile of plastic bags was pulled from the mixed paper line at the MRF in less than 5 minutes!” Recycle Ann Arbor has an A-to-Z recycling guide on its website explaining in detail all items that can and can’t be placed in curbside recycling bins versus taken to other locations.
To read the full story, visit https://www.mlive.com/news/ann-arbor/2021/11/ann-arbor-opening-new-recycling-plant-heres-what-not-to-put-in-curbside-bins.html.
Author: Ryan Stanton, MLive.com
Image: Recycle Ann Arbor

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