Materials Accepted Curbside

Please note that if our pickup crews see material that we cannot accept curbside in your cart, we will not pick up the cart.  Material that cannot be recycled are considered contamination.  If we take a highly contaminated load to the recycling facility, it will be rejected- and the literal tons of recyclable materials that have been collected that day will be put into the trash and the City may be assessed an additional fee.   In order to ensure that we can continue curbside recycling, we must reject non-recyclable materials.   The Recycle Ann Arbor Drop Off Station can accept for recycling all the items we accept curbside, plus many additional items.  


PLASTIC

Clean and Rinsed Bottles, Jars, and Containers with numbers 1 (PET), 2 (HDPE), 5 (PP)


Common contaminants: 

  • Please take to the Drop-Off Station or another recycling partner: 
    • Plastic bags or plastic film
    • Bulky or rigid plastics (5-gallon buckets, laundry baskets, etc) 
  • Please place in the trash:
    • Loose plastic caps or lids
    • Straws    

METAL  

Aluminum, Tin, & Steel

•    Includes clean cans, beverage and product containers, foil, & trays. 

Common contaminants: 

PAPER,  MAIL, CARDBOARD, AND BOXBOARD

Mixed paper, including cardboard, boxboard, newspaper, phone books, magazines; can be placed in paper bags but not bound with string or twine. 


Common contaminants: 

  • Please place in the trash: 
    • Shredded paper
    • Plastic or metal tabs, binders, transparencies, carbon paper, or tissue paper
    • Pizza boxes

ASEPTIC CARTONS / GABLED CONTAINERS

  • Must be empty, rinsed, and clean
  • No loose straws or caps

GLASS

Bottles and jars of any color

  • Must be empty, rinsed, and clean
  • No other glass products, including Pyrex or glass storage containers.