Recycling Quality Improvement

Recycling Quality Improvement Program

Why Improving our Recycling Matters

In your curbside recycling, contaminants can have unintended consequences and cause issues in the recycling process. Contaminants are items that can't be recycled - if they are wet or have food residue, they can spoil other materials, reducing the other recyclables' value. Other items like batteries can cause fires, and plastic bags and hoses get tangled in processing machinery. Cleaner recycling helps ensure the materials you work hard to recycle are ultimately able to be recycled. The Recycling Quality Improvement Program is meant to help you make accurate and informed recycling choices and provide personalized recycling feedback.

2022 Recycling Quality Improvement

The City of Ann Arbor, now officially a WRRMA member community, is undergoing the same Recycling Quality Improvement Program in July 2022 as the other WRRMA communities completed last year.

Read the Press Release for more information.

Stay tuned for updates and results!

2021 Program Results and Reports

Between June and August 2021, WRRMA's communities (The Townships of Ann Arbor, Scio, Pittsfield, and Ypsilanti, and the Cities of Dexter, Ypsilanti, and Saline) completed The Recycling Partnership's Recycling Quality Improvement Program. Recycling carts were checked and tagged for contamination, recyclables were audited at the materials recovery facilities, and outreach postcards were mailed to residents.

Overall, WRRMA’s measured contamination rate decreased 42% from the pre-program audit (19.49%) to the post-program audit (11.34%). This means the program was a success!

A special thank you to all our program partners and municipalities who made this happen, in addition to all our residents who dutifully put out their recycling and made recycling choices consistent with the recycling flyer and the tags found on contaminated carts.

For more information, an overview of the entirety of the program, and more data and analysis, view our detailed 2021 Recycling Quality Improvement Program Grant Report.

Left: A recycling truck from a WRRMA community arrives at the material recovery facility (MRF) and unloads in front of the auditing station.
Center: Audit staff works on sorting materials into 34 different categories.
Right: Materials of each type are weighed to get an overall recycling composition.

Left: WRRMA-trained cart inspector Julie Cline (left) talks with Ypsilanti Township resident John Goodsell about the items in recycling bin. Photos courtesy of the Michigan Dept. of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy.
Center: A bin tagged for having bagged recyclables.
Right: WRRMA-trained cart inspectors Laurena Deak (left) and Julie Cline examine recycling bins in an Ypsilanti Township neighborhood. Photos courtesy of the Michigan Dept. of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy.

Recycling Hotline (734) 222-3920
Email recyclewrrma@gmail.com
705 N Zeeb Road, Ann Arbor, MI 48103