This story first ran: 10/14/2009

The first lesson with recycling is the need to separate. Metal goes in this bin. Clear glass over there. Green glass right here. Plastics 1-2 in the big bin. Don't, repeat, don't mix and match.

Ann Arbor residents could be throwing that lesson out soon. The city is looking at switching to a single-stream, or fully commingled, recycling effort. That means residents would no longer have to put paper products in the paper bin and everything else in the other bin. It would all go in the same container on the curb each week.

Among the incentives for going single stream are making it easier for residents to use, meaning more is recycled, expansion of the recycling list and reduced logistical costs. However, there are some downsides, such as increased sorting costs. Among the other cities that use single-stream recycling are Austin, Texas and Baltimore.

"The technology has improved significantly over the years as far as sorting materials," says Tom McMurtrie, recycling coordinator for the city of Ann Arbor.

The city would invest $3.5 million into upgrades at its recycling facility to accommodate this transition. The staff levels would stay the same with machines handling the extra sorting.

The switch would also require new recycling containers, costing $1.3 million. Gone will be the green and brown bins. Replacing them will be one large container for all recycling, which now includes all plastic products except No. 3 plastics.

Each of these containers will come with a bar code as part of the RecycleBank system, which rewards recyclers with coupons and prizes in proportion to how much they recycle. This systems has helped significantly increase recycling efforts in both Rochester Hills and Westland.

The time line for the transition is expected to stretch into next summer. The City Council is expected to begin approving the switch in November so it can be implemented by July, 2010.

Source: Tom McMurtrie, recycling coordinator for the city of Ann Arbor
Writer: Jon Zemke