Recycling plastics is difficult and expensive. Ann Arbor and Washtenaw County are well ahead of the curve, but there are significant hurdles to overcome in the next few decades. WEMU's David Fair joined by the CEO of Recycle Ann Arbor, Bryan Ukena, to explore what is being done locally to address plastics recycling now and in the future.
Overview
In 2016, Ann Arbor halted operations at the single-stream, Materials Recovery Facility (MRF) due to safety concerns. Right now, recyclables residents place in curbside bins are trucked 250 miles to Cincinnati for processing.
Last year, local nonprofit Recycle Ann Arbor was hired to get the Materials Recovery Facility off Platt Road up and running again. The decision went against the advice of city staff, which recommended an $11.2-million contract to haul the city’s recyclables to Lansing.
The American Beverage Association (ABA) in Washington selected Recycle Ann Arbor (RAA) to receive an investment under its Every Bottle Back initiative. That brought $800,000 to the MRF project.