6 Winter Curbside Recycling Readiness Tips

6 Winter Curbside Recycling Readiness Tips

December 1st, 2023

The winter season has arrived, bringing with it swirling snowflakes and crackling fireplaces. Whether it's wet, dry, snowy, or sunny outside, your Recycle Ann Arbor Curbside Pick-Up Team is here to provide you with these six winter curbside recycling readiness tips to ensure your recycling cart is serviced no matter the weather this season or any other. These tips apply to both residential and commercial solid waste areas.

  1. It is important to keep all recycling carts and dumpsters clear of snow and ice.
     
  2. All solid waste container locations must be shoveled and cleared of snow and ice. Additionally, a salt and dirt mix should be used to ensure safe accessibility for all service trucks and workers, regardless of the type of container being used. Please do not plow or compact snow into collection areas. It is also necessary to clear all paths, driveways, and parking lots of snow and ice to keep you and your neighbors safe.
     
  3. Please remove recycling carts from streets, driveways, and parking lots so that those areas can be plowed.
     
  4. Make sure to keep cart and dumpster lids closed to prevent materials from freezing and rendering them unserviceable. Additionally, containers exceeding the truck's arm weight capacity cannot be serviced.
     
  5. Please do not place any material in front of, next to, or on top of any recycle or trash containers. All items must fit loosely inside the containers for curbside collection service. If there are any items in the way, service providers will not be able to access and service your solid waste containers.

    multi-family recycling cart snow issues
     
  6. All curbside recycling and trash carts should be:
  • Placed out the night before your weekly service day (recommended) or on your designated service day by 7 am for residents and 6 am for businesses and DDA locations.
  • 3 ft apart from other carts and obstacles, with the metal lift bar and lid opening facing the street.
  • Placed in a uniform line, no staggering carts behind each other.
  • Placed in a cleared street or driveway, or shovel a shelf (1 inch from ground level) into the street side of snow banks to ensure service of carts. Do not place carts on top of snow banks.

We appreciate your extra attention to your curbside recyclables during the winter season by following these six tips, and your dedication to reducing the amount of waste headed to the landfill.

If you have a recyclable item that is too large to fit in your cart or is not accepted as a single-stream curbside material, you can visit Recycle Ann Arbor's Drop-Off Station or Recovery Yard. The Drop-Off Station accepts a wide range of household materials for drop-off recycling and waste disposal. The Recovery Yard is Michigan’s only non-profit construction and demolition recycler, accepting larger material hauls and roll-off container services. For a complete list of accepted materials at each location, including hours of operation, check out our handy A-Z Recycling Guide.

If you have additional questions or concerns regarding curbside single-stream recycling, please contact Recycle Ann Arbor at 734.662.6288 or email us at [email protected].

If you have questions or concerns regarding your recycling/trash carts or dumpsters, trash or compost cart collection, please contact the City of Ann Arbor at 734.794.6320 or email them at [email protected]