Non-Acceptable Items
- NO glass mirrors, window glass, light bulbs, etc.
- NO Borosilicate glass
- NO motor oil containers
- NO plates, china, ceramics
- NO tires
- NO paints
- NO styrofoam of any kind
- NO bubble wrap
- NO computers, monitors, keyboards and printers
- NO NCR paper
- NO visqueen
- NO pool covers
- NO plastic tarps
- NO plastic bags
- NO household batteries
- NO propane tanks of any kind
- NO construction waste
- NO glass candle holders
- NO plastic straws
PLEASE NO TRASH OR OTHER NON-ACCEPTABLE ITEMS
Leaving these items and any trash in the bins or at the sites is considered ILLEGAL DUMPING and may be subject to a $1,000 fine.
Fellow recyclers, if you see someone leaving unacceptable items, please contact us at (734) 475-6160 or by email: wwrafacilitymanager@gmail.com
Holiday Recycling
And that means more stuff. Please keep in mind we can't recycle everything (as much as we would like to!) We CAN accept wrapping paper, but not the plasticy/shiny kind. We can take boxes, but please remove any styrofoam inside.
YES:
- Wrapping paper (not the plasticy/shiny kind)
- Boxes (packing materials removed)
- Gift bags (not the glittery/plasticy/shiny kind or with any decorations)
- Cards and envelopes (not the glittery/plasticy/shiny kind or with any electronics, metals, or decorations)
- Clean and dry disposable aluminum cooking pans
NO:
Here's a list of items we CANNOT recycle:
- Christmas lights
- Christmas ornaments
- Christmas Trees
- Styrofoam
- Plastic and paper plates along with the plastic utensils
- Plastic tablecloths
- Bubble wrap, packing peanuts
- Blow up lawn decorations
- Anything with food debris still on it
- Plasticy/shiny wrapping paper
- Ribbons and Bows
- Receipts
Places to Take Other Items That Still Have More Use
Please DO NOT leave or dump items at our Bin Sites.
Many items may have another useful life, especially furniture. If your items are still in good condition, here are some other options/links, below. Thank you to our Facebook followers who helped compile this list.
- Habitat for Humanity Restore (Ann Arbor)
- Habitat for Humanity Restore (Jackson)
- Kiwanis Thrift Sale (Ann Arbor)
- HouseN2Home Washtenaw
- The Chelsea Connection - a local Facebook group where everything is given freely and generously.
- Michigan Foster Care Closet - gently used clothing
- SCRAP Box A2 - a not-for-profit organization that is a creative resource/recycling use center for safe and clean discards from factories, businesses, and households
- Washtenaw County Home Recycling Resources provides databases and lists of where you can take unusual items, including the...
- Recycle Ann Arbor - What Do I Do With...
Is Your Item Really at the End of Its Life?
Here are a couple options for those items that are truly disposable:
- City of Chelsea Solid Waste Transfer Station (on Werkner, next to the WWRA) There is a small fee based on what you are dumping.
- Liberty Landfill (Jackson) They accept many items including Construction and Demolition debris; E-waste (cell phones, computers, etc)
- Washtenaw County Home Toxics accepts over 50 kinds of things, including pesticides, paint thinners, game consoles, fluorescent light tubes and bulbs, alkaline household batteries, aerosols...and much more.
Battery Recycling
We always get lots of questions about battery recycling. As noted, we only accept car and truck batteries, but here are some resources for rechargeable and alkaline batteries:
- Rechargeables: Batteries Plus, Lowe's
- Alkaline: Washtenaw County Toxics (they also take many other items, too)
Styrofoam Option:
We recommend that you recycle your styrofoam in Jackson: Click here for more information.
Washtenaw County Clean-Up days are also available for styrofoam on select dates. Click here to check our news feed for County Clean-Up days.
Here's a handy "What to and What not to Recycle" PDF for you to print.
