Washtenaw County Blue Bag Recycling
Your recycling collection is referred to as “single-stream” or “comingled” recycling. This means that all recyclables go into your blue bag together and do not need to be sorted. Place your blue bags out with your trash on your trash collection day. Blue recycling bags are separated from trash bags once the truck returns to our facility. Recyclables are later sorted at a single-stream sorting facility.
Accepted Items
Corrugated Cardboard
Break down, remove any contaminants (Styrofoam, wood or food) and place cardboard in blue bags.
NOT ACCEPTED: wax-coated boxes, 6-, 12- or 24-pack beverage cases, pizza boxes
Plastic Bottles, Jugs, Tubs & Containers
Items should be clean and dry. Includes bottles and jugs with narrow, threaded neck; plastic tubs (margarine, sour cream, etc.); microwave trays; and yogurt containers.
NOT ACCEPTED: plastic bags, paper- or wax-coated milk or juice cartons, Styrofoam containers/packaging, syringes, garden hoses/rubber, furniture, pools, toys, buckets, barrels, free-flowing liquids
Mixed Paper
Place newspaper, magazines, direct “junk” mail, first class mail, other printing and writing papers, phone books and envelopes loose in blue bags.
NOT ACCEPTED: plastic bags, string, twine, stickers, coins or plastic stuck on papers
Metal Cans & Aluminum
Includes tin and aluminum cans and aluminum foil and trays. Rinse clean and flatten.
NOT ACCEPTED: paint cans, appliances, hangers, fencing, scrap metal, aerosol cans or containers with food residue
Boxboard
Boxboard includes items like tissue boxes, cereal boxes and paper towel rolls. Dry goods boxes only. Break down and remove any contaminants (food, plastic or foil packaging).
NOT ACCEPTED: plastic, Styrofoam, wax- or foil-coated boxes, refrigerator or freezer boxes, including 6-, 12- or 24-pack beverage cases
