The City of Ann Arbor’s residential curbside pickups of household batteries, used motor oil and used oil filters will end, effective the end of the city’s fiscal year on June 30 as the city moves toward greater efficiency of recycling collection with the single-stream recycling program, starting citywide on July 5. These toxic materials may be recycled at many locations that had not been available when first included in the city’s recycling program in the 1980s. The Drop-Off Station at 2950 East Ellsworth Road, accepts all these items in unlimited quantities at no charge once the $3 entry fee is paid (734-971-7400).

Additionally, many local auto repair and quick oil-change shops accept motor oil and filters for recycling. Rechargeable batteries can be dropped off at no charge for recycling at most stores that sell rechargeables (e.g., Best Buy, Target, Radio Shack, Batteries Plus, etc.) as well as at the city’s Customer Service Center and City Hall lobby, and at Washtenaw County’s Home Toxics Collection Center, 705 Zeeb Road, 734-222-3950. A listing of registered rechargeable battery collection sites is available online.

Within the last 10 years, U.S.-made alkaline batteries do not contain added mercury, so the original rationale for collecting non-rechargeables and treating these items as a hazardous waste has become obsolete. In addition, the recent ruling by the federal Department of Transportation requiring all rechargeable batteries to be taped or individually bagged before shipping for recycling makes the store drop-off sites more manageable for complying with these procedures, as the collection boxes include baggies and instructions for preparing the batteries correctly.

The city’s new single-stream recycling program is designed to efficiently collect all clean, non-toxic recyclables together in one recycling cart. New materials will include all plastic bottles and tubs (except #3/PVC and biodegradable plastics/PLA). Large bulky plastic items, such as laundry baskets and buckets will also be accepted.

All materials must be stored inside the cart, to be emptied via the new hybrid-hydraulic recycling trucks equipped with a cart-lifting arm. Continuing to collect any materials outside of the carts negates this advantage.

Nancy Stone is the Communications Liaison for Public Services at the City of Ann Arbor. She can be reached at nstone@a2gov.org. Visit www.a2gov.org for more information on local environmental topics including recycling, composting, water conservation, and choices for green living.

Your World provides local environmental information to our community. Contributing partners include: Washtenaw County’s Environmental Health Division; the nonprofit Recycle Ann Arbor; the City of Ann Arbor’s Public Services Area, Natural Area Preservation, Systems Planning programs for Energy, Environmental Coordination, Solid Waste, Transportation, and Water Resources.