Dearborn switches to single stream recycling

Dearborn will jump into the next level of recycling when the city switches its pick-up system to single-stream.

The City Council approved the switch, which will allow residents to put all of their recycling into one container. It will also allow for more materials to be recycled. City officials expect the current recycling rate of 20-30 percent of waste to double.

"It would be great to see it double," says Dave Norwood, sustainability coordinator for the city of Dearborn. "We did a pilot test area and it doubled."

The city is going from collecting just No. 1-2 plastics to No. 1-7, including the rarely recycled No. 3. It plans to begin disbursing the new recycling containers this week and move forward with the switch in July.

Among the incentives for going single stream are making it easier for residents to use, meaning more is recycled, expansion of the recycling list, and reduced logistical costs.

Among the other cities that use single-stream recycling are Austin, Texas and Baltimore. Ann Arbor made the switch earlier this year.

Source: Dave Norwood, sustainability coordinator for the city of Dearborn
Writer: Jon Zemke

Dearborn switches to single stream recycling

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