In an effort to reduce the amount of plastic found in city compost, the City of Ann Arbor has changed what compostable materials they’ll accept.
Starting on the first of the year, Ann Arbor compost services will now only accept items made of fiber or paper. Before, the city was accepting some compostable plastic items but have found those items don’t break down effectively. The city is also trying to minimize the regular plastics mistakenly put in compost bins.
Robert Kellar works for the City of Ann Arbor. He says the change will help the city generate more quality compost.
“Not only do those products not break down, but because they’re lighter, especially in the case of plastic bags. Because they’re a lighter material, they tend to float to the top and then literally become litter in the compost facility.”
Kellar reminds Ann Arbor residents that the principle behind the change is simple: plastics should now be recycled or thrown away.
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