Ann Arbor, Michigan

We’d love to hear from you!

Please consider taking our virtual interactive survey, where you can learn about reuse, imagine how it would work for Ann Arbor, and provide input to design a system that works for everyone in our community.

Every 1 in 10 participants will receive a $25 gift card to a place of their choice. The virtual workshop is currently available only in English but will soon be available in Spanish, Arabic, and Chinese.

Ann Arbor at a Glance

Ann Arbor is the 5th largest city in Michigan and home to the University of Michigan. The city is located on the Huron River, which has the most microplastic pollution of the 29 Great Lakes tributaries. The City of Ann Arbor, through their A2Zero Plan, has committed to reach carbon neutrality by 2030 and citizens have shown significant support of this initiative and recently passed a 20-year millage to ensure the city has the resources it needs to support the effort. Perpetual is partnering with the City of Ann Arbor, Recycle Ann Arbor, and ZeroWaste.org to design and implement a city-scale reusable foodware program that reflects the values and goals of this multi-cultural, ambitious, and sustainably-minded city.

Population: 122,000

Food Service Establishments: 400+

Educational Institutions: University of Michigan (51,000 students), Ann Arbor Public Schools, K-12 (17,000 students)

Local Water Bodies: Huron River, the most microplastic-polluted tributary to the Great Lakes

Other Commitments: A2Zero 2030 Climate Neutrality Plan, which includes reuse of materials as a strategy

Local Partners

  • Alex Danovitch

    DIRECTOR OF STRATEGY &
    BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT
    Recycle Ann Arbor

  • Bryan Ukena

    CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER
    Recycle Ann Arbor

  • Samuel McMullen

    CO-FOUNDER
    ZeroWaste.org

  • Yusef Houamed


    ZeroWaste.org

City of Ann Arbor A2ZERO

Over 80% of Ann Arbor residents find efforts related to the circular economy to be of highest priority when it comes to advancing the City’s sustainability goals. The City of Ann Arbor is committed to creating a circular economy. The City’s A2ZERO Plan for a just transition to community-wide climate neutrality and the strong foundation of local support has led the City to seek initiatives to build the circular economy.

Recycle Ann Arbor

Recycle Ann Arbor (RAA), a non-profit community-based zero waste recycler for over 40 years, started and operated the first curbside recycling program in Michigan. Nationally recognized as an established leader in mission-based recycling, Recycle Ann Arbor has been instrumental in reducing waste through education, outreach, reuse programs, and ensuring the items that can be recycled are really recycled. RAA has a long history of providing services from a municipal level that are accessible and equitable to all residents in the community. Because of Recycle Ann Arbor's unique approach of providing programs and services driven by a zero-waste goal, RAA can understand and respond to both the upstream and downstream impacts. This perspective better supports the development and implementation of successful system-wide solutions. RAA understands that recycling alone will not solve the waste crisis.

ZeroWaste.org

ZeroWaste.org is a nonprofit that works with restaurants, offices, festivals, and schools to help them reduce their waste, and spread awareness of the zero waste movement within their communities. As a partner to the City of Ann Arbor through A2ZERO, the City's plan for achieving a just transition to community-wide carbon neutrality by 2030, ZeroWaste.org has been facilitating the Ann Arbor Reduce, Reuse, Return (A2R3) program, a returnable container program currently in the second pilot phase. Co-founder Samuel McMullen also brings years of experience in the foodservice industry, which equip him with knowledge and relationships to help engage and enroll Ann Arbor’s restaurant and foodservice business in participating in the reusable foodware program.

Community-Led Design Workshops

A heartfelt thank you to the over 280 participants who joined our Community-Led Design Workshops from May 22-24, hosted by Perpetual, ZeroWaste.Org, and Recycle Ann Arbor. The success of these events, spanning Community Drop-In Workshops; a business, NGO, and government informative session; and private one-on-one meetings, was a testament to the vibrant engagement of community members. At the community workshops, attendees had the chance to share insights, borrow reusable cups, and shape the future of sustainable practices in Ann Arbor. If you missed the events, stay tuned for future initiatives.

When asked why they are interested in participating in our reuse workshops, people in Ann Arbor say:

  • I want to stop using single-use containers but need an alternative.

  • I want to see bigger changes on a large scale. Right now, I'm an oddball to try the zero waste thing. Let's make it mainstream!

  • I’m looking to support smart, long-term strategies to reduce waste.

  • I want to support community-level infrastructure change.

“I’m incredibly excited about the prospect of having a community-driven, community-run fight against single-use plastics. We have an opportunity to reuse food service containers in a system that enables restaurants and consumers to work together to reduce their carbon footprint. It’s an exciting opportunity and I’m really glad that it’s going to be coming to Ann Arbor.”
— Mayor Christopher Taylor
“What I like about it is that it’s reusable so it cuts down on carbon emissions and all the litter around town. For me, I learned that I wouldn’t have to wash it before I returned it and I could just drop it off as is which is great and I could combine it with other errands so it wouldn’t be a separate trip. It sounds like ideally there would be lots of places I could drop it off so it seems pretty user friendly which was the main question I had. My intentions are always good but it’s the follow through that’s the question. I’m excited about this!”
— Community workshop participant

What’s next for reuse in Ann Arbor

Local partners in Ann Arbor are conducting 1-1 conversations with local restaurants, cafes, and other food and drink businesses as part of their community design process for the reuse system. Project partners are also regularly engaging with University of Michigan stakeholders and working closely with the Office of Campus Sustainability to create a university reusables program that will be designed to be interoperable with the Ann Arbor city-wide system. We are currently synthesizing all of the input from workshops, 1-1 conversations, and stakeholder design sessions to prepare a draft plan for a reuse system in Ann Arbor. We greatly appreciate the community's participation, input, and feedback so that we can co-create a system that works for everyone!

Check out the Ann Arbor newsletter archive here.