Dive Brief:

• Ann Arbor, Michigan has launched an expanded waste collection program that allows residents to place food waste into the same bin as yard waste.
• The city contracted WeCare Organics to handle the waste at the city's composting facility. According to MLive, the WeCare said that it expects to process around 1,000 tons of food waste as a result of the new project, while the city anticipates doubling that number to 2,000 tons annually when the program takes off.
• As reported in MLive, Ann Arbor privatized its composting on January 28, 2011. The city and WeCare have signed an agreement to test the program for one year, with either party having the ability to end the contract at any point.

Dive Insight:

As reported in MLive, it isn't costing Ann Arbor more to haul and process the additional food waste. Trash collection costs $25.90 per ton, while the organics hauling and processing comes to $18, for a savings of $7.90 per ton if waste is composted instead of landfilled. Even with the flat rate of $14,950 per year the city pays WeCare, it is not expecting to spend any additional money to handle food waste.