As your recyclables are collected, sorted, and shipped to local manufacturers to be turned into new products, they are quality-checked during every step to ensure their materials can be reused. While contaminants such as food waste, polystyrene foam, and electronics are discarded at the sorting facility, acceptable recyclables go on to be turned into water bottles, clothing, park benches, and even carpeting!

To ensure your recyclables are collected, sorted, and made into new products efficiently, remember to keep them loose, empty, and dry! Check below for more details on how you can follow these tips to a T:

Loose

Recyclables need to remain loose in your curbside recycling cart and at the recycling drop-off sites so that they can be quickly identified and sorted when making their way along the conveyor systems at the RRRASOC Materials Recovery Facility (MRF). Bagged recyclables and recyclables that are stuffed into each other (e.g. a soda bottle stuffed into a cereal box) cannot be efficiently sorted and are thus sent to the landfill. Avoid this by keeping your recyclable materials loose!

Empty

Full soda cans, greasy pizza boxes, and containers of food can contaminate other recyclables in the truckload. A shattered jar of salsa has the potential to render an entire recycling truck of materials unusable! To avoid this costly mistake, be sure to rinse out any containers that held food, soap, milk, or any other substance that could otherwise spill. No need to use soap, and we're not looking for perfection! Minor residue left in a container is acceptable!

Dry

After rinsing out the necessary recyclables, make sure they are dry before placing them in your recycling cart, as water can also lessen the quality of some recyclables (such as newspaper and cardboard). It's hard to identify and sort piles of wet paper pulp as they're moving down the line!

Homeowners - remember to keep the lid of your curbside recycling carts closed when there is a chance for overnight rainfall!

For additional recycling tips, visit our Recycling Guidelines page.

In April 2024, a pilot food scrap recycling initiative was introduced for City of Wixom residents, allowing them to dispose of their food waste with their yard waste at no extra cost. Last month, we released a community-wide survey to gauge the potential for expanding this program to RRRASOC communities outside of Wixom. Those subscribed to our monthly newsletter, as well as those who follow us on social media, were invited to take our 5-minute survey to help us gauge interest in this type of service as we look for opportunities to move the needle toward our county-wide sustainability goals.

The answers we have received from residents thus far have greatly helped us in planning the next step of this pilot program. If you live in a RRRASOC community (Farmington, Farmington Hills, Village of Milford, Milford Township, Novi, Southfield, South Lyon, Walled Lake, or Wixom), we encourage you to take the survey below if you haven't already! Your answers provide crucial data for program expansion - potentially to your neighborhood!

Labor Day is on Monday, September 2, which means there will be a 1-day delay to your curbside garbage, recycling, and yard waste pickup services. Those who are normally serviced on Friday will be serviced on Saturday.

Have a safe and happy Labor Day!

During the following HHW Collection Events, all residents of RRRASOC member communities are welcome to bring household hazardous waste for an opportunity to safely discard their hazardous items and e-waste. Simple Recycling and paper shredding services will also be available*.

October 5, 2024

Novi Dept. of Public Works

26300 Lee BeGole Dr., Novi

9:00am - 2:00pm

October 26, 2024 👕

RRRASOC MRF - Truck Entrance

20875 Mapleridge Ave., Southfield

9:00am - 2:00pm

*The T-shirt icon indicates an HHW Collection Event during which clothing, shoes, accessories, and small household items will be accepted by Simple Recycling.

For more information about HHW events and how to prepare your items, please visit our HHW page.

If you have HHW that you'd like to properly dispose of between collection events, you're in luck! Drop off your HHW without a fee at ERG Environmental Services during the following hours:

Monday - Friday:

9:00 AM - 4:00 PM

Not sure what to do with stuff?

Visit rrrasoc.org and use the Recycling Directory search bar to type in keywords and get recycling, composting, reuse or disposal instructions.

The searchable, intuitive format of the Recycling Directory provides RRRASOC specific information.

Also Available:

Mobile App

• From your App Store or Google Play, search for "Recycling Authority"

Want more tips, tricks, and updates about recycling? We have a Facebook page where we can reach each other to make recycling easier. You can also reach us via RRRASOC.org and email at education@rrrasoc.org!

RRRASOC - Recycling Authority | 248-208-2270 | rrrasoc.org