I found a recycling center that the residents of Detroit’s West side can use to drop off their recycling!
Whether you just have more recycling than can fit in your container, recycling isn’t an option for your living situation, or you don’t have commercial recycling, you can still recycle!
Southfield, Michigan drop-off Recycling Center – Materials Recovery Facility
RRRASOC – Resource Recovery and Recycling Authority of Southwest Oakland County
20000 W Eight Mile Rd., Southfield, MI 48075
• Open 7 days/week during daylight hours
• 8 Mile & Evergreen
Technically, this recycling center is in Southfield. One side of 8 mile is considered Southfield and the other side, Detroit., but if you’re like me, you may think that’s Detroit too.
They even have a “recycling directory” where you can type and search or click the available options for you to “learn where to recycle, compost, or properly dispose of just about anything.” via their website.
This video created by the RRRASOC was very informational!
The workers are FAST too! I never knew There was such hi-tech equipment to do the sorting!
Public Recycling Drop-Off Centers are so useful!
Sometimes recycling isn’t as easy as just walking the container to your curb every other week. Your living situation may be something that is considered “commercial,” so individual recycling may not always be so simple. Although it’s not offered, you may still want to do your part and recycle. That’s where public recycling centers come into play.
Public recycling centers like RRRASOC, allow you to come and drop-off recyclables.
There are times where your curbside container get full and you still have more to recycle before pickup day, or just made a purchase and the boxes, even after they have been broken down, are just way too big for your home container, so you need a solution. Pack it up, take it to a recycling center!
-If your business has collected recyclables, but haven’t signed up for commercial recycling, you can still have your own personal container that you use to collect recyclables and you can go drop them off at a recycling center.
-If you live in an apartment building that doesn’t offer recycling, it gives you the option to still collect your recyclables and go drop them off however often you’d like.
Recycling at RRRASOC
Quick note: DON’T BAG or BOX your recyclables!
•REMOVE RECYCLABLES FROM BAGS AND BOXES. EMPTY AND FLATTEN BOXES.
• RINSE/CLEAN containers, bottles, jars, cans BEFORE recycling
Image via rrrasoc.org
What You CAN Recycle at RRRASOC
PAPER & CARDBOARD
• Flattened boxes (corrugated cardboard), cereal boxes, pasta noodle boxes, tissue boxes, paper, file folders, office paper, newspaper, magazines, brochures, inserts, regular and junk mail, construction paper, toilet paper ROLLS and paper towel ROLLS, gift-wrapping paper, paper bags, paper drink cartons (you know, like, the paper box milk comes in when you’re in school, juice cartons, chicken broth cartons, etc…).
PLASTICS
• #1, #2, #4, #5, #6, #7 arrow. Bottles – leave the caps on (milk jugs, pop bottles, laundry detergent bottles, shampoo bottles, ketchup, condiment bottles), tubs (not bathtubs) (yogurt tubs, ricotta cheese, cream cheese, or cottage cheese tubs), containers (plastic Tupperware type containers, butter containers)
•Garden plastics
BULKY, RIGID PLASTICS
• Plastic lawn chairs, buckets, laundry baskets, toys
GLASS bottles and jars
• Glass bottles, any color, glass pop bottles, spaghetti/pasta sauce jars, Queso cheese jars, etc…
ALUMINUM and STEEL CANS
• Canned goods cans, pop cans
HOUSEHOLD SCRAP METAL
• Pots/pans, can tops, toaster, aluminum pans (like what catered meals may be served in)
What You CANNOT Recycle at RRRASOC
• Plastic bags
• Foam (styrofoam products)
• Household trash
•Batteries
• Large scrap metal
• Shredded paper
• Electronics
•Waxed cardboard (freezer boxes)
•Medical waste – Syringes, needles, tubing
• Glassware / dishware / lightbulbs
• Plastic and metal clothing and coat hangers
• Plastic cutlery and straws
• Facial tissue, toilet paper, paper towel, napkins
Thankfully, since Detroit offers free recycling containers, I don’t have to use the drop-off centers often, but I know there are a ton of people who need or rely on these type of recycling centers on a regular basis, so they are definitely needed.
They Have a Document Shredder!
PERSONAL DOCUMENTS ONLY!!
NOT FOR BUSINESSES!
Self-serve industrial paper shredder. It’s right inside the brown double-doors by the dumpsters for the recycling drop-off.
• There’s no sign that says you are supposed to go inside for the the SELF-SERVE paper shredder. I think that would probably be a useful note to add to the door. It really just seems like the building is locked up.
Hours:
Monday – Friday
6am – 4:30pm
ACCEPTABLE ITEMS
- Loose paper documents (staples are okay)
- Stacks of paper up to ¼ inch thick
UNACCEPTABLE ITEMS
Binders
- Binders
- Notebooks
- Paper Clips
- Binder Clips
- Folders
- Cardboard
- Books
- Magazines
- CDs or DVDs
- Credit Cards
- Plastic Bags
What is a Materials Recovery Facility?
MRF or Murf facility
With me just driving by a business labeled… Materials Recovery Facility, I wouldn’t know what that is. I understand that’s the industry’s name for these facilities, but unless you know what that means, you’d probably just keep driving. I think along with “Materials Recovery Facility,” there should be another sign that says something like, “Recycling drop-off center,” or “Drop-off recycling center.”
Anywho, what is a materials recycling facility? A MRF is where your curbside or commercial recycling goes after pickup, where they sort and compact the recyclables to be sold.
Here is a great blog post breaking MRF’s further and telling you the different between clean and dirty MRF’s.
RRRASOC Has More Drop-off Locations!
NOVI
DPS Garage
26300 Lee Begole Drive, Novi
-North off of 11 Mile Road between Town Center and Meadowbrook Roads
•Open daylight hours, 7 days a week
–Note: Polystyrene foam (ex: Styrofoam), household hazardous waste, and electronics are NOT accepted at this site.
Click here for recycling guidelines
HOUSEHOLD HAZARDOUS WASTE (HHW) DROP-OFF
-RRRASOC RESIDENTS CAN DROP-OFF HHW ON NON-EVENT DAYS WITHOUT A FEE.
ERG Environmental Services
13040 Merriman Rd., Livonia
Contact: 734-9650
Click here for more information and a list of accepted materials.
HOURS:
Winter Hours:
Monday – Friday
9:00 AM – 5:00 PM
Holiday Hours:
Thursday, Dec. 23rd: 9:00 AM – 3:00 PM
Friday, Dec. 24th: Closed
Monday, Dec. 27th: Closed
Friday, Dec. 31st: 9:00 AM – 3:00 PM
Thank you so much for checking out my blog post!
Published February 8th, 2024
