With Black Friday and the holidays fast approaching, these next couple of months are going to be a shopping frenzy for many! We always encourage spending the holidays at home with family, but if you're rushing to grab that special item at the store, don't forget to practice sustainable shopping and waste reduction. Plastic bags and excessive packaging are some of the main culprits this season, and we want to make sure you know how you can avoid these curbside cart-fillers and opt for simpler, eco-friendly packaging.

Check out the five tips below on how you can lessen your environmental impact this holiday season!

Examples: Reusable Water Bottles, Tote Bags, Silicone Sandwich Bags, and Bamboo To-Go Utensils

Examples: Sewing, Patching, Tuning, Dusting, Taping, Washing, Supergluing, Painting, Polishing, and Soldering

Examples: Glass, Bamboo, Metal, and Silicone. Save plastic to-go boxes from takeout to use again. Bring your own reusable to-go boxes to restaurants.

Examples: Recycled, Cornstarch, or Compostable Packaging, No Polystyrene Foam (Styrofoam), All-Paper Packaging

Examples: RRRASOC accepts paper, cardboard, aluminum and steel cans, plastic containers labeled #1, #2, #4-#7, and glass bottles and jars.

Learn more about what types of packaging and materials are accepted in your curbside recycling or at the Southfield and Novi recycling drop-off sites at RRRASOC.org.

After being sorted and baled at the RRRASOC MRF, your recyclables are shipped all over Michigan and the U.S. to be made into new products. While plastics are often turned into pellets or fibers to be made into water bottles, shirts, and carpeting, paper is turned into a pulp to create new paper! Metals are often melted back down (did you know they are infinitely recyclable?) and are formed into new shapes such as cans or building materials.

View, download, or share the map below to see common recyclable commodities and their preprocessing locations:

Thanksgiving can be just as hectic as it is relaxing - take it from us! Family is flying in, you're rushing to set the table before the mashed potatoes are done, and there's no time to worry about whether your turkey pan is recyclable. Worry not; RRRASOC has all the information you'll need ahead of time on our Recycling Directory, Recycling Guidelines, and in this newsletter. From pie tins to food waste, we've got you covered!

Pie Tins



These are made of aluminum, so they're recyclable!

Turkey Pans



These are also made of aluminum!

Soup or Cranberry Sauce Cans



Often made of either aluminum or steel.

Broth Cartons



We accept paper cartons, whether it's milk, orange juice, or broth!

Beverage Bottles

& Cans



Non-returnable plastic, aluminum, or glass beverage bottles can be placed with your recycling. Return your deposit containers!

Aluminum Foil



Just like pie tins and turkey pans, aluminum foil is recyclable. Crush it into a ball and toss it into your recycling cart!

Plastic Wrap

Take clean and dry wrap to a participating grocery store to be recycled.

Paper Plates

Whether soiled or unused, these are designed for one-time use and should be placed with regular trash.

Paper Towels

The fibers are too short to recycle, so put paper towels and napkins into the trash.

Food Scraps

Compost your vegetative food scraps at home. Or, take them to a local composting facility.

Plastic Cutlery

These are too small to make it through the sorting process at the recycling facility. Choose reusable cultery instead!

Plastic Baggies

Clean and dry flexible baggies can be taken to a participating grocery store to be recycled.

Remember, only buy as much food as you think you will need. Need help calculating just how much that might be? Try the Guestimator, courtesy of SaveTheFood.com. This helpful calculator will estimate how much food you'll need to keep your guests full!

Stay tuned for next year's HHW Collection Event dates! In the meantime...

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