Food, family, festivities... It's that time of the year again! The holiday commotion is slowly picking back up, which means more gatherings, more cooking, and unfortunately more accumulated waste. On Thanksgiving alone, U.S. households throw out hundreds of millions of pounds of food waste, which totals out to around half a million metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions. However, there are ways to lower your contributions to the landfill while still getting the most out of this special day with family. Check out our checklist below to see what you can do!

Did we miss anything? If you'd like to know what other items can be recycled, check out the Recycling Directory at rrrasoc.org! This searchable, intuitive guide provides RRRASOC-specific information for recycling, reusing, composting, and proper disposal.

Recycling comes with a variety of economic, environmental, and social benefits such as creating jobs, reducing landfill waste, and conserving our oceans and forests. America Recycles Day highlights the actions each of us can take to collectively address the challenges facing our nation's recycling system to ensure these benefits continue for years to come. This is also a day to be more mindful of what we consume, where and how to recycle, and how to recycle more and recycle right every day.

Already an expert on recycling? Thank you for doing your part in keeping our communities clean and safe! Take November 15th as a day to educate and motivate your friends, family, and community on the benefits and how-to's of recycling!

Want to show your support? Join us and thousands of others in taking the #BeRecycled pledge to show your commitment to keeping our planet healthy. This pledge acts as a promise to learn what materials are accepted in your community and to reduce the amount of waste you produce.

For more information on what can be recycled in your community, visit rrrasoc.org.

Buy Nothing Day falls on another "holiday" that many of you may be familiar with: Black Friday. However, this isn't purely coincidence! Buy Nothing Day is observed annually to mediate the extensive amounts of waste and spending that result from the upcoming holiday season. The intent is to enjoy the day at home, in nature, or with family without falling prey to Black Friday deals. This not only helps you save money, but will prove that many of those hot deals aren't worth it - especially if you didn't need the item in the first place. Not to mention you'll be generating less packaging waste!

You can also observe Buy Nothing Day by giving back to the community instead - why not donate your gently used belongings to a local charity or secondhand store? Or you could bake, create, or make plans for bonding time with loved ones. The possibilities are endless!

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.

April 15th, 2023 👕

Wixom Dept. of Public Works

2041 Charms Rd., Wixom

9:00am - 2:00pm

April 22nd, 2023 👕

RRRASOC MRF - Truck Entrance

20875 Mapleridge Ave., Southfield

9:00am - 2:00pm

May 6th, 2023

Oakland Community College

Orchard Ridge Campus Lot 8

27055 Orchard Lake Rd., Farmington Hills

May 20th, 2023 👕

Milford Civic Center

1100 Atlantic St., Milford

Enter from West, off Mont Eagle St.

July 15th, 2023 👕

Wixom Dept. of Public Works

2041 Charms Rd., Wixom

9:00am - 2:00pm

October 7th, 2023

Novi Dept. of Public Works

26300 Lee BeGole Dr., Novi

9:00am - 2:00pm

October 28th, 2023 👕

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:

Updated Winter Hours:

Monday - Friday:

9:00 AM - 5:00 PM

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