Electronic waste (or e-waste) is the fastest-growing portion of our municipal waste stream. For each new product, one or more becomes outdated or obsolete - which means both residents and businesses are discarding electronics faster than ever. E-waste is an electronic device at the end of or nearing the end of its useful life. Many of these items can be reused, refurbished, or dismantled to capture the inner components for recycling. The inner components are often made of precious metals that are scarce and have value. Appliances like refrigerators and air conditioners contain harmful gases that can pose environmental threats when not handled properly.

Instead of trashing that old fax machine, TV, or phone, keep them and their electronic components in circulation. Read on to learn what you can do to divert electronic waste from landfill disposal.

Update

Before tossing your electronics to make room for the newest model, see if what you currently own can be updated through new software or hardware. For example, computers and cell phones (and printers, too!) usually have free software updates to keep them from going obsolete too quickly. For desktop computers, parts can easily be switched out for new ones. This can save you money in the long run!

Donate

Just because it's no longer useful to you does not mean that it needs to be sent to the landfill. Your electronics can be donated to those in need! Factory-reset devices can work good as new. Other electronics such as kitchen appliances and videogame consoles can be taken to a secondhand store to give them a new, useful life. When the weather gets warmer, you can also try your hand at selling older electronics at a yard sale!

Collection Event

Electronics that can no longer be of use are accepted at our HHW (Household Hazardous Waste) Collection Events held in different RRRASOC member communities throughout the year. Accepted items include computers, keyboards, printers, TVs, DVD players, string lights, cameras, and much more! Click here or keep scrolling to see this year's HHW Collection Event dates.

If you have a general question about recycling, trash, or yard waste collection, odds are someone else in your area has had that same question! Our Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) page contains a variety of helpful info pertaining specifically to our RRRASOC member communities. Need to know what day your curbside pickup falls on? This page has links to each community's waste collection pages - a direct line to the info you need! Curious as to why your items weren't picked up at curbside? We may be able to clue you in!

With our FAQ page, you can also find information regarding HHW Collection Events, how to deal with certain non-accepted items, where you can shred your documents for free, and more. Click here to have your general recycling, trash, and yard waste questions answered today!

The answer is: #1, #2, and #4 – #7!

Plastics with the numbers #1, #2, or #4 – #7 are recyclable at curbside with RRRASOC! That means you can place them in your curbside recycling cart or at one of our recycling drop-off sites located in Southfield and Novi. These types of plastics are often bottles, cups, jugs, containers, and plastic garden pots. Check below for more examples of recyclable plastics with these numbers!

What about #3 plastics?

Common items that are classified as #3 plastics are PVC pipes, vinyl records, inflatable pool toys, flooring, siding, cling wrap, and shower curtains. As you can probably imagine, these types of items are not easy to recycle, and their chemical makeup is different from the plastics that we do accept. To keep these materials out of the landfill, they have to be reused, donated, or recycled through alternative means such as store drop-offs and special collection programs.

Are there any plastic items that have an "accepted" number but are not actually accepted at RRRASOC?

While plastic bags are often marked as #2 or #4 plastics, their shape and flexibility does not allow them to be captured for recycling at our facility. Flexible plastics such as grocery bags, plastic wrap, cereal bags, and food storage bags can be returned at a retail location to be recycled properly. In addition, plastic hangers, toys, and electronics may have an outer shell with an "accepted" number on it, but due to the complex shape or contents of these objects, they are not accepted at our facility.

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 5, 2025 👕

Wixom Dept. of Public Works

2041 Charms Rd., Wixom

9:00am - 2:00pm

April 26, 2025 👕

RRRASOC MRF - Truck Entrance

20875 Mapleridge Ave., Southfield

9:00am - 2:00pm

May 10, 2025

Oakland Community College

27055 Orchard Lake Rd., Farmington Hills

9:00am - 2:00pm

May 17, 2025 👕

Milford Civic Center

1100 Atlantic St., Milford

Enter from west off of Mont Eagle St.

9:00am - 2:00pm

July 12, 2025 👕

Wixom Dept. of Public Works

2041 Charms Rd., Wixom

9:00am - 2:00pm

October 4, 2025

Novi Dept. of Public Works

26300 Lee BeGole Dr., Novi

9:00am - 2:00pm

October 25, 2025 👕

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