Waste Management now manages the trucks responsible for recycling. The customer service hours are 7:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. weekdays and they can be reached at 1-800-796-9696.

If the issue is still unresolved, call the City Staff Liaison to Sanitation at 445-5200 Ext. 285 or City Hall at 447-3385. Please place your regular waste out by 7:00 a.m. of your regular pick-up day.  Your recycling bins should be at least 5 feet from your regular garbage.  Always use your recycling bin to set out recyclables.  Only newspapers in paper bags or tied with string should be placed beside, in, or under the bin.  Truck drivers will leave recycling "mistakes" in the bin with a resident information card.  It is suggested that you rinse out your bins at least once every couple of months.

Recyclables

Mixed Paper, Junk Mail, Magazines, Grayboard* & Advertisements:  This includes magazines, catalogs, glossy and non-glossy advertisement flyers, colored paper, junk mail, stationery and envelopes.  Simply place these items, with or without your newspapers,  in a paper bag.  Grayboard (including items such as cereal boxes, tissue boxes, shoe boxes, tissue paper rolls, rice & pasta boxes) can be recycled curbside by removing all liners, flatten and place either in a paper bag with or without your newspapers.  All mixed paper, junk mail, magazines, grayboard and advertisements can be mixed in the same paper bag.

Corrugated Cardboard: Large corrugated cardboard must be flattened to 2' x 2' or smaller, tied or bundled and placed in or next to your blue recycling bin. Your blue recycling bin must be placed curbside for recyclables to be picked up.

Newspapers & Brown Paper Bags:  Tie with string or place in brown paper grocery bag.  Place inside, beside, or under your recycling bin.  PLEASE KEEP DRY!

Curbside Paper Collection:  It is against City ordinance to take papers off of someone’s lawn during set hours. City code 35.259 Section 9, Regulation of Newspaper Collection from Curbside, reads: From 6:00 p.m. the day before rubbish collection day until 6:00 p.m. on the regular collection day, no person, firm, corporation, organization, or business other than the contractor for refuse or solid waste collection within the City of St. Clair Shores shall collect newspapers placed at the curbside.  Any citizen who discovers someone removing recyclable papers should write down the license plate of the car and make a report to the Police Department.

Plastic Container:  Plastic containers labeled with the Number 1 PETE and Number 2 HDPE symbol with arrows are the only type of plastic containers accepted at this time.  All containers must be rinsed and lids removed.  Labels are okay.  Flatten if possible.  Styrofoam, wide mouth containers and containers that have had motor oil or chemicals in them are not accepted.

Glass Containers:  Clear, green and brown only is accepted.  Remove caps and lids, and rinse.  Labels are okay.  Tempered glass, windows/windshields, pyrex, mirrors, or light bulbs are not accepted.

Paint:  Neither oil based nor latex paint will be collected in liquid form.  If you have leftover paint, find a safe place and remove the lids from the cans and let the paint harden.  Once it is hardened it can be placed at curbside for pick up with the lids off.  To speed drying time, you may add kitty litter, sand or Speedy Dry.   For other hazardous waste disposal, contact the Macomb County Health Department at (810) 469-5467 for an appointment.

Oil Based Paint & Varnishes:  May be taken to Nortru/Petro Chem in Detroit for fuel blending.  Call (313) 824-5375 for information.  They will not take latex paint.

Used Oil, Antifreeze & Car Batteries:  Will be accepted at the Municipal Garage (19800 Pleasant, corner of Industrial Drive - behind Civic Arena) Monday through Friday from 7:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.

• Valvoline Instant Oil Change, at Harper and Eleven Mile Road, will accept oil (5 gallon maximum), antifreeze and used oil filters.

• Uncle Ed’s, on Harper between Eleven and Twelve Mile Roads, will accept used oil.

For your protection and for the protection of Waste Management workers, please place all used syringes in a rigid container with a lid before setting out with your trash.  Some drug stores that sell insulin syringes have developed a program to take back used syringes for proper disposal.  Ask your pharmacist about their company’s disposal options.

F.Y.I.:

• CVS Drug Stores will recycle your empty film containers.
  
• Plastic bags and wire hangers can be taken back to your local dry cleaners for recycling.