Oakland County does not mandate recycling countywide, but participating communities provide curbside recycling through SOCRRA, RRRASOC, or a private hauler. SOCRRA accepts plastics #1-2 and #5, paper, cardboard, glass bottles/jars, and metal cans in a single-stream cart. Plastics #3, #4, #6, #7, plastic bags, and food-soiled items are NOT accepted curbside. Michigan's 10-cent bottle deposit (MCL 445.571) covers beer, soft drink, and water bottles separately.
There is no Oakland County recycling mandate, but Michigan's Materials Management Plan framework (Part 115 of NREPA, as amended by PA 23 of 2022 effective March 29, 2023) requires Oakland County to file a Materials Management Plan with EGLE - the County filed its Notice of Intent on June 12, 2024. Curbside recycling rules are set by SOCRRA, RRRASOC, or the contracted hauler. SOCRRA accepted materials: plastic bottles/containers #1 (PET) and #2 (HDPE), some #5 (PP), newspaper, office paper, magazines, cardboard (flattened), paper bags, glass bottles and jars (rinsed), aluminum cans, steel/tin cans, and beverage cartons. NOT accepted: plastic bags and film (return to grocery stores), styrofoam, plastics #3/#4/#6, food-soiled paper, electronics, batteries, scrap metal, hangers, garden hoses. Yard waste is collected separately April-December in SOCRRA communities under Michigan's Yard Waste Ban (Public Act 264 of 2003) - yard waste cannot be landfilled. Michigan's Bottle Bill (MCL 445.571 - the 'Beverage Containers Initiated Law') requires a 10-cent deposit on metal, plastic, and glass beverage containers up to 1 gallon - return these to retailers, not in the curbside cart. Lead-based paint debris from pre-1978 homes (common in older Royal Oak/Ferndale neighborhoods) is regulated waste under Michigan Lead Abatement Act (MCL 333.5453) and cannot go in regular trash.
Contaminated recycling carts may be rejected by SOCRRA/RRRASOC - the hauler tags the cart and skips it. Persistent contamination can trigger removal of recycling service for that household. Yard waste landfill violations are enforced by EGLE under Part 115 (Solid Waste). Lead-paint waste violations under the Michigan Lead Abatement Act carry civil penalties up to $10,000 per day plus federal EPA Renovation, Repair, and Painting (RRP) rule fines.
Other ordinances people look up for this city. Green dot = verified primary-source excerpt.
Oakland County, MI
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Oakland County, MI
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Oakland County, MI
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Oakland County, MI
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Oakland County, MI
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See how Oakland County's recycling requirements rules stack up against other locations.
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