Curbside Recycling

FAQ's

How can I get a tote?

If you live in one of the participating communities and do not have a tote, please call 348-0640. Whether you're new to our program or need a replacement we'll bring you one free!

Do I have to pay for curbside collection service?

If you live in a single family home in a participating community, your town or township pays for the service for you.

If you live in an apartment building or condominium or are wondering about curbside recycling for a business, please call Emmet County Recycling at 348-0640, as the various communities have different provision for these cases.

What day of the week is my neighborhood served?

Curbside Recycling Map

What time do I need to have my tote out for collection?

For reliable service you need to have your recyclables out by 7:00 a.m. on your collection day.

With the holiday, when will my recyclables be picked up?

When a holiday falls on a weekday, curbside collection of recyclables will be one day later than usual for the remainder of the week, with Friday customers served on Saturday.

This will always be the case with Memorial Day, Labor Day, and Thanksgiving. It will apply to New Year's Day, Independence Day, and Christmas Day in years when they fall on a weekday.

What materials are collected curbside?

In the Tote

If there's not enough room in the tote for your cans, foil, bottles, jugs, and jars, you are welcome to use additional plastic bins or buckets as long as each is no larger than the green tote.

Aluminum Cans, Foil, and Foil Trays 

• Please rinse and flatten

Tin/Steel Cans, Metal Caps and Lids 

• Please rinse, remove labels, and flatten if possible
• NO aerosol cans or propane tanks

#1 and #2 Plastic Bottles, Jugs, and Jars

• Look on the bottom of the bottle, jug or jar for one of these symbols.
• Please remove and discard plastics caps, then rinse and flatten containers. There's no need to remove labels.
• NO brown #1 bottles
• NO plastic bags (such as grocery and bread bags)
• NO plastic trays or clamshells (for example take-out containers)
• NO plastic tubs (for example yogurt and margarine tubs)
• NO Styrofoam
• NO #3, #4, #5, #6, or #7 plastics

Glass Bottles and Jars

• Clear, green, brown, and blue are accepted
• Please remove metal lids and rinse containers. There's no need to remove labels.
• NO broken glass
• NO light bulbs
• NO window glass
• NO glassware

In a Brown Paper Grocery Bag

• If rain is expected, please hold onto your paper and cardboard and set it out the next week.

The following can be mixed for curbside collection even though they're collected separately at the drop sites.

Newspaper, Magazines, Catalogs, and Books

• Includes flyers and glossy inserts
• NO yellowed newspapers

Office Paper

• Including copier paper, junk mail, envelopes, and file folders
• Please remove CDs, plastic cards and other non-paper items from junk mail
• There's no need to remove stickers, rubber bands, sticky notes, mailing labels, staples, paper clips, tape, or envelopes with plastic windows.
• NO construction paper or boldly colored office paper (for example red, hot pink, bright yellow, and neon colors). Pale/pastel-colored office paper is okay.
• NO kraft envelopes (sometimes called "manila" envelopes; they're a golden-brown color)
• NO padded envelopes
• NO bound documents

Small Corrugated Cardboard

• Cardboard for curbside collection must fit entirely in a brown paper grocery bag. Please take larger cardboard to one of the following drop sites: Alanson, Carter's/Dunham's, Glen's, Don's Market/ Harbor Springs, or the Drop-off Center.
• Remove any packing material
• Flatten boxes
• NO greasy pizza boxes
• Brown Paper Bags

Boxboard

• Boxboard is the cardboard used in things like cereal boxes and the tubes in paper towel rolls. Most of it is gray on the inside, but it may also be white (i.e. medicine boxes).
• NO boxes meant for use in coolers or freezers (for example cases from pop cans, beer six packs, and frozen food and butter boxes)

What if my recyclables won't all fit in the green tote?

If they won't all fit, you're welcome to use additional containers, for example other plastic bins or five gallon buckets. For the safety of your curbside driver, each container must be no larger than your green Emmet County Recycling tote.

What areas have curbside collection service?

The following communities provide curbside collection of recyclables to most* of their residents:

• Bear Creek Township
• Harbor Springs
• Little Traverse Township
• Petoskey
• Resort Township
  *Exceptions may include roads not accessible to our trucks and private roads or associations which don't allow large trucks. Also, see the section below on apartments, condos, and businesses for exceptions in some communities.

Curbside collection was also offered to West Traverse, Littlefield, and Springvale townships, and the village of Alanson, however they chose not to participate at this time. Curbside collection is not being offered in the less densely populated areas of the county because long drives between homes would make the service inefficient and expensive.

Are apartments and condominiums included?

Generally individual apartments buildings or houses with just a few apartments are included, but larger buildings or complexes are not. The one exception is Resort Township, which is providing the service to all households and businesses. Call Emmet County Recycling at 348-0640 for the details for your community.

Curbside for Businesses in Resort Township 
Larger buildings or complexes are invited to contract directly with Emmet County Recycling to provide the service. The cost is $36 per year per household. Some complexes with private drives may not be fully accessible to our trucks. In this case it may be possible to set up mini recycling drop-sites with 96-gallon carts for each material. The cost is $106 per year per cart. For more information call Emmet County Recycling at 348-0640.

Curbside for Businesses 
Condominiums are being handled similarly. Associations interested in participating can call Emmet County Recycling at 348-0640.

Are businesses included?

Resort Township is providing curbside recycling to businesses at no additional cost. If you have a business in Resort Township and have not yet been contacted about curbside collection, please call 348-0640.

If you have a business in one of the other participating communities you can contract directly with Emmet County Recycling to have your recyclables collected. The cost is just $36 per year per 16-gallon tote or $106 per year per 96-gallon cart for weekly collection. The totes and carts are provided by Emmet County Recycling. Call 348-0640 for more information.

Cardboard note: if you regularly dispose of more than a small amount of cardboard, talk to your waste hauler about providing a designated cardboard recycling dumpster. Emmet County Recycling is only able to collect small amounts of cardboard curbside. For more information on provisions for cardboard collection in the Emmet County Solid Waste Ordinance, call Emmet County Recycling 348-0640.

How do I set out my recyclables?

First, see the section entitled What materials are collected curbside? for a list of what can and can't be set out for collection.

Put your recyclable plastic, metal, and glass bottles, jugs, and jars in the green tote provided. (If you live in one of the participating communities and didn't receive a tote please call 348-0640.) If they won't all fit, you're welcome to use additional containers, for example other plastic bins or five gallon buckets. Each container must be no larger than your green Emmet County Recycling tote.

Please put all of your papers and small cardboard in a brown paper grocery bag. You can place this bag (or bags) in your tote if it will fit or beside it at the curb if it won't fit. You can combine all of your paper and cardboard in the same bag, or set out the different kinds in separate bags.

If you are served using carts at a business, apartment building, or condominium association, please call 348-0640 for appropriate sorting instructions.

Will it help if I separate the different kinds of paper?

Yes! Many Emmet County residents are in the habit of keeping office paper items separate from "newspaper plus"--newspapers, magazines/catalogs and books -- and cardboard in a third container. It will help our sort crew at the Recycling Center if you continue to do this with curbside collection (using separate brown paper bags for each), as they'll be able to separate the materials more effectively and efficiently.

So why aren't we requiring everyone to do this? We are gradually moving toward what's called a "two-stream system": participants simply sort their recyclables into 1)"fibers"-- paper and cardboard - and 2) "containers" -- plastic, mental, and glass containers. The mixed materials are then sorted by a combination of mechanical and hand sorting at the materials recovery facility (MRF). A two stream system is our goal because experience in numerous communities has shown that when recycling is made this simple, significantly higher volumes of materials are collected. The benefits of collecting more material outweigh the increased sorting costs at the MRF. Implementing a two-stream system wasn't an option in the past because the volumes we collected weren't large enough to support investing in the mechanical sorting equipment, but we expect to reach the point where this may be possible in the near future.

Will it help if I separate my plastic, glass, and metal containers?

Yes! Many Emmet County residents are in the habit of keeping plastic, metal, clear glass, green glass, and brown glass separate for recycling. It will help the curbside drivers if you continue to do this, saving them time as they sort the containers into separate compartments on the truck.

So why aren't we requiring everyone to do this? We are gradually moving toward what's called a "two-stream system": participants simply sort their recyclables into 1) "fibers" which includes your paper and cardboard and 2) "containers" which includes your plastic, metal, and glass containers. The mixed materials are then sorted by a combination of mechanical and hand sorting at the materials recovery facility (MRF). A two stream system is our goal because experience in numerous communities has shown that when recycling is made this simple, significantly higher volumes of materials are collected. The benefits of collecting more material outweigh the increased sorting costs at the MRF. Implementing a two-stream system wasn't an option in the past because the volumes we collected weren't large enough to support investing in the mechanical sorting equipment, but we expect to reach the point where this may be possible in the near future.

Who do I call if I have questions or concerns about curbside service?

Emmet County Recycling at 348-0640.

Are the drop sites still available?

Yes, all 12 recycling drop sites will continue to be available.

How is the service paid for?

The participating towns and townships pay Emmet County Recycling to provide curbside collection service. All of the participating communities found the means to cover the costs within their existing revenues, so there are not any specific fees, assessments, or taxes for this service.

What types of homes, businesses, and institutions are included is up to each community. Generally they don't pay for larger apartment complexes or businesses, but the guidelines vary from one community to another. (Alternately, businesses and larger residential communities and businesses can contract with Emmet County Recycling directly at low annual rates. For more information, see the sections on apartments and condominiums and businesses.

Who is operating the service?

Emmet County Recycling (a division of the Emmet County Department of Public Works) operates the curbside recycling program. We're the same people who operate the County's ten Recycling Drop-Sites and the Drop-off Center, which also includes a Compost Center and Waste Transfer Station.

You can recycle many additional materials (for example clothing, scrap metal, and electronics) at the Drop-off Center. See the Recycling Guide for all of the details.