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1. What can be recycled?

The latest information on what can go in the green recycling roll-carts may be found on the Green Team's recycling page. Green Team: Recycling

2. Can I recycle my coffee cup?

It depends. Coffee cups made of paper or cardboard can be put in the paper roll-carts, and plastic drinking cups may be placed in the commingled roll-carts. SOCRRA does not currently accept Styrofoam through its roll-cart recycling, so cups and containers made with Styrofoam will need to be placed in the trash. As with all food and beverage containers, we ask that you please empty them of liquid/food before placing them in the bins.

3. Can I recycle Styrofoam?

Currently, SOCRRA does not accept Styrofoam in its green roll-cart recycling program.

4. Why can’t I find the recycling bins at city hall?

Recycling is collected from city hall on Thursday mornings. In order to ensure bins are out early enough for pick-up, the bins must be rolled out to the curb on Wednesday afternoon. During this short time, we ask that you either use the small bins in Room 309 or hold onto items until the bins are returned in the morning.

5. Why should I recycle?

Recycling helps keep city waste disposal costs low; conserves resources for future generations, reduces the need to build new landfills, and saves energy by turning throw-away trash into new materials for new products. For every ton of recyclables collected and delivered to SOCRRA, the city earns $20 per ton, whereas the city pays to dispose of trash. Last year the city collected $165,000 from recycling revenue, and avoided $100,000 in disposal costs.

6. What is this SOCRRA that keeps being mentioned?

SOCRRA stands for Southeastern Oakland County Resource Recovery Authority, and is a municipal corporation in which Royal Oak is a member. All of our recycling contracts are coordinated through SOCRRA and our recyclable materials go to their facility on Coolidge, just north of 14 Mile.

SOCRRA Website