Check out information on reuse, recycling, and reducing your waste. Find recycling and disposal options by item and service type. Scroll down to find some sustainability guides and statewide directories.
Click on the image of the Recycling Guide to access the latest published PDF of the guide.
Use the hyperlinked “What Do I Do With…” list of items to quickly find item-specific information.
Acids & Bases
Aerosol Cans
American Flags
Ammunition, Firearms, & Weapons
Anti-freeze
Appliances
Asbestos
Asphalt
Automobiles
Batteries
Books
Cardboard Beverage Cartons
Cell Phones
Cleaning Chemicals
Concrete
Construction Materials
Cooking Oil
Electronic Cigarettes/E-Cigs
Electronics
Explosives
Eye Glasses
Fire Extinguishers
Fuels
Garden Flats & Pots
Hazardous Chemical Waste
Hearing Aids
Helium Tanks
Ink & Toner Cartridges
Junk Mail
Lighting
Markers
Mattresses
Medications
Mercury
Oil & Oil Filters
Oral Care Waste (i.e. toothbrushes, toothpaste tubes, etc.)
Paint
Personal Beauty & Hygiene Products
Pesticides, Herbicides, Fungicides, Insecticides, and Rodenticides
Plastic Bags
Plastic Drums & Barrels
Propane Tanks & Cylinders
PVC
Railroad Ties
Scrap Metal/Salvage
Sharps
Shred Paper
Smoke Detectors
Solvents
StyrofoamTM/Polystyrene & Packing Materials
Tires
Vapes
VHS Tapes
Vinyl Siding
Wheelchairs, Canes, Crutches, & Walkers
Yard Waste
Reuse – repurpose products for new uses or donate products for further use by others
Recycle – collect and process materials to turn them into new products
Refuse – municipal solid waste (household garbage)
Use the links below to learn where to reuse, recycle, and dispose of various items.
Van Buren County Recycling Guide
A convenient listing of waste reduction and recycling opportunities along with tips on safer disposal alternatives for potentially hazardous waste. Download the printable Recycling Guide here or come into the district office or your township/village/city office to get your copy!
Sustainable Product Guide
A guide to cleaning product alternatives
Sustainability-oriented Guides
A collection of guides with sustainability tips about glass, plastic, banking, pet ownership, and more!
Safer Choice Program Product List
To access a list of safer cleaning and other products, visit the Environmental Protection Agency’s Safer Choice Program Product List!
Properly disposing of your medications protects human, animal, and environmental health. Flushing medications down the drain leads to trace amounts of drugs being found in our water.
One directory is geared towards residents, and the other directory is geared towards businesses.
If you’re a resident, check out the Michigan Recycling Directory by clicking on the banner!
If you’re a business, check out the Recycled Materials Market Directory by clicking on the banner!
