Have you been bitten by the decluttering bug? While it feels great to remove the things we no longer need or want from our homes, some rubbish needs to be disposed of in specific ways.
Home electronics and hazardous waste can be especially tricky. Products such as paint, cleaners, oil, batteries, pesticides, and even televisions can contain hazardous ingredients and require special care when discarded. Fortunately, Canton Township and Wayne County provide avenues for the safe disposal of many hazardous items.
Canton's 2025 Hazardous Waste Round-up will be held on Saturday, September 6, from 9:00 AM-2:00 PM at Canton's Division of Public Works on Sheldon Road, just south of Michigan Avenue. This is a great time to declutter and keep the environment safe. Before you go, please review the list of acceptable and unacceptable items provided on the township webpage or call them at 734-397-1011.
You can dispose of non-hazardous items close to home by taking advantage of Canton Clean-up days. On Clean-up days, each Canton household is allowed one free trip to drop off trash and recycling, along with home electronics, household construction debris, latex paint, batteries, yard waste and more. Two more are scheduled in 2025: Saturday, September 27 and Saturday, October 18, from 8:00 AM-4:00 PM. Review the guidelines for more details.
Wayne County residents also have access to the ERG Residential Hazardous Waste Drop-off Center in Livonia. Standard pricing is $.75 per pound with a $20 minimum, but you may be eligible for a free Household Waste Collection Voucher through the Wayne County Department of Public Services. They are available on a first-come, first-served basis, and residents can pick them up at the Wayne County Land Resource Management office in Wayne.
The county’s Household Hazardous Waste Program website lists many types of waste, with details about options on how to safely dispose of each one, including contacting manufacturers about taking back old electronics, or specialist recyclers who can handle things like batteries or lightbulbs. They also host four Household Hazardous Waste Collection events every year. The last one for this year will be on Saturday, October 11, at Wayne County Community College Downriver Campus, in Taylor.
There are restrictions on what facilities can or will take, so check out Michigan.gov's household hazardous waste resources if you have something that isn’t accepted at the aforementioned places. The state of Michigan also provides this list of drop-off locations for hazardous waste by county.
If you’re looking for more decluttering inspiration, try one of these books from the library.
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