Resource
Curbside mixed recycling is offered to residents free of charge via Southeast Oakland County Resource Recovery Association (SOCRRA). To participate, simply purchase a recycling cart from the Department of Public Works and set it at the curb on your regular garbage pickup day.
What you can put in your recycling cart:
SOCRRA is now a mixed recycling facility, which means that sorting is not required. For more about accepted items and preparation guidelines, visit SOCRRA.
WHY RECYCLE? Recycling costs less than landfill dumping. By recycling, we divert material from entering our landfills. It also provides a rebate on the amount of recycled material, lowering overall costs for the City, residents, and businesses. Not to mention all the feel-goods you get by helping preserve our environment.
The SOCRRA drop-off center is open and free to the public. Hours of operation are Monday-Friday 9am to 5pm, and Saturday 7am and 1pm. The drop-off center accepts all mixed recycling items, cardboard (please flatten the boxes!), metal scraps, styrofoam (no packing peanuts), plastic bags, plastic wrap, hard cover books, VHS tapes, cassettes, CDs, bottle caps, clothes, and shoes. They also accept household hazardous waste and electronics.
Also available to residents is a self-service paper shredder. Hours of operation for paper shredding are Monday-Friday 9am-5pm and Saturday 7am-1pm
Did you know that you can throw your light kitchen waste in with your yard waste? Through SOCRRA's curbside yard waste pick-up you can throw in your kitchen waste items such as fruit and vegetable scraps— peels, rinds, seeds, nuts, or other byproducts. You can also include clean fill dirt, potting soil, garden soil, wood shavings and ash, and untreated wood. For a full list, check out this guide.
Through the yard waste program, SOCRRA provides free compost for all Ferndale residents. Look for the compost piles throughout the City at these locations:
SOCRRA's Household Hazardous Waste Drop-Off Center is open 6 days a week. Drop-Off Center is located at 995 Coolidge, Troy, MI (between 14 Mile and Maple).
Looking for waste information at the State level? Check out the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality (MDEQ) website. Here is a fun video they created on recycling.
The City of Ferndale performs regular water sampling and testing in accordance with the Michigan Safe Drinking Water Act, and we continue to surpass water quality standards as mandated by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and Michigan Department of Environmental Quality (MDEQ). The City provides comprehensive information about lead, chemicals, and other contaminants. For more information, see below.
Surpasses EPA water quality standards, per GLWA testing
The Great Lakes Water Authority (GLWA) oversees mandatory annual testing of each of their community water suppliers. Most recent testing, courtesy of the 2018 Consumers Annual Water Quality Report, shows levels that once again exceed regulation requirements and standards. To learn more about lead testing and water safety, view Lead and Your Water Supply: An Informational Guide.
Not detected in any water supply, per GLWA testing
The Great Lakes Water Authority (GLWA) oversees mandatory testing of their water supply to ensure that PFAS, or chemical perfluoroalkyl substances, are not present in community drinking water supplies. Most recent testing of water in five sources (Detroit-based Water Works Park, Springwells, and Northeast water treatment plants, Allen Park-based Southwest Water Treatment Plant, and Lake Huron), performed 2222, confirmed that PFAS was not detected at any level/in any water source. You can view the report for more information.
February 2019: The City of Ferndale learned from the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality (now EGLE) of the discovery of PFAS at the privately owned business property located at 1221 Farrow Street, Ferndale, identified as MacDermid, Inc.—a small chemical manufacturing and warehouse facility. Monitoring occurred at the bases of two former waste lagoons, and contamination appears limited to a small, perched zone of groundwater. The designation of this groundwater prevents it from being used as a drinking water source, and stormwater runoff from the contaminated area is captured and treated before discharge to the GLWA. Because this is a reportedly contained issue on private property, EGLE is working directly with the business/property owner(s) to excavate and re-sample. MDEQ recommended no community outreach at this time; the City has elected to publish this information in an effort to maintain transparency and information.
For more information, view the MDEQ report or contact the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy.
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City of Ferndale, Michigan
300 East Nine Mile Road
Ferndale, Michigan 48220
