2021 Community recycling events

The 2021 Community Recycling Events are currently being organized and scheduled.  The plan is to offer a number of collection events for household chemicals, electronics, and possibly other items between April and October, in various places around Berrien County. Check back for updates.  Or, email the County Parks Recycling Office to get on the mailings list or ask questions.

description of ACCEPTED ITEMS

Contact Berrien County Parks (see contact information on this page) with specific questions about accepted items.

household chemicals accepted:

Home, garden, yard, garage, under-the-sink, bathroom, and home workshop chemicals, liquids and cleaners. Items with the words toxic, flammable, hazardous, or poisonous on the label.

Acids and Bases
Adhesives
Aerosols - all kinds
Antifreeze
Automotive Products

Bathroom Products (hair spray, perfume, nail polish, etc)
Batteries (all sizes and kinds)
Beauty Aids (hair spray, perfume, nail polish, etc)
Brake fluid

Caulks & Glues
Cleaners (soaps, shampoos, waxes, oven and drain cleaner, etc)
Chlorine
Cooking Oil
Cylinders (one-pound cylinders only, NO propane tanks)

Driveway Sealer

Fuels (kerosene, home heating oil, lighter fluid, gas, etc)

Gasoline

Light Bulbs (compact fluorescents, 8-ft tube and shorter,LED, neon)

Medications (pills, liquids, patches, aerosols, etc.; remove pills from personal pill bottles and put all together in a zip-lockable bag; medical sharps/needles must be dropped off in a puncture proof container)
Mercury (thermometers, thermostats, switches, liquid)
Mineral Spirits
Motor Oil and Filters

Needles/Sharps (must be dropped off in a puncture proof container and labeled with the word "sharps" or "needles"; containers can be a red sharps containers, laundry detergent bottle, or similar rigid/puncture proof container)

Oil-Based Paint (latex paint is NOT accepted, dry out latex paint and place in with regular household trash)
Oils (used motor oil & filters, cooking oil, etc.)

Paint Products (latex paint is NOT accepted, dry out latex paint and place in with regular trash)
Pesticides/Herbicides (all kinds)
Photography Chemicals (developer, fixer, stop bath)
Pills (remove pills from personal pill bottles and put all together in a zip-lockable bag)

Roofing Sealer

Sharps/Needles (must be dropped off in a puncture proof container, loose sharps are not accepted)
Swimming Pool Chemicals (chlorine, pH reducer, pH increaser)

Transmission Fluid

Waxes/Polishes

electronic items accepted:

Unwanted electronic equipment from a Berrien County home that has a cord or is battery operated such as:

Computers
Computer monitors ($10 per monitor fee)
Televisions ($20 per TV fee)
Printers
Large and Small Appliances
Window Air Conditioners
DVD/VCR Players
Power Tools
Dehumidifiers
Cameras
Vacuum Cleaner
Irons (curling/straightening, clothing, etc.)
Phones (cell and land-line)
Scanners

Electronics are accepted and recycled by Green Earth Electronics Recycling, 4200 Niles Rd, St. Joseph, 269-326-1232, www.greenearth1.com. If you have a question about a specific electronic and if it is accepted or not, please call Green Earth Electronics Recycling.

items that are not accepted:

Latex Paint (click to learn latex paint recycling and disposal options).
Gas Grill Size Propane Tanks (click to learn Tank recycling/disposal options).
Packing Peanuts (click to learn packing peanut recycling & reuse options)
Waste from Businesses is Prohibited.

Year Around Options:

Household chemicals/Hazardous Waste

Kalamazoo County Household Hazardous Waste Center  Available for Berrien County RESIDENTS to use, free, year around. When utilizing the Kalamazoo HHW Center, Berrien County residents must show an ID with an address. Accepted items include household, yard & garden, garage, and workshop chemicals, cleaners, and liquids. See full list of accepted and not accepted items, along with hours of operation, at the HHW Center website.

Berrien County Recycling Guide: items such as batteries, used motor oil, fluorescent lights, unwanted medications, electronics, and many other items have local recycling options available year around. Click on the Recycling Guide headings in the blue box on the left side of this page to seek out drop off locations and recycling services. 

electronics recycling

Green Earth Electronics Recycling, the company that provides the electronics recycling services at the community events, is located at 4200 Niles Rd., St. Joseph. They are open Monday - Friday 8 a.m. - 3 p.m., excluding holidays, for electronics drop off. Contact Green Earth at 269-326-1232, or go to Green Earth Electronics Recycling website. Ask about additional services such as business electronics waste recycling, hard drive shredding, pick up services, etc.  

Berrien County Recycling Guide: there are a number of local businesses that accept electronics for recycling and reuse. Click on the Recycling Guide heading for ELECTRONICS in the blue box on the left side of this page to seek out drop off locations and recycling services for electronics.

paper shredding / document shredding

Berrien County Recycling Guide: there are a number of local businesses that provide document shredding services. Click on the Recycling Guide heading for PAPER In the blue box on the left side of this page to seek out paper shredding options. 

tire recycling

Berrien County Recycling Guide: there are a number of local businesses that will accept scrap tires from residents for proper handling and recycling. Just like the County’s community events, these businesses will charge a fee for this service. Please call ahead for information. Click on the Recycling Guide heading for TIRES in the blue box on the left side of this page to seek out tire recycling options.

foam / polystyrene

Tri-Power Recycling: 1240 Anderson Street, Elkhart, IN 46514; call 574-848-1900. Accepted foam includes hard foam such as foam ice chests/coolers, foam cups, clean foam "to-go" containers, egg cartons, clean foam meat trays, white foam block packaging, pink and blue Styrofoam. Foam must be clean and dry.

Not Accepted: soft/squishy foam, foam bedding or pads, packing peanuts, or blown-in foam. Foam that has glue, wood, paper, or any other item attached to it is NOT accepted.