Every week the township office receives calls and emails regarding the curbside collection service provided by Republic Services. In this blog post, we will try to clear up some of the confusion about the curbside collection program – especially regarding the recycling portion.
Collection Days
Thanks to resident feedback, we are aware there has been confusion about when curbside collection takes place in Fenton Township. For all of the township the normal collection day is Friday, unless it is a holiday week then collection is Saturday.
Some of this confusion is not without its merit; a few things have led to it:
Both the City of Fenton and City of Linden have had some changes in the last few years.
While Fenton Township has not switched providers, we did have a contract renewed with Republic Services during this same timeframe. There was a change with this contract in which the township had yard waste collection extended to go through the final week of the calendar year and not cut off after Thanksgiving like other local municipalities.
Another point of confusion came from a scheduling decision on the part of Republic Services.
Byram Lake Drive. Part of this road are in the township and other parts are in the City of Linden so Republic had scheduled the entire road for Wednesday with the City of Linden collection.
Since Linden is no longer with Republic Services, this has been corrected; and the township residents on Byram Lake Drive are now on the Friday collection.
Types and Times of Collection
- Trash is weekly.
- Recycling is every other week; half the township is one week the other have the other week so please consult the recycling map and calendar to note your schedule.
- Yard waste is weekly for the entire township starting the first Friday in April through the last full week of December each year.
2025 Collection Calendar
The 2025 curbside collection calendar is on the Fenton Township website, printed copies are available in the lobby, and there is a quick access link to “Curbside Collection Information” on the My Fenton Township app.
What happened to and with my recycling?
One of the calls the township receives the most of is midday Friday,
“My trash was collected but they forgot my recycling.”
There are a few common events that could be taking place when residents have this concern.
- Collection hours are from 6:00 a.m. until 6:00 p.m. and if the weather is bad it may start earlier, go later, and even trail over a day to ensure the divers are safe in the conditions.
- Collection is heavier some days than others and the truck may need to go empty its collection before it continues. This also happens frequently with yard waste in the spring when it first starts for the season, and again in the fall when the leaves all fall at once.
- There are different trucks for different collections. Trash. Recycling. Yard Waste (between April and December). Trash does not collect recycling; recycling does not collect yard waste, etc. Therefore, your trash, recycling or yard waste bins will not be collected at the same time.
Recycling by the numbers
In addition to collection concerns, other feedback the township hears often is,
“It all gets dumped in the dump anyway.”
This, is not true.
In fact, according to the local representatives at Republic Services, the recycling program has a recovery rate of 82% in Fenton Township.
While 82% is great, why are we not at 100%?
The answer is simple, 18% of the collected items in the recycle bins should have been put in the trash.
These incorrect items can be the occasional one, like pizza boxes (unless they are completely clean, no cheese, nor grease, etc. they need to be placed in the trash, not recycling) or they could be coming from a household that decided not to participate in the recycle program and are using the recycle bin as a second trash bin.
The trash and the recycle bins have different tops so all the trash in the recycle bin is now being collected by the recycling truck and lowering our recycling recovery rate.
If you do find that you need a second trash bin you can fill out the request for a second bin. The form can be found on the website or ask for one at the front desk when you stop in.
To help improve the recycling stats for Fenton Township for 2025 here is a reminder of what can and cannot go in the recycle bin from the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE).
|
Approved Items |
Not Accepted |
|
Aluminum and Steel Cans |
Batteries or Electronics |
|
Cardboard |
Scrap Metal or Wood |
|
Glass Bottles and Jars |
Plastic Bags |
|
Cereal Boxes, Paper, Newspapers & Magazines |
Bulky Items |
|
Plastic Bottles, Jars and Jugs |
No bag items; leave items loose in the bin |
Do you have items that are unable to be collected with the curbside program? Contact the Genesee County Recycling Hotline at (810) 762-7744 for assistance with drop-off locations.
Click here to see the report by ABC12 on the recycling and education center coming to Genesee County.
For weekly topics and reminders on the curbside collection program and what can and cannot be collected be sure to follow the Fenton Township social media accounts for Trash Talk Thursday posts and also download the My Fenton Township app on your mobile device (free download available for Apple and Android in your device app store) for reminders about holiday collection or weather delay notices.
