April celebrates volunteer month. Redford Township is blessed with numerous residents who volunteer their time and talents on boards and commissions and for worthwhile community agencies like Meals of Wheels. We honor those volunteers on Tuesday, April 17th at the Karas House with a recognition ceremony to thank them for their efforts. Congratulations to all our volunteers!

Congressman Joe Knollenberg will be attending our Board of Trustees meeting on April 23, 2001, to touch on national issues that affect Redford residents.

Glenhurst Golf Course - We are proud to have a beautiful 18-hole golf course in Redford. Hours of operation are from sunrise to sunset. Daily discounts are offered after 6 p.m. for twilight play. League play is available. Call 592-8758 for additional information.

Keep Michigan Beautiful Clean-Up Days - The Board of Trustees designated April and May as Clean-Up Days in Redford. This declaration is in conjunction with Keep Michigan Beautiful Clean-Up Days in Michigan. It is a time to encourage our residents and businesses to keep litter off the streets, paint and renovate old buildings, plant trees and flowers and participate in other beautification projects. It is a time to take a look around our own areas and to participate in our own way to enhance the beauty of our Township.

This might be a good time to reiterate some of our refuse, recycling and composting policies.

Redford in cooperation with BFI/Great Lakes Waste Systems provides refuse and compost collection. Refuse cans or bags, recyclables and compost should be set out after 6:00 p.m. the night before your collection day or before 6:30 a.m. the day of your refuse collection.

Refuse must be in watertight cans (with lid and handles) or in a tied trash bag. Cans shall not exceed 36-gallon capacity and not weigh more than 45 pounds.

Some items are not collected, they are: waste oil, paint, chemicals, auto parts, building materials, contractor's debris, concrete, bricks or dirt.

Large appliances and bulky items will be picked up through Redford Township by appointment only. Please contact 387-2690 for an appointment and details. There is no charge for the pick up service.

Federal law prohibits pick up of electrical appliances containing freon unless the freon has been recovered and the proper certification sticker placed on the appliance. For a list of licensed heating and cooling specialists, please call the Sanitation Department at the above-listed number.

Grass clippings and leaves must be placed in brown paper composting bags or in trash containers with handles clearly marked compost. Compost bags or containers should be at least 5 feet away from other garbage containers and recyclables. Yard waste is only picked up between April 1 and December 15 of each year.

Branches, shrubs, limbs and tree trunks less than 1 ½ inch in diameter and trunks less than 1 ½ inch in diameter cut in lengths of 5 feet or less, individual weight shall not exceed 45 pounds. Either place these branches, shrubs, limbs, tree trunks or stumps in your compost receptacles or tie them in bundles and set next to your other compost receptacles. Landscape and tree service contractors are responsible for the removal of all tree materials remaining as a result of their work. Redford Township provides a tree chipping service for a fee. Call 387-2690 for details.

Recycling is an important part in keeping Michigan beautiful. We recycle:

Glass bottles & jars - Clean, no caps. Labels are o.k. No window glass, mirrors or light bulbs, no broken glass, no ceramic or glassware.
Metal cans - Clean. Labels are o.k. Put metal lids inside metal cans (for safety), crush cans; no foil, aluminum trays or pie tins; no aerosol cans, no paint cans.
Plastic bottles & containers - Rinse clean. No caps. Labels are o.k. Flatten if possible. Only containers marked 1 (PETE) or 2 (HDPE) on bottom such as: milk jugs, water jugs, laundry and hair care bottles, wide-mouth containers and tubs marked 1 (PETE) or 2 (HDPE) are o.k. NO motor oil or chemical containers. Newspapers & brown paper bags - newspapers, brown paper bags - any size; tie with string or place in brown paper grocer bag. No cardboard. Place inside or under recycling bin.
Mixed paper, envelopes, magazines & advertisements - White paper, colored paper and stationery, computer paper, notebook paper and office paper, index cards, Post-it notes, postcards and other similar paper products, magazines and catalogs, advertisement flyers - glossy and non-glossy; paper envelopes. Place in separate brown paper bag. Place inside or under recycling bin. Set recycling bin at least 5 feet away from other refuse.

While there seems to be a lot of rules and regulations, landfills and resources are limited, so we all need to do our part for effective and efficient refuse, recycling and composting collection.

Spring is here. Let's enjoy it.

As always, I appreciate the opportunity to share my thoughts with you via the Redford Connection. If you have any questions, please give my office a call at 387-2806.