Refuse & Recycling - City of St. Joseph, Michigan

Live Here - St. Joseph is carefully nestled on the southern tip of what has been termed "The Riviera of the Midwest." This deepwater port town is a growing resort community – The lakeshore is peppered with remarkable sand dune formations and lined further inland with a lush countryside that produces some of the nation's finest orchards and vineyards.

2009 Report on Lake Boulevard Bluff Evaluation
A study was conducted by Soil and Materials Engineers, Inc. in mid-July, 2009. This evaluation consisted of the existing coastal bluff along Lake Boulevard between Park Street and Water Street. To read the report in its entirety, please click here.
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Neighborhood Watch
Crime Prevention Information Line - Call (269) 985-0300 to hear how you can help yourself and your neighborhood avoid becoming a victim of various crimes that have occurred in our City. Seasonal crime prevention and safety tips are also given out on this line which is updated several times a month.
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Hydrant Flow Testing
The St. Joseph Public Safety Department and/or the St. Joseph Water Department periodically flow fire hydrants to check the function of the hydrants, to evaluate the firefighting water available from each hydrant, to monitor the condition of the water system, and to remove rust and other sediment from the water distribution system.

Hydrant flushing sometimes stirs up sediment in the water lines and results in temporarily brown or "rusty" water in nearby homes and businesses. You can reduce your chances of having rusty water by minimizing your water use if you know hydrant flushing is taking place in your area. You should particularly avoid washing clothes until the flushing is complete and you have made sure you have flushed any rusty water out of your home plumbing.

If you should have a problem with rusty water, you can flush the rusty water out of your pipes by fully opening a faucet and running cold water until the water runs clear. We recommend that you run water from an outside spigot or utility sink that does not have a mesh strainer / aerator on it to clear the rusty water. You may have to open each of your faucets in turn, to remove all of the rusty water from your system. You should open the faucets one at a time, to ensure the maximum water flow to the open faucet. After flowing the faucets, you may wish to remove and check any mesh strainers / aerators on your faucets to remove any debris that may be trapped. You may also wish to run water through showers, toilets, and even run an empty washer cycle just to make sure you have cleared any rusty water from your pipes.

If you detect a problem with rusty water, you should not wash your laundry until you have cleared the rusty water from your system. If your laundry does become discolored, you should wash it again immediately--do not dry it first! Drying it will make the rust difficult or impossible to remove! Also, do not use a chlorine bleach with rust-stained laundry; the chlorine reacts with the rust and just makes the problem worse! More information on tackling rust stains in clothing is available on the following web site:

Please understand that rusty water is not an unusual side effect from a hydrant flushing program, and does not indicate any sort of problem with the water system. The rust results from a reaction between the chlorine in the water, and iron in the pipes. The chlorine keeps the water safe to drink (although we don't recommend drinking the rusty water!) If you have any questions regarding rusty water, please call the Water Plant at 983-1240.

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Public Health
The Berrien County Health Department offers a variety of clinics to the public.
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About Your Bin

To prepare materials to place in your bin, please follow the Curbside Recycling Guide, located below. Paper grocery sacks may be helpful and can be used if you wish. Please be sure tin cans are not hidden in between the newspapers. We recommend newspapers on the bottom and plastic, tin and glass on top to sheild the papers. Even if some of the papers get wet, they can still be recycled.

Collection Schedule

Your recycling day is every other week on the same day as your trash day. Place your bin by 7am at the curb on one side of your driveway. Place your garbage can on the other side of your driveway. This will ensure that recyclables are not confused with the garbage.

If a holiday falls on your collection day, your items will be picked up on the following day. The following holidays will be observed:

New Year's Day
Memorial Day
4th of July
Labor Day
Thanksgiving Day
Christmas Day

Curbside Recycling Guide

NEWSPAPER
YES	NO	HOW
Newspapers including inserts -Phone Books -Food Boxes -Paper Bags -Magazines -Catalogs -Copy Paper -Corrugated Cardboard -Junk Mail		Lay on bottom of recycling bin, or place in grocery sack in recycling bin. -Cardboard must be no larger than 2'x2' and broken down -Keep newspaper separate from other paper
GLASS
YES	NO	HOW
- Clear, Green and Brown Jars & Bottles	- Dishes - Windows - Light Bulbs	- Rinse - Remove lid or ring - Labels may stay - Place in bin
PLASTIC & FOAM POLYSTYRENE
YES	NO	HOW
- Plastic Containers with 1-5 & 7 inside recycle symbol - Commingled Containers such as Aseptic Packaging & Gable Top Containers (milk and juice cartons)	- Plastic without recycle symbol - Plastic Grocery Bags - Packing Pellets -Foam Polystyrene	- Rinse - Remove Cap - Labels may stay - Crush - Place in bin
METAL & ALUMINUM
YES	NO	HOW
- Food Cans - Foil - Pie Tins - Lids from jars	- Paint Cans - Aerosol Cans	- Rinse - Remove Labels - Flatten (if possible) - Place in bin
NOTE: Any items not listed above or not properly prepared will be left in your recycling bin.