Trash & Recycling in Dearborn Heights, MI (2026)
9 verified trash & recycling rules for Dearborn Heights, Michigan, sourced directly from the municipal code and official government pages.
Verified from official government sources
Pickup Rules & Schedules
In the City of Dearborn Heights, waste and receptacles cannot go to the curb before 6:00 p.m. the day before collection and must be pulled back in by 8:00 p.m. on collection day. Receptacles are capped at 96 gallons (32 gallons before November 1, 2016) with a 50-pound weight limit per container.
Trash Pickup Rules in Dearborn Heights
Some RestrictionsDearborn Heights City Code § 17-35(d)
(d)Standards for placing waste and receptacles for the curbside or autoside collection of waste. ... (2)Before November 1, 2016, the maximum volume of waste in any one receptacle shall be thirty-five (35) gallons for yard waste and shall be thirty-two (32) gallons for waste other than yard waste. On or after November 1, 2016, the maximum volume of waste in any one receptacle shall be thirty-fiv...
Bin Placement Rules
In the City of Dearborn Heights, Section 17-35 requires every household to keep waste and its receptacles out of public view, storing them in a garage or a rear yard not visible from the street, except when placed curbside for pickup. Waste and carts may go to the curb no earlier than 6:00 p.m. the day before collection and must be retrieved by 8:00 p.m. on collection day.
Garbage Cart Placement and Set-Out Times
Some RestrictionsDearborn Heights City Code § 17-35(a), (c), (d)
Sec. 17-35. - Waste and waste receptacles. (a)Generally. The occupant or occupants of every building where waste accumulates and, in the case of multiple dwellings, the owner(s), lessee(s), or agent(s), shall cause to be provided for the building proper receptacles as herein described. ... (c)Additional requirement that waste and receptacles be stored out of the public view.(1)Generally. Except...
Bulk Item Disposal
In the City of Dearborn Heights, large items collected through the city's special pick-up program do not need to go in a receptacle, but they cannot sit outdoors except right before that scheduled pick-up. Items the city will not accept can only be stored outdoors with the city's written permission.
Bulk Item Special Pick-Up Rules in Dearborn Heights
Some RestrictionsDearborn Heights City Code § 17-35(b)(3), (b)(5)
(3)Special pick-up items. Waste items that are to be picked up by the city by way of a special pick-up do not need to be in a receptacle or container. They are not to be stored outdoors and may only be left outdoors in anticipation of the special pick-up. ... (5)Waste items not to be picked up by the City. All waste items that the city cannot or will not accept as part of its waste hauling prog...
Recycling Requirements
In the City of Dearborn Heights, Section 17-35(b)(2) requires items to be recycled that are stored outdoors to be kept in recycling bins of a type the city deems acceptable. Section 17-39 makes recyclable materials placed at the curb or in a city recycling receptacle the property of the city or its authorized collection agent, and bars anyone else from picking them up.
Curbside Recycling Bin Requirements
Some RestrictionsDearborn Heights City Code § 17-35(b)(2); § 17-39
(2)Items to be recycled. All items that are to be recycled when stored outdoors shall be kept in recycling bins of a type deemed acceptable to the city. ... ... Sec. 17-39. - Unauthorized collection of recyclable materials. Recyclable materials placed at the curbside for collection or in any recycling receptacle placed by the city are the property of the city or its authorized collection agent....
Illegal Dumping
In the City of Dearborn Heights, Section 17-33 bars anyone from placing offal, garbage, refuse, animal or vegetable matter, waste or rubbish of any kind in the streets, alleys or other public places, or from letting it accumulate on any lot, yard or public place in a manner likely to injure public health or welfare. Illegal dumping is a Class C municipal civil infraction enforced under Chapter 17.
Illegal Dumping Penalties
Significant RestrictionsDearborn Heights City Code § 17-33
Sec. 17-33. - Unlawful deposits. No person shall place or put, or cause or permit to be placed or put, any offal, garbage, refuse, animal or vegetable matter, waste or rubbish of any kind in or upon the streets, alleys or other public places of the city, or permit the deposit or accumulation thereof on any lot, yard or public place in a manner likely to be injurious to the health or welfare of ...
Yard Waste Collection
In the City of Dearborn Heights, yard waste (grass, leaves, brush, Christmas trees, weeds and branches) must go into a heavy-duty paper bag or a locking receptacle no larger than 35 gallons. Sticks and brush under 2 inches across can instead be tied into bundles up to 4 feet long. Violations are a municipal civil infraction.
Yard Waste Storage Rules in Dearborn Heights
Some RestrictionsDearborn Heights City Code § 17-35(b)(1)
(1)Yard waste. All yard waste shall be stored either in a heavy-duty paper bag of a type deemed acceptable to the city or in a plastic or metal receptacle or container with a volume that does not exceed thirty-five (35) gallons that has handles that are in good condition and that also has a non-mechanical locking cover. As an exception to the preceding sentence, brush and sticks under two (2) i...
Dumpster Rules
In the City of Dearborn Heights, City Code Sec. 36-253 governs where commercial dumpsters can sit and how they must be screened. Dumpsters are barred at single- and two-family homes, must go in the rear yard at least ten feet from any building, sit on a concrete pad, and be enclosed on three sides by a wall, fence, or earth mound at least six feet tall.
Dearborn Heights Commercial Dumpster Placement Rules
Some RestrictionsDearborn Heights City Code § 36-253(a)
(a)Standards for siting and screening of trash dumpsters. Dumpsters may be permitted as accessory to any use other than single- and two-family residential uses, subject to the following conditions:(1)Location. Dumpsters shall be located in a rear yard, provided any such dumpster shall not encroach on required parking area, is clearly accessible to servicing vehicles, and is located at least ten...
Collection Schedule
In the City of Dearborn Heights, Section 17-29(a) bars anyone from disposing of solid waste originating in the city except through the city or a solid waste hauler it has licensed. Section 17-28 requires waste headed for collection to be stored and set out at the times and in the manner the city's regulations set, tying every household into the Central Wayne County Sanitation Authority's disposal system.
Mandatory Solid Waste Collection
Significant RestrictionsDearborn Heights City Code §§ 17-28, 17-29
Sec. 17-28. - Collection, disposal of solid waste—From site of generation. All solid waste from any site of generation intended for collection shall be stored and placed for pickup and collection at the times and in the manner provided in the regulations. ... ... Sec. 17-29. - Same—In general. (a)No persons shall dispose of any solid waste originating within the city other than by means of the ...
Recycling Rules
In the City of Dearborn Heights, recyclables set at the curb or placed in a city recycling receptacle become the property of the city or its authorized hauler. Picking through or removing curbside recycling without city authorization is a chapter violation, on top of the requirement to keep recyclables in an approved bin.
Recycling Collection Rules in Dearborn Heights
Some RestrictionsDearborn Heights City Code § 17-39
Recyclable materials placed at the curbside for collection or in any recycling receptacle placed by the city are the property of the city or its authorized collection agent. It is a violation of this chapter for any person not authorized by the city to collect or pick up, or cause to have collected or picked up, any recyclable materials placed at the curbside for collection or any recycling rec...
Looking for Wayne County county-wide rules?
County ordinances apply to unincorporated areas and may supplement Dearborn Heights city rules.
Trash & Recycling in Wayne County →