Trash & Recycling in Royal Oak, MI (2026)
7 verified trash & recycling rules for Royal Oak, Michigan, sourced directly from the municipal code and official government pages.
Verified from official government sources
Pickup Rules & Schedules
In the City of Royal Oak, City Code § 633-5 sets exact curbside hours: solid waste, recycling and yard waste containers cannot go to the curb before 5:00 p.m. the day before collection or after 7:00 a.m. on collection day, and empty receptacles must come back off the curb the same day. Fines start at $25 for violations.
Royal Oak Trash Pickup Time Rules
Some RestrictionsRoyal Oak City Code §§ 633-5, 633-12
A. It shall be the duty of the owner, occupant or person in charge of any dwelling house, store or other business establishment, manufacturing company or other building to place or cause to be placed on the days scheduled for the collection of solid waste from the said premises the receptacles containing such solid waste at the curbline in front of the building. Such solid waste containers shal...
Bin Placement Rules
Royal Oak requires garbage receptacles between 5 and 32 gallons with lift handles, stored within the rear yard setback under § 633-2F, and residents may set carts at the curb no earlier than 5:00 p.m. the evening before collection and must remove empty carts the same day under § 633-5A.
Royal Oak Garbage Cart Placement and Set-Out
Some RestrictionsRoyal Oak City Code §§ 633-2A(1), 633-2F, 633-5A
§ 633-2. Refuse receptacle. ... For one- and two-family residential dwellings, garbage receptacles shall be not less than five-gallon nor more than thirty-two gallon capacity. ... All such receptacles shall be equipped with suitable handles by which they may be lifted. ... F. Rubbish receptacle storage shall be located within the rear yard setback. ... § 633-5. Collection procedures. ... Such s...
Bulk Item Disposal
The City of Royal Oak lets residents set out bulk rubbish and brush for pickup only if it is bundled to code: Royal Oak City Code § 633-2 caps bulk-rubbish bundles at two feet by three feet and 60 pounds, and brush must be cut into three-foot lengths tied in bundles of no more than 60 pounds. Oversized loads go through the paid chipper program instead.
Royal Oak Bulk and Brush Collection Rules
Some RestrictionsRoyal Oak City Code §§ 633-2, 633-12
B. All bulk rubbish accumulating on any premises, such as cardboard containers, wooden crates and similar rubbish, shall be flattened and tied in bundles or packed in suitable container, and in no case shall any such bundle be larger than two feet by three feet, nor weigh more than 60 pounds. C. Brush shall be cut into three-foot lengths and tied into bundles weighing not more than 60 pounds. D...
Recycling Requirements
Royal Oak requires recyclables to go out in a City-approved 18-gallon or 6-gallon plastic container marked for recyclables only, separate from mixed refuse, under City Code § 633-2. Recyclables include newspapers, glass containers, metal cans, and Type 1 and 2 plastics, and it is a separate offense to scavenge recyclables once they are set at the curb.
Royal Oak Curbside Recycling Container Rules
Some RestrictionsRoyal Oak City Code §§ 633-1, 633-2A(2), 633-6B
RECYCLABLES Specific garbage, rubbish or solid waste that is required to be picked up separately for the purpose of recycling. These items include newspapers, glass containers, metal cans, Type 1 and 2 plastics, and household batteries but are not necessarily limited to same. ... ... § 633-2. Refuse receptacle. ... (2) For containment of recyclables: a City-approved eighteen-gallon or six-gallo...
Illegal Dumping
Royal Oak bans discharging refuse, gasoline, cleaning solvents, or any sewer-clogging substance into a public or private sewer, receiving basin, gutter, street, alley, or public or private place. City Code § 484-12 covers liquid and refuse dumping citywide, and § 484-21 makes any violation a civil infraction with a fine up to $500.
Royal Oak Illegal Dumping Penalties
Some RestrictionsRoyal Oak City Code §§ 484-12, 484-21
§ 484-12. Dumping of refuse and nauseous liquids. No person shall discharge or pour any foul or nauseous liquids or any refuse, vapor, gasoline, benzine, kerosene, cleaning solvent, or other crude oil products, or any substance that will clog a sewer into any public sewer or private sewer connecting with a public sewer, or into any receiving basin or gutter, or upon any street, alley or public ...
Yard Waste Collection
Royal Oak requires yard waste, materials from landscaping set out for composting, to go into SOCRRA- or City-approved bio/photodegradable bags or metal or plastic containers up to 32 gallons bearing a City yard-waste decal under § 633-2A(4). Brush must be cut into 3-foot lengths and bundled at no more than 60 pounds, and improperly bagged yard waste is tagged and left at the curb.
Royal Oak Yard Waste Bagging Rules
Some RestrictionsRoyal Oak City Code §§ 633-1, 633-2A(4), 633-2C
YARD WASTE Materials resulting from landscaping for collection for composting. ... (4) For containment of yard waste: All single-family and multiple dwellings will be required to contain yard waste in SOCRRA or City of Royal Oak approved bio/photodegradable bags or refuse containers, metal or plastic, up to 32 gallons, that are designated "Yard Waste" with a City decal attached. Improperly cont...
Collection Schedule
The Royal Oak City Manager sets and publishes the citywide solid-waste collection schedule at least once in a local newspaper under § 633-4, and may change it at any time as long as the change is likewise published. Extra items such as chipper brush over one inch in diameter are collected only for a separate charge set by resolution of the City Commission.
Royal Oak Solid Waste Collection Schedule
Some RestrictionsRoyal Oak City Code § 633-4
§ 633-4. Collection schedule. A. It shall be the duty of the City Manager or his duly authorized representative to provide for the collection and disposal of all refuse within the City of Royal Oak. He shall establish and publish at least once in a newspaper circulating within the City of Royal Oak a schedule for the collection of solid waste throughout the City and shall provide the proper lab...
Looking for Oakland County county-wide rules?
County ordinances apply to unincorporated areas and may supplement Royal Oak city rules.
Trash & Recycling in Oakland County →