Trash & Recycling in Southfield, MI (2026)
7 verified trash & recycling rules for Southfield, Michigan, sourced directly from the municipal code and official government pages.
Verified from official government sources
Pickup Rules & Schedules
Southfield City Code Sec. 2.5 spells out how household trash has to be prepped before the Department of Public Works will take it: rubbish stays dry in a sturdy container, newspapers and cardboard get tied into bundles, loose items too big for a can are flattened or folded, and any pickup that skips these steps gets tagged and left at the curb instead of collected.
Southfield Trash Pickup Preparation Rules
Some RestrictionsSouthfield City Code § 2.5
(1)Rubbish must be kept dry until collected. Substantial containers of metal, plastic or wood may be used.(2)Newspapers must be tied in bundles.(3)Cardboard cartons must be flattened and tied in bundles. ... (6)Articles of rubbish that cannot be placed in containers may be flattened, folded or tied. ... (9)Any time a container is not collected because of nonconformance to these requirements it ...
Bin Placement Rules
Southfield residents must use approved garbage containers, ten to twenty gallon metal cans with tight covers or a city-authorized alternative, and keep them out of street view until collection day. Sec. 2.6 limits curb placement to no earlier than 4:00 p.m. the day before pickup, with empty cans back out of sight by noon the next day, or it's a municipal civil infraction.
Southfield Curbside Trash Container Placement
Some RestrictionsSouthfield City Code §§ 2.4, 2.6
Garbage must be kept in metal containers of ten (10) to twenty (20) gallons' capacity, with metal handles or bale and tight-fitting covers or such other containers as may be authorized by the city. Garbage must be securely wrapped. Garbage and rubbish may be mixed. ... Containers and bundles shall be placed at the front curb or at the edge of the public street upon which the residence fronts, n...
Bulk Item Disposal
Southfield draws a hard line on how big residential trash can be before it stops being curbside pickup and becomes the contractor's job. Tree limbs over three inches thick or four feet long, and debris from new construction or major repairs, are excluded from regular collection under Sec. 2.3; everyday bundles are capped at four feet and sixty pounds under Sec. 2.5.
Southfield Large Item and Bulk Debris Rules
Some RestrictionsSouthfield City Code §§ 2.3, 2.5
(3)Tree trunks or branches or parts thereof with a diameter greater than three (3) inches or a length greater than four (4) feet;(4)Refuse from new construction or from extensive repairs or alterations. The above exceptions are classified as commercial rubbish and shall be cared for by the contractor doing the work. The wastes from such projects as are ordinarily done by the householder will be...
Illegal Dumping
In the City of Southfield, dumping, depositing, throwing or leaving litter on public or private property or water without the owner's or public authority's consent is unlawful under § 9.133, covering roads, waterways, parks and farmland alike. A related section, § 9.148, separately fines up to $400 and 90 days in jail for throwing litter into a vehicle's path.
Southfield's Litter and Illegal Dumping Ban
Heavy RestrictionsSouthfield City Code § 9.133
It is unlawful for a person knowingly, without the consent of the public authority having supervision of public property or the owner of private property, to dump, deposit, place, throw, or leave, or cause or permit the dumping, depositing, placing, throwing, or leaving of, litter on public or private property or water other than property designated and set aside for such purposes. The phrase "...
Yard Waste Collection
In the City of Southfield, yard waste means grass clippings, leaves, shrub trimmings and other lawn and landscaping debris, but not earth. Brush and small trees set out with household trash must be cut into sections no longer than three feet and tied in bundles before the Department of Public Works collects them on the published residential schedule under City Code Chapter 17.
Southfield Yard Waste Collection Rules
Some RestrictionsSouthfield City Code §§ 2.1, 2.5
(5)Yard wastes include grass clippings, leaves, trimmings from shrubs, and any other wastes that accumulate from the normal maintenance of lawns and landscaping, excluding earth. ... (5)Brush and small trees must be cut into sections not more than three (3) feet long and tied.
Dumpster Rules
Commercial dumpsters in Southfield need sign-off before they're placed. Sec. 2.12 bars any dumpster from a single-family residential zone unless the city council or zoning board of appeals approves it as a special use, and every dumpster citywide needs the city planner or traffic engineer's approval of its location before it's set down.
Southfield Commercial Dumpster Placement Rules
Significant RestrictionsSouthfield City Code §§ 2.12, 2.13, 2.14
(1)No dumpster shall be located in any single-family residential zone unless in connection with the approval of a special use of such premises granted by either the city council or the zoning board of appeals under the provisions of section 5.62, article 5, of chapter 45, of this Code.(2)No dumpster shall be placed on any property in the city until the location of such dumpster has been approve...
Collection Schedule
The City of Southfield provides regular residential refuse collection on a published schedule under City Code Sec. 2.3, but it isn't unlimited: liquid wastes, hazardous materials such as explosives and radioactive substances, oversized tree branches and construction debris are excluded and must be handled separately by the property owner or a licensed contractor rather than left at the curb for the city's crews.
Southfield Mandatory Residential Trash Collection
Some RestrictionsSouthfield City Code § 2.3
The city will provide for the regular collection of refuse or waste materials from residential units according to a published schedule, with the following exceptions: (1)Liquid wastes;(2)Hazardous material, including explosives, active chemicals, radioactive or highly inflammable materials; ...
Looking for Oakland County county-wide rules?
County ordinances apply to unincorporated areas and may supplement Southfield city rules.
Trash & Recycling in Oakland County →