Dearborn, MI Landscaping Rules: Composting (2026)
Key Facts
- Who must comply
- Every owner, lessee, occupant
- What's separated
- Yard waste from trash
- Yard waste means
- Leaves, grass, organic debris
- Container
- 32-gallon bin or paper bag
- Effective trigger
- 30 days after city notice
Summary
Dearborn requires every owner, lessee or occupant to separate yard waste, leaves, grass clippings, organic debris, from regular trash and set it out for pickup on the scheduled collection day under the city's mandatory composting rule.
Mandatory composting. All persons who are owners, lessees, or occupants of any site of generation shall separate yard waste from solid waste and place the yard waste for pickup on the scheduled collection day. This provision shall become effective 30 days after notice to persons who are owners, lessees or occupants of any site of generation of the city's contractor assuming such pickup responsibilities.
(c) Antiscavenging. Recyclable materials shall become the property of the city at the time the recyclable materials are placed on the easement or edge of the alley, as the case may be. It shall be a violation of this section for any person other than the city or its licensed waste hauler to collect, remove, or pick up, or cause to be collected, removed, or picked up any such recyclable materials. (Ord. No. 90-495, § 6, 6-19-90; Ord. No. 10-1288, 8-16-10)
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: 2026 S-07: Code: Updated through: July 22, 2026 | Zoning: Updated through: July 22, 2026).
Full Breakdown
Section 16-7(b), titled 'Mandatory composting,' requires every owner, lessee or occupant of a site of generation to keep yard waste, defined in § 16-3 as fallen leaves, cut grass and other organic debris, separate from solid waste and place it out for pickup on the scheduled collection day. Yard waste itself must go in a 32-gallon container bearing the city's yard-waste sticker or in approved paper compost bags under § 16-5(1). The duty took effect only after the city gave 30 days' notice that its contractor had assumed yard-waste pickup.
Violations & Fines
Section 16-7 itself carries no separate fine; DPW's collection rules under § 16-4 govern enforcement, and a cart mixing yard waste with trash can be left uncollected as noncompliant.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do Dearborn residents have to separate yard waste from trash?
What container does Dearborn require for yard waste?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Dearborn
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Composting in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Wayne County handle composting.