Flint's residential refuse container framework rests on Chapter 39 of the Flint Code of Ordinances (Refuse, Garbage and Weeds) and on the City's curbside contract with Priority Waste. Section 39-12 (Garbage, Waste - Domestic) requires garbage to be drained of free liquids, wrapped, and placed in covered receptacles; it also prohibits placement in uncovered receptacles or burning in unapproved incinerators. Beginning in fall 2024, every City of Flint household was issued one 96-gallon grey trash cart and one 64-gallon blue recycling cart at no cost (60,000+ carts distributed through a $1 million EGLE grant and $3.3 million from The Recycling Partnership).
Flint is a home-rule city operating under the Michigan Home Rule City Act (Act 279 of 1909, MCL 117.1 et seq.). Its refuse-container authority traces to that home-rule grant and to Chapter 39 of the Flint Code of Ordinances (Refuse, Garbage and Weeds), with Section 39-12 (Garbage, Waste - Domestic) as the core domestic-container provision. The state floor is the Solid Waste Management chapter of the Natural Resources and Environmental Protection Act (NREPA Part 115, MCL 324.11501 et seq.), which Flint's local rules must respect. In November 2023 the Flint City Council extended its hauling contract with Priority Waste (headquartered in Macomb County) and froze rates through 2028; as part of that deal, beginning September 16, 2024 every household received one 96-gallon grey cart for trash and one 64-gallon blue cart for recycling, distributed through mid-October 2024. The carts are property of the City/hauler and stay with the dwelling on resale or move-out. Section 39-12 requires garbage to be drained of free liquid, wrapped (paper or plastic) before placement, and placed only in covered receptacles - bags or open containers left curbside are noncompliant. Burning in unapproved incinerators is separately prohibited. Customer service for cart questions (replacement, damage, additional carts) goes through Priority Waste at 855-927-8365 or 586-228-1200, with a backstop at the Flint Department of Public Works Sanitation division (cityofflint.com/sanitation). Recycling acceptance and contamination rules are addressed separately under recycling-requirements; bin-placement rules (where to set the cart, distance from neighbor's cart, etc.) are addressed separately under bin-placement.
Non-conforming receptacles, uncovered cans, or torn bag-only set-outs are enforceable under Chapter 39 generally and Section 39-12 specifically. The City handles lower-tier refuse-container violations through the Administrative Hearings Bureau (Blight Court) under Chapter 31, Article III, Section 31-81 (Blight Violation), which expressly lists Section 39-43.1 (and related Chapter 39 sections) among the designated blight sections. Civil fines under the Blight Court are limited by state law to a maximum of $10,000 per violation (MCL 117.4q(7)); the bureau may not impose incarceration. Unpaid civil fines may be liened against the property after 30 days under MCL 117.4q(11). Damaged or missing carts must be reported to Priority Waste; intentional destruction or theft of a city-issued cart can be charged separately under Chapter 31 and Michigan property-damage statutes.
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