Dearborn Heights, MI Trash & Recycling: Bin Placement Rules (2026)

Section 17-35 of the Dearborn Heights City Code, "Waste and waste receptacles," requires the occupant of every building where waste accumulates to keep proper receptacles and to store waste and receptacles outside of public view under subsection (c), either in the garage or in a rear yard positioned so nothing is visible from the street in front. The only exceptions are moving waste between out-of-view locations, a written permit to deviate, or placing it out for collection. Subsection (b) sets the containers: yard waste in a heavy-duty paper bag or a locking receptacle up to 35 gallons, recyclables in a city-approved recycling bin, and other household waste in a locking receptacle up to 32 gallons (96-gallon carts became standard on or after November 1, 2016).

Subsection (d) governs curbside placement: receptacles may go out no earlier than 6:00 p.m. the day before the scheduled pickup and must be retrieved by 8:00 p.m. the day of collection, with a 50-pound weight limit per receptacle regardless of the date. Subsection (e) separately bars parking on the public street between 7:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m. on a scheduled collection day, except on the six named federal holidays, with the department of public works publishing the street-by-street collection schedule. A resident with an undue hardship, such as a material allergy for recycling bins or a mobility limitation for the parking rule, may apply to the department of public works under subsection (f) for a written deviation, appealable to the mayor.