Dearborn, MI Trash & Recycling: Bulk Item Disposal (2026)
Key Facts
- Bulk item limit
- 5 items per week at curb
- First offense
- $100 civil infraction
- Repeat offense
- $300 misdemeanor within one year
- Enforcing agency
- Department of Public Works
Summary
Dearborn residents can set out up to five bulk items, furniture, appliances, mattresses, at the curb each week for free pickup, separate from the standard refuse cart service.
Separate and apart from the refuse cart program, it is the intent of the city to continue curbside service of bulk waste removal. As part of this service, every owner, occupant, tenant or lessee using any building, house or structure may place up to five bulk items (e.g. chair, refrigerator) per week at the curbside for removal.
(2) Domestic refuse carts. Each owner, occupant, tenant or lessee receiving domestic refuse collection service shall utilize the 96-gallon or 64- gallon refuse cart provided by the city. Disposable paper or plastic bags containing refuse placed outside of the carts provided by the city will not be picked up. Occasionally, if necessary, each owner, occupant, tenant or lessee may put additional bagged trash into a covered 32-gallon container for pick-up. Each owner who puts out an additional container more than once for any two of three months will be required to lease an additional 96-gallon refuse cart at cost. No additional collection charge will apply to the additional refuse cart.
(3) Domestic recycle carts. Recyclable materials, other than yard waste, shall be stored in the 96- or 64-gallon recycle carts provided by the city for pickup.
(4) Commercial refuse containers. Each owner, occupant, tenant or lessee receiving commercial refuse collection service provided by the city shall use the 96- or 64-gallon cart provided by the city. Commercial establishments that generate more than two 96-gallon carts of refuse weekly
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
Dearborn's Code of Ordinances allows every owner, occupant, tenant, or lessee to place up to five bulk items, a chair or refrigerator, for example, at the curb each week for pickup, run separately from the city's cart-based refuse program by the Department of Public Works. Containers and bundled rubbish that exceed four feet in length or 50 pounds must instead be tied and set at a location convenient for collection. A first violation draws a written warning; repeat violations under the same section carry a $100 civil infraction, rising to a $300 misdemeanor for a second offense within one year.
Violations & Fines
First offense: written warning, then $100 civil infraction. Second or subsequent offense within one year: $300 misdemeanor, enforced by the Department of Public Works.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Sources & Official References
Other rules in Dearborn
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Bulk Item Disposal in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Wayne County handle bulk item disposal.