Royal Oak Township, MI Trash & Recycling: Bulk Item Disposal (2026)

Chapter 22, Article II of the Charter Township of Royal Oak Code governs how solid waste leaves a property. For bulk material the operative rule is § 22-20(c). Bulk rubbish accumulated at commercial or manufacturing buildings, such as cardboard containers, wooden crates and similar rubbish, must be flattened and tied in bundles or packed in suitable containers that one collector can handle, and no bundle or container can be larger than three feet by five feet. Receptacles for garbage at those buildings run from five to 30 gallons, and every garbage receptacle needs suitable handles so it can be lifted. At residential buildings, receptacles for rubbish and other solid waste cannot exceed one bushel, so the contents can be readily handled by one individual collector.

The definitions in § 22-19 set the scope. Rubbish means nonputrescible solid waste, including paper, cardboard, metal containers, yard clippings, wood, glass, bedding, crockery, demolished building materials, and litter of any kind that is a detriment to public health and safety. Refuse building material covers wood, plaster, stone, brick and other waste and unused materials left from repairing or constructing buildings. Construction debris has its own rule in § 22-22: the owner, contractor or other person responsible for the work must remove surplus construction material and solid waste building material within a reasonable time after the work is finished, either outside the township limits or to approved dump locations within the township.

Hauling is regulated too. Section 22-25 makes it unlawful to carry garbage, rubbish or other solid waste through township streets, alleys or public places without a permit from the Township Clerk. The superintendent of the department of public works must inspect and certify the vehicle, which must be watertight with a suitable covering. The permit requires a fee and a liability bond set by Township Board resolution and expires annually on its anniversary date. People removing rubbish from property they own or control are exempt. Section 22-27 separately bars dumping or leaving solid waste on a street, alley, public place or another person's premises.