Kalamazoo, MI Trash & Recycling: Collection Schedule (2026)

City Code § 15A-20.1, adopted in 1996 and amended in 2007 and 2008, divides Kalamazoo into five curbside collection areas. Area 1, roughly the northwest quadrant west of Westnedge Avenue and north of Howard Street/Stadium Drive, is collected Monday; Area 2, east of Westnedge and north of Vine Street, on Tuesday; Area 3, the east-central section bounded by Portage Street, Reed Avenue and Vine Street, on Wednesday; Area 4, south of Howard Street between Oakland Drive, Westnedge and Portage, on Thursday; and Area 5, the southwest quadrant west of Oakland Drive and south of Howard/Stadium, on Friday.

Any garbage or rubbish collection company operating in the City must follow these designated days under Subsection A. Subsection B bars any company from collecting garbage or rubbish within 300 feet of a dwelling between 11:00 p.m. and 6:00 a.m. the following day, protecting residents from overnight noise. Subsection C exempts back-door collection service, which can run on any day in any area regardless of the curbside schedule. Subsection D requires a collection company to clean up any garbage, rubbish or debris that spills from a container or during pickup, and Subsection E requires any company supplying containers or bags to customers to mark them with the company's name and phone number in legible lettering.

Subsection F requires collection bags to be approved by the Kalamazoo County Health Department and a bright color such as red, yellow or orange. The City Manager or an authorized representative enforces this article, and container-placement violations under the related § 15A-7 can result in the City relocating or emptying a container and billing the owner, collectible the same way as a nuisance-abatement bill under § 22-5.