Clinton Township, MI Trash & Recycling: Dumpster Rules (2026)

11, Dumpster Enclosures, sits inside Chapter 1154's site development standards and applies to dumpsters or waste receptacles generally, covering both permanent trash dumpsters and temporary roll-off containers placed on commercial sites. The section requires the receptacle to sit in the rear yard or a non-required side yard, positioned so refuse trucks can reach it without striking the enclosure or parked cars. The pad itself must be built to a specific standard: a base at least one foot wider than the enclosure, a minimum six-inch reinforced concrete slab, and a concrete apron projecting outward at least ten feet from the gate so a loaded truck has room to maneuver.

Screening is mandatory on every side. The code calls for a masonry wall and gate at least one foot higher than the dumpster, with a six-foot minimum regardless, and at least three feet larger than the dumpster's own footprint; the Planning Commission or Township Board may accept an opaque fence instead of masonry. The enclosure materials must match or complement the principal building's exterior, and the receptacle needs its own lid or cover at all times. 11(g) also folds in a landscaping requirement, three feet of evergreen shrubs around the enclosure perimeter meeting the plant standards of Chapter 1155.

Because these standards are administered through site plan review, a developer cannot simply place a dumpster pad on an approved site later without demonstrating compliance to the Department of Building or Planning Commission.