Lansing, MI Trash & Recycling: Pickup Rules & Schedules (2026)
Key Facts
- Container type required
- City-approved plastic bags or carts only
- Weight limit
- 30 pounds per bag or cart
- Bag price
- Set by City Council resolution
- Where sold
- City-designated retail outlets only
- Who may collect
- Public Service Department employees only
- Uncorrected spill fee
- Billed to owner as tax lien
Summary
Lansing requires solid waste picked up by Public Service Department crews to go out in City-approved plastic bags or carts, not any container a resident chooses. Section 1060.04(b) caps the contents at thirty pounds, and City collection bags must carry the City seal, be sold only at Council-set prices, and be bought at City-designated outlets.
(b)The containers for solid waste which shall be picked up by Public Service Department employees from residential sites of generation, shall be plastic bags or carts of City-approved quality. Specifications for City-approved collection bags or carts for solid waste shall be promulgated by the City through its Public Service Director. The contents of the City-approved collection bags for solid waste and containers for yard waste shall not exceed thirty pounds.(1)City collection bags shall be a distinctive color and printed with the City seal or appropriate words which will readily indicate to the Public Service Department that the collection bags are intended for the weekly City-wide residential collection service.(2)City collection bags shall be sold at a price determined by resolution of Council and shall be sold at outlets designated by the City. Designated sales outlets shall sell City collection bags only at the price established by Council. However, the appropriate sales tax may be charged by the retail establishment if so required by the laws of the State.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 64).
Full Breakdown
04(b) sets the container rules for the weekly residential trash pickup that Public Service Department crews run. Solid waste must go out in plastic bags or carts of City-approved quality; the Public Service Director sets the specifications for what counts as an approved bag or cart. Whatever the container, the contents of a City-approved collection bag, and of yard waste containers under the same subsection, cannot exceed thirty pounds. 04(b)(1) requires them to be printed in a distinctive color with the City seal or wording that shows crews the bag is meant for the weekly City-wide residential pickup.
04(b)(2) requires Council to set the price by resolution, and designated sales outlets may sell the bags only at that set price, though the retailer can still add state sales tax. the day after. 06); any other company or person picking up recyclable material from a residential site is committing a separate violation. 08 lets the City abate it and bill the cost as a property tax lien.
Violations & Fines
Putting out solid waste in a container that is not a City-approved bag or cart, overfilling a bag past thirty pounds, or leaving scattered or broken bags uncorrected 24 hours after written City notice exposes the owner to nuisance abatement and lien costs under Sections 1060.07 and 1060.08. Any Chapter 1060 violation is also a civil infraction under Section 1060.99, fined $25, $50, or $250 per calendar year for repeat offenses.
Frequently Asked Questions
What kind of trash container does Lansing require?
Where do I buy City-approved trash bags in Lansing?
Can I put more than thirty pounds of trash in one bag?
Who is allowed to pick up my trash and recycling once it's at the curb?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Lansing
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