Wayne County, MI Trash & Recycling: Recycling Requirements (2026)

Wayne County itself does not mandate recycling, but nearly every incorporated city in the county offers curbside recycling through the same hauler that provides trash service. Detroit distributes 96-gallon recycling carts and collects every other week with single-stream accepting paper, cardboard, plastics 1 and 2, glass, and metal cans. Dearborn, Livonia, Westland, and most suburbs follow similar single-stream programs. Michigan's 10-cent beverage container deposit under MCL 445.571, the highest bottle bill in the country, diverts most soda, beer, and water bottles to retailer return rather than curbside. Glass, plastic bags, styrofoam, and food-contaminated cardboard are common contamination items that cause carts to be rejected. Wayne County operates seasonal household hazardous waste and electronics drop-off events for paint, batteries, and TVs. Businesses generating recyclables typically contract privately. Recycling participation rates have grown but still lag national averages, partly because the bottle bill handles most high-value containers outside the curbside stream.