Wayne County, MI Trash & Recycling: Recycling Requirements (2026)
Key Facts
- Applies to
- Every Michigan municipality within Wayne County
- Certification deadline
- 30 days after landfill first accepts waste
- Governing plan
- Wayne County Solid Waste Management Plan
- Enforcement
- Landfill refusal plus county compliance order
- Citation
- Ch. 105, § 105-31(c)
Summary
Wayne County bars landfills from accepting a Michigan municipality's waste unless that municipality certifies it runs a recycling program consistent with the county's Solid Waste Management Plan, per Code of Ordinances Ch. 105, § 105-31(c).
A sanitary landfill may not accept waste from any municipality within the State of Michigan unless that municipality has a recycling program consistent with the recycling provisions of the Wayne County Solid Waste Management Plan. Within 30 days of commencing receipt of waste from a municipality within the State of Michigan, the landfill shall submit to the division a certification from that municipality that it is implementing a recycling program consistent with the Wayne County Solid Waste Management Plan.(d)All sanitary landfills, resource recovery facilities, transfer stations, composting facilities and process facilities shall immediately notify the division by telephone of any fires, or spills of leachate, fuel, or wastes, if the spill is 55 gallons or greater or is of a quantity that requires reporting to any state or federal agency. (Ord. No. 2004-787, § 140, eff. 9-16-04)
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 31).
Full Breakdown
The county doesn't collect curbside recycling itself, that's set by each city or township, but Sec. 105-31(c) of the Solid Waste chapter ties landfill access to it: a sanitary landfill may not accept waste from any Michigan municipality unless that municipality has a recycling program consistent with the Wayne County Solid Waste Management Plan, and within 30 days of first accepting a municipality's waste the landfill must file the division a written certification confirming the program is in place. Municipalities also report their curbside collection type annually to the county's solid waste planning committee under Sec. 105-91.
Violations & Fines
A landfill that accepts a municipality's waste without the required recycling certification, or a municipality that fails to certify or report, faces a written notice of violation and compliance order from the county under Sec. 105-95.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Wayne County run curbside recycling pickup?
What happens if a municipality doesn't have a recycling program?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Wayne County
Compare Wayne County to another location·View the Michigan trash & recycling overview
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