Battle Creek, MI Trash & Recycling: Recycling Rules (2026)

Section 1064.06 of the Battle Creek Codified Ordinances defines the vocabulary of the City's recycling program. Under subsection (31), recycling means the collection and separation of discarded used, scrap or waste materials with the intent to convert them into raw materials or new products. Subsection (32) splits the equipment in three. A recycling bin is a receptacle with a capacity of less than twenty gallons, made of plastic, metal or fiberglass, used exclusively for refuse intended for recycling. A recycling cart holds ninety-six gallons, or less if the City Manager approves, and is provided by the City contractor, again for recyclables only.

The same subsection defines the audit. A recycling bin audit or recycling cart audit is a random or periodic check, by an authorized employee of a person licensed by the City for collecting recycling material or by a City employee or designated City representative, of customer bin or cart contents. The check looks for improper use resulting in contamination in violation of recycling rules, and it belongs to a recycling education campaign in which bins or carts are flagged to notify customers of improper use.

Other sections in Chapter 1064 attach duties to these definitions. Section 1064.22 requires recyclables to be rinsed free of food or beverage residue. Section 1064.29 bars anyone other than the owner or person lawfully in control of the premises, an authorized employee of a City-licensed collector, a City employee, or an individual designated by City staff for audits from interfering with a bin or cart or removing it from where it was placed. Section 1064.06(33) defines a qualified disabled person, who is the one customer category allowed to place the bin at or near the front door under Section 1064.26(e).