Reduce, Reuse and Recycle in Dearborn

Rules for the Trash Cart

Trash must be bagged and placed inside of city-issued gray carts. Trash cannot be loose inside the carts. Trash in cardboard boxes will not be picked up.

Any bagged trash (maximum of four bags) placed outside of the gray cart will be reloaded into your cart. If this happens frequently, City Ordinance requires the homeowners/occupants to lease an additional trash cart for a one-time fee of $60. Please call 313-943-2433 to make those arrangements.

Do not overfill the cart or pack trash in too tightly. Always keep your cart lid closed.

Do not put garbage bags on top of the cart.

If a resident wants an additional or replacenment cart, there will be a one time fee of $60. There are no free cart deliveries.

If your cart is lost or stolen, please call 313-943-2433 to lease an additional cart for a one-time lease fee of $60. 

Seasonal décor such as hay/straw bales, pumpkins, squash, gourds, corn stalks/shucks and other organics should be bagged and placed inside your trash cart.

Do not put hot items such as charcoal/coals/ash in your cart. 

Other items not allowed in the trash carts include, but are not limited to: explosives/fireworks, radioactive materials, animal remains, paint, solvents, glue, car batteries, automotive parts, tires, acids, antifreeze, gasoline, gas cans, motor vehicle fluids, liquid propane gas tanks, chemicals, cooking oils, household hazardous waste, pesticides, medical waste, exposed needles, cement, sand, rocks, bricks, soil, infectious waste, poisons, asbestos, shellac, tar, tree stumps, tires, and large amounts of remodeling or demolition materials.

Households that put prohibited items in their trash carts may be ticketed and/or fined.

Rules for the Recycle Cart

Curbside recycling, using your city-issued green cart, is mandatory in Dearborn. Recycling pickup is every week.

Items that can be recycled include:

• Cardboard (see note)
• Paper - junk mail, paperboard, newspaper, magazines, phone books, office paper
• Household metal - cans made of steel, tin and aluminum and kitchen cookware
• Household plastics - containers numbered 1 to 7
• Glass jars

Note: Cardboard boxes and other bulky recyclables must be broken down and placed in your recycling cart. If broken down boxes and other items still will not fit in your recycle cart, they must be bundled or tied in manageable pieces to be reloaded into your recycling cart. If this happens regularly, you may be required to lease and additional recycling cart. Cardboard boxes and other recyclables that are not properly prepared will not be serviced.

HELP US PREVENT RECYCLING CONTAMINATION!

Some materials can damage equipment or injure workers at the recycling processing facility. Other items cannot be processed at the center. This can drive up costs.

PLEASE KEEP THESE ITEMS OUT OF YOUR CART

• Styrofoam of any kind
• Food waste, trash, refuse, or rubbish
• Yard waste, compost, or plant material of any kind. (Put these items out for yard waste collection. See below.)
• Wood, lumber, tile, or construction debris of any kind
• Clothing, shoes, cushions, pillows, or any other fabric materials/goods
• Batteries, coal ash, hangers, or other nonstandard debris
• Plastic Bags or plastic film/wrapping

Plastic bags in your recycling cause problems at the Material Recycling Facility (MRF). The bags wrap around the sorting equipment clogging it and forcing a shutdown. This results in a costly cleaning that requires workers to climb into rotor areas and cut away the plastic bags and film, often for two hours multiple times a day. Some bags pass through the sorting process and wind up in the paper bales, leading to the bales being rejected by recyclers and sent to a landfill.

While plastic bags are not accepted in our single-stream program, they are accepted at many stores such as  Wal-Mart, Target, Kroger, Meijer, and Lowe’s

For more information on the City's recycling and trash collection program, visit these links:

Sanitation Guide

GFL Informative Mailer

Rules for Curbside Yard Waste Disposal

Residents must use yard waste paper bags or personal 20 to 32-gallon containers clearly marked with a yard waste sticker. Free yard waste stickers are available at all Dearborn libraries, the Public Works Yard, and the Dearborn Administrative Center.

The curbside yard waste program runs from March 13 to Dec.15, 2023 (weather permitting). During this time, you can put yard waste out for pickup on your trash collection day.

Yard waste includes grass clippings, weeds, leaves, shrub/brush trimmings, and garden waste. Remove dirt from roots. Place material in yard waste paper bags or in your own clearly marked 20- to 32-gallon container. 

Do not mix fruits, vegetables, trash, or animal droppings with your yard waste. Households that put prohibited items in their yard waste containers may be ticketed and/or fined.

Do not overload yard waste bags and containers. Bags and containers must weigh less than 35 pounds. Heavy bags and containers will not be collected.

Do not use plastic bags or cardboard boxes for yard waste.

Dirt and sod are not acceptable as yard waste.

Larger yard waste items, like limbs or debris, must be cut into sections 4 feet or less and bundled using biodegradable material. Bundles must weigh less than 35 pounds.

No more than 20 combined yard waste containers or bundles of brush will be picked up per household, per week. Households with more than 20-yard items for disposal should call 313-943-2433 for a special pickup fee.

Private contractors are responsible for hauling away their own debris.

Yard waste should never be blown or swept into the street.

Unbundled or improperly bundled brush requires a special pickup fee. Call 313-943-2433.

Rules for Bulk Items

Place your bulk/oversize items for disposal at the curb prior to 7 a.m. on your trash pickup day.  A separate truck will pick these items up by the end of your trash day.

Households are limited to 5 bulk items per week; a maximum of 20 per year.

Acceptable bulk items include:

• Household furniture of a manageable size (see note).
• Residential household appliances. Doors must be off refrigerators or freezers.
• Carpet/padding

Carpet and padding must be cut and tied or taped in 4-foot rolls and weigh no more than 35 pounds each. Households are limited to 10 rolls per week; a maximum of 30 rolls per year.

Large tube televisions and large pieces of furniture/bulk items that cannot be reasonably lifted and contained within the bulk truck bucket will not be collected. Please take these items to the DPW Yard on one of the monthy open Saturdays or arrange for a special pick-up.

Excessive quantities and large or heavy bulk items will require a special pick-up fee. Please call 313-943-2433 for more details on acceptable and prohibited items and fee structure.

Rules for Collection Day

Place carts on the easement in front of your home, between the sidewalk and the curb, spaced three feet apart after 5 p.m. the night before or by 7 a.m. on your trash collection day. City contractors are not obligated to return if carts or other materials are not out for service by 7 a.m. on your trash day. The handles of your carts should face the house. The serial number side should face the street.

Never put your carts, yard waste, or bulk items in the street.

Do not place your carts or other items for service where they’ll be blocked by anything including parked cars, trees, utility poles, or fire hydrants.

Remove your carts from the curb by midnight at the end of your trash day. Failure to remove your carts from the curb in a timely manner may result in fines and/or tickets.

Store your carts out of sight in the rear of your property, away from neighboring houses.

Rules for Special Pick-Ups

Excessive trash, recycling, yard waste, or bulk items require a special pick-up. Please call 943-2433 for more information or to schedule a special pick-up. A minimum charge of $100 will apply.

Extraordinarily large move-outs, excessive construction debris, or other items may not be eligible for City special pick-ups. Roll-off dumpsters may be required at the homeowner’s expense.

Private contractors are responsible for hauling away their own debris. Private roll-off dumpsters and disposal service may be required at the homeowner’s expense.

Disposal at the DPW yard

As an alternative to fee-based special pick-ups, residents with proof of Dearborn residency can bring acceptable items to the DPW Yard for disposal at no cost.

The DPW Yard, 2951 Greenfield, is open 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. the third Saturday of each month. Plan your projects accordingly! 

You must be able to move the objects from your vehicle to the disposal site.

A partial list of prohibited items includes any liquids, tires, appliances (collected curbside), and all other hazardous materials. For detailed information on acceptable and prohibited items, please call 313-943-2433.

Household Hazardous Waste Disposal

The Wayne County Department of Environment hosts household hazardous waste drop off days every year. The events are free for county residents. Never place hazardous material in your cart or at the curb.

On-site volunteers will collect the household generated hazardous materials, including (partial list): paints, stains, dyes, glue, carpet cleaner, furniture and nail polish, bathroom cleaners, stain removers, solvents, pharmaceutical waste, fertilizer, and lawn chemicals.

Also accepted will be antifreeze, motor oil, automotive and dry cell batteries, fluorescent bulbs, fire extinguishers, smoke detectors, thermostats, computer monitors, CPUs, printers, keyboards, cell phones, and televisions.

For more information, call Wayne County at 734-326-3936 or visit the website: Wayne County Household Hazardous Waste Program

Holiday Trash Collection Schedule

In 2023, there will be no trash collection on the following holidays, and the rest of that week’s trash, recycling, yard waste, and bulk collection will be one day later than usual:

• Memorial Day
• Fourth of July
• Labor Day
• Thanksgiving
• Christmas Eve
• Christmas
• New Year's Day