Lansing Trash Schedule: A Guide to Trash, Recycling, and Yard Waste Pickup

Understanding Lansing’s trash and recycling pickup schedule is key to keeping your home and neighborhood clean. This guide provides everything you need to know about Lansing’s waste collection services, including trash, recycling, and yard waste schedules, policies, and resources.

Overview of Trash Collection in Lansing

The City of Lansing provides municipal trash and recycling collection for residential properties with 4 units or less. Waste Management operates the trash pickup and disposal services on behalf of the city.

Most households receive weekly trash service. Homes are provided with 96-gallon rollout carts for automated collection. There is no limit on the amount of trash you can dispose of each week as long as it fits within the cart with the lid closed.

Finding Your Trash and Recycling Collection Day

Trash pickup occurs once per week on designated days depending on your address. You can look up your weekly trash day using two methods:

Use the Collection Day Lookup Tool

The City of Lansing provides an online lookup tool to find your collection day:

• Go to the Collection Schedule page on the city website
• Enter your address in the lookup form
• Click the “Look Up” button

This will display your weekly trash pickup day.

Check the Collection Map

You can also refer to the Collection Map to find your trash day. The map divides the city into colored zones, each representing a different trash day. Find your street to see what color zone it falls under.

Be sure to make note of your designated pickup day. Waste Management only collects from properties once per week on the scheduled day.

Trash Policies and Preparation Tips

Follow these city policies and tips for smooth trash collection:

• Place carts at the curb by 6:30 AM on your pickup day.
• Carts must be removed from the curb by midnight on collection day.
• All trash must fit inside the cart with the lid closed. Do not overflow or leave bags outside the cart.
• Do not place trash at the curb outside of your scheduled pickup day.
• Make sure a clearance of 3 feet is left around the carts so the automated arms can pick them up.
• Properly contain any loose, wet, or messy trash to prevent spills.
• Do not jam recyclables into the trash cart to make them fit. Recyclables go in the recycling cart.
• Make sure cart lids open towards the street.

Following these guidelines ensures quick and efficient trash pickup by Waste Management crews.

Options for Oversized and Excess Trash

If you occasionally have more trash than what fits in your cart, you have a couple options:

• Request an Additional Trash Cart: Households can request an extra trash cart for a $15 monthly fee. Complete the cart request form on the city website or call (517) 483-4400. The additional cart will be serviced on your normal collection day.

• Utilize On-Call Bulk Pickup: Lansing residents can schedule an on-call bulk trash pickup for large items that don’t fit in the cart. This includes furniture, appliances, carpeting, and other oversized trash. Simply call Waste Management at (517) 622-7873 at least one business day before your regular pickup to schedule bulk collection. There is a $25 charge per bulk pickup up to 1 cubic yard of material.

• Take Trash to the Drop-Off Station: You can bring extra bagged household trash to the City Drop-Off Station at 1501 Rensen Street yourself instead of waiting for pickup. There is a small fee per bag.

Yard Waste Collection Schedule and Policies

Lansing provides separate collection of yard waste and brush on a weekly basis from April to November. Yard waste pickup occurs on the same day as your regular trash collection.

Accepted Materials:

• Leaves, grass clippings
• Garden waste
• Brush and branches up to 4 feet long and 2 inches in diameter

Yard waste must be placed in paper yard waste bags or reusable containers marked with an “X.” Do not use plastic bags. Brush and branches can be bundled with twine. There is no limit, but bundles cannot weigh over 40 pounds.

During winter months when yard waste collection is suspended, leaves and brush can be placed in the trash cart. An additional trash cart may need to be requested if overflow is regular.

Recycling Collection Process and Policies

The City of Lansing provides single-stream recycling pickup on the same day as your scheduled trash collection. A 65-gallon recycling cart is provided to each household.

Accepted recyclables include paper, cardboard, aluminum cans, tin cans, plastic bottles, jugs, and tubs. Glass bottles and jars are also accepted. Find a full list in the Lansing Recycling Guide.

Recycling carts must follow the same placement guidelines as trash carts. All recyclables should be clean, dry, and loose – never bagged. Make sure recyclables are not contaminated with food or waste.

Additional recycling carts can be requested from the city for $7 per month. Weekly recycling pickup makes it easy for Lansing households to reduce waste and help the environment.

Special Waste Disposal Programs

Lansing offers a few specialty disposal programs for specific types of hazardous and bulky waste:

• Household Hazardous Waste: Items like chemicals, oils, and batteries can be dropped off at the City’s Environmental Services Center by appointment only. Learn more here.

• Medication Disposal: Unused over-the-counter and prescription medications can be safely disposed of in drop boxes at Lansing Police headquarters and City Hall.

• Bulk Metal Collection: Large metal items like appliances, grills, bikes, etc. are picked up monthly following the regular trash schedule.

Take advantage of these disposal programs to properly recycle or dispose of dangerous and oversized waste.

Residential Waste Collection in Lansing

Lansing makes it easy for households to dispose of trash, recyclables, and yard debris through convenient weekly collection. Following the schedules, guidelines and preparation tips outlined in this article will ensure successful waste and recycling pickup at your property. Check out the resources on the City of Lansing website anytime you need more information about residential trash, recycling and yard waste programs.