The Charter Township of Ypsilanti contracts curbside recycling pickup with Waste Management in order to provide collection bi-weekly to all single family, duplex, triplex and quadplex units on public roadways.
Collection is scheduled for every other week on your trash day except where, due to a holiday or unforeseen circumstances, it is necessary to delay collection by one day. In no case will collection occur on Sunday unless the Township Supervisor has given approval in writing.
Recycle Carts with the Ypsilanti Township Logo
Contact Residential Services: (734) 544-4000 #4 or
- Request repair or replacement of a rented Ypsilanti Township cart, lid or wheels.
- Request a 95-gallon recycle cart if you don't already have one for your single-family home.
Recycle Carts with the Waste Management Logo
Contact Waste Management: (866) 797-9018
Use the online chat feature on the wm.com website or email at: .
- Request repair or replacement of a rented Waste Management cart, lid or wheels.
- Rent an additional 95-gallon Recycle Cart from Waste Management for $4.33/month; $51.96/year billed annually. Credit card payment is required in advance.
- Cancel your recycle cart rental.
Rules for Collection
All items that are acceptable for pick-up according to these rules must be placed at curbside no earlier than 6:00pm on the day before collection and no later than 5:30am on the designated pick up day. Empty containers and/or rejected items must be removed by 6:00am on the day after collection.
Recycle containers must be placed within 4' of the roadway and 4' from other curbside items.
It is necessary for households to separate garbage from recycling materials. The contractor shall not be responsible for separating recyclables from non-incidental amounts of commingled solid waste.
The recycling container will remain at the Ypsilanti Township Compost Site during winter months and NOT moved to the Community Center due to non-resident use, trash contamination and non-recyclable materials being left at the site.
Acceptable Plastic: Emptied-rinsed household bottles, jugs, containers (milk, water, butter, soap) that have a #1, 2, 4, 5 or 7 on the bottom; lids and caps may be left on.
Unacceptable Plastic: Unmarked plastics, #3 or 6, hazardous type bottles (antifreeze and motor oil bottles), plastic bags (this would include grocery/convenient store plastic bags or any bags labeled with a recycling logo on it; these bags are all considered trash items)
We have noticed an increase of plastic bags being placed in recycling carts. Plastic bags are a safety concern for employees. Employees sort recyclables by hand and are in direct contact with every piece of material that is delivered to the recycle facility. When plastic bags are mixed in with the acceptable recyclable materials, the bags entwine in the equipment.
Acceptable Glass: Emptied, rinsed household containers; labels may be left on.
Unacceptable Glass: Broken glass, beverage glasses, light bulbs, ceramic dishware, windows.
Acceptable Aluminum & Tin: Non-deposit and deposit cans
Unacceptable Aluminum & Tin: No scrap metal, wire hangers, small kitchen cookware (free of food), metal pots/pans, disposable pie tins and baking trays.
Acceptable Paper: Corrugated cardboard (i.e. 2' x 2', flattened, bundled with duct tape or twine), junk mail, brown paper bags, paperboard (i.e. cereal, tissue and show boxes), newspapers, glossy inserts, magazines, catalogs, paperback and hardcover books, telephone books, paper egg cartons, canned beverage cases and paper towel roll.
Unacceptable Paper: Wax paper, tissue paper products, paper towels, napkins, cups, plates, pizza boxes, shredded paper.
Additional Unacceptable Items: No styrofoam of any kind/packing material, paint cans, garbage, food waste, propane tanks, medical waste, flammable liquids, household cleaners, chemicals, wood, tires, concrete, garden hose, electrical cords, syringes, needles, household batteries, or hazardous materials.
No recycling will be collected in cardboard boxes, drums, fabricated containers, store-bought containers, stacked containers, red/green/blue bins, 32-gallon containers or anything besides the 95-gallon toter with the yellow lid provided through Ypsilanti Township or Waste Management.
Thank you for taking the time to recycle the correct items. If you have questions, please review unacceptable recycling items from your Helpful Handbook or contact Residential Services at or (734) 544-4000 #4.
If you want help determining if an item is recyclable, you can use the Waste Wizard Recycling Search below. The search also shows where to bring harder-to-recycle items that aren’t taken curbside.
Residents eligible for curbside service are required to place containers at curbside for collection. Curbside refers to that portion of a dedicated public right-of-way adjacent to paved or traveled roadways (including alleys). All items to be picked up under these rules must be placed alongside a public roadway. Waste Management and the Township will not pick-up from private roads. Containers shall be placed in a manner that will not interfere with or endanger the movement of vehicles or pedestrians. When construction work is being performed in the right-of-way, containers shall be placed as close as possible to an access point for the collection vehicle. The contractor shall not be required to pick-up any items that are more than 4' from the edge of the roadway.
Removal of all items as set forth in these rules will be picked up only if they are properly separated and prepared. If material is not properly prepared for removal, Ypsilanti Township or its contracted agent, upon observing a violation of this chapter, may refuse to collect the material. It is then the responsibility of the resident to dispose of the material at his or her own expense within 24 hours. Failure to remove said items from the curb may result in the issuance of a citation per Ypsilanti Township ordinances. Exceptions and variances to the above collection and removal rules are available for residents who are physically incapable to place recyclables, yard waste, or trash at curbside and if no other resident of the same household is capable of carrying these items to the curbside for pick-up. The Township Supervisor or the Environmental Services Director, upon written request, with a physician note may authorize an exception or variance in cases of extreme hardship of practical difficulties. In these instances, special arrangements will be made by Ypsilanti Township or its contracted agent to have collection personnel collect materials.
