Frequently Asked Questions

Trash and recycling carts should be placed at the curb in the proper position, with the lid opening facing towards the street.

The Cart Exchange program will begin on April 1, 2025.

Please call DPW at (734) 466-2655 to be placed on the cart exchange list.

To exchange your trash and/or recycling cart, please call the Department of Public Works at (734) 466-2655.

Please call DPW at (734) 466-2655.

The size of your cart is on the top of the lid, closest to the handle on the right-hand side. It will say 96-gallon or 64-gallon.

You can begin using your new carts as soon as you receive them.

No. Up to 70% of what goes into the trash can be recycled. The City of Livonia is committed to reducing what is sent to a landfill and encourages everyone to participate in recycling to reduce waste. Participating in recycling keeps good materials in use and helps maintain thousands of Michigan jobs. 

On the lid of your trash/recycling cart, near the hinge, it will say 64 gallon or 96 gallon.

Standardized trash and recycling cart collection is a best practice across the country because it removes loose, unsightly trash being placed at the curb and it eliminates potential food sources that attract rodents. Cart collection will only require one-man trucks, which is far more cost effective and safer by eliminating the need for personnel to ride on the back of the truck.

Transitioning to cart collection aligns with the City’s guiding principle of having well-maintained, desirable and aesthetically pleasing neighborhoods and improves the health and safety of our community by reducing the rodent population. 

Because of the way the carts were stacked in transit, they “formed” themselves due to the cold weather. They should "relax" overnight. 

Priority Waste will collect and dispose of or recycle your old trash/recycling containers/orange bins. Simply place the unwanted container/bin at the curb with a note taped to the cart and leave it empty; top down at the curb so Priority knows it is okay to throw away. You can also use your old cans/containers/orange bins for other purposes.

Those who had previously purchased a dark green GFL refuse cart with a tan lid may retain and continue to use this cart as a secondary recycling cart. Priority Waste will service this cart. This is the ONLY old cart that will be collected from, use of other carts may cause a collection issue.

The Council selected the 96-gallon carts as the default for those who don’t indicate a preference. 

The 96-gallon cart is 29.75 inches wide x 35.5 deep x 43.5 tall.
The 64-gallon cart is 24.25 inches wide x 31.75 deep x 41.75 tall.

The 96-gallon trash carts hold roughly eight 14-gallon kitchen trash bags. However, if needed, you may put extra trash bags or up to five items next to your cart.

DO NOT BAG your recycling. If you have more recycling than your cart holds you can request a second cart or use the city provided drop-off center.

I have a business.
 - Do you have a dumpster? You will not receive carts.
 - Do you have curbside pickup? Please call DPW at (734) 466-2655, and they will assist you.

I am a resident.
Please call DPW at (734) 466-2655, and they will assist you.

Household furnishings and appliances will be picked up routinely, without charge, by a separate truck on the regular collection day. Large item collection service does not need to be requested. (Limit of two large items per week)

These items should be set out the evening before (after 6 p.m.) or prior to 7 a.m. of the collection day.

Doors must be removed from refrigerators or freezers before they are placed at the curb.

The carts are under warranty by the manufacturer and will be repaired or replaced at no cost to the resident, so long as homeowner negligence is not identified.

If your cart is damaged, please contact the Livonia Department of Public Works at (734) 466-2655.

No. The current process will continue: 

1. Yard waste must be placed in separate containers free of any rubbish or recyclables.
2. Use plastic or metal trash cans (maximum 35-gallon size).
3. Cans must be marked with a green and white yard waste sticker. Stickers are available by calling Public Works at (734) 466-2655. Residents may also mark cans with a large X, which will identify it as yard waste.
4. Paper compost bags may be used. These bags are available from local stores.
5. The maximum weight is 50 pounds per container or compost bag.
6. A maximum amount of eight containers per week is allowed.
7. Plastic bags are prohibited.

Yard waste collection ends on your regular trash day the week of Dec. 9-13. It will resume in late March 2025.

No, the cost of this program is contained in the refuse millage, approved by voters in 1990 and paid for as part of residents’ property taxes.

No. Bulk leaf pickup will remain the same. Visit Livonia.gov/1426 for full details on bulk leaf pickup. Mailers are expected to be sent out the week of Oct. 14, 2024.

Carts can be stored in your garage or behind the front line of your house, either on the side of your house or behind.

No. We will deliver you a cart for use. Use of other carts may cause a collection issue. If someone places out carts other than those provided, they’d be doing so at their own risk.

Please ask a neighbor or family member to put them by your garage if possible.

• Batteries, electronics and hazardous waste (accepted at Household Hazard Waste Drop-Off)
• Ceramics, dishware or drinking glasses
• Florescent lights
• Foam containers (Styrofoam)
• Keurig pods
• Needles or syringes
• Organic material and food waste
• Paint, pesticides, oil or antifreeze (accepted at the Household Hazard Waste Drop-Off)
• Pill bottles
• Plastic bags
• Tissue paper with glitter
• Waxed cardboard
• Window panes and mirrors
• Wire hangers

Yes, the recycled materials still need to be separated from the trash materials. All recycling materials should be placed loose in your cart, do not bag your recyclables.

Additional carts will not be available for purchase until Spring 2025. When the time comes, the prices will be $50 (64-gallon) and $56 (96-gallon), though that is subject to change. Carts will be purchased through the City of Livonia Department of Public Works.

• Boxboard, paperboard (cereal and shoe boxes) and clean pizza boxes
• Brown paper grocery bags
• Clear, green and brown glass bottles and jars
• Corrugated cardboard and boxes must be cut down to 2 feet by 2 feet and bundled
• Garden plastics (clean)
• Glossy magazines, catalogs, newspapers, inserts, and telephone books
• Manila folders and junk mail (including envelopes with windows)
• Office, computer and loose-leaf paper (any color)
• Paperback books (or donate to the Library for the book sale)
• Plastic bottles and containers marked on the bottom with the recycle symbol 1 through 7 (please no Styrofoam)
• Small scrap metal items. Pots, non-coated pans and license plates are acceptable
• Tin, aluminum and empty aerosol cans
• Be sure to empty and rinse containers. Make sure cardboard boxes are flattened. Leave caps on plastic bottles. It is okay to leave staples, clips, labels, stamps, spiral bindings and metal fasteners on paper materials.

No, the carts are assigned to the property address not the resident. They should remain on the property.