Trash & Recycle

Refuse Collection
Unlimited plastic bags, no greater than 33 gallons, may be placed at the curbside by 7:00 A.M. every Wednesday morning. REFUSE IS NOT TO BE PLACED OUT TO THE CURB ANY EARLIER THAN 7:00 P.M. ON THE EVENING BEFORE COLLECTION. Bags must be of a material that is waterproof, tight-sealing and durable enough to prevent ripping or tearing. Bags shall not exceed 50 pounds when filled and be drained free of liquids. Plastic or metal receptacles are not permissible at the curbside, unless disposal of the receptacle is requested. 

Large Household Items
If you desire to dispose of household furniture, appliances or refuse that is too bulky to place into a bag, residents are allowed up to two (2) large items placed out to the curb each week. Place the item(s) by the curb and collection employees will tag the item(s), note the location and arrange for pick-up at a later time by a specialized vehicle. Please note that depending upon the pick-up volume, a delay of up to several days may occur. Call the City office at 989-652-9901 or go to www.recyclemotion.org for additional details.  

Commercial Refuse Collection
The City of Frankenmuth requires the participation of all non-residential dumpsters to be included in its commercial containerized refuse collection. Please contact the City office at 989-652-9901 or cityhall@frankenmuthcity.com for container sizes, pick-up options and costs.

Recyclables Collection 
Weekly curbside collection of recyclables is every Wednesday at 7:00 A.M. RECYCLING BINS ARE NOT TO BE PLACED OUT TO THE CURB ANY EARLIER THAN 7:00 P.M. ON THE EVENING BEFORE COLLECTION AND BINS MUST BE REMOVED BY THE EVENING ON COLLECTION DAY. Recycling bins must be at curbside in order for recycling to be picked up. Recycling bins and brown grocery type paper bags used to hold paper products are the only containers to be used for the collection of recyclables. Plastic bags are not acceptable. Residents may place multiple recycling bins by the curb each week. The City Office has additional recycling bins available for $10 each.

Residents should focus on recycling cardboard, plastic containers 1 - 2 & 4 - 7, glass, steel and aluminum cans, and paper. No plastic bags, no foam and no pizza boxes.

MMWA is pleased to offer a curbside recycling program, but the fact is, there are many items that should not go into your recycling container. We know people are enthusiastic about recycling and want to recycle as much as possible, but it is important to follow the list of accepted materials. If you are unsure about whether an item is accepted, please call MMWA at 989-781-9555 for clarification instead of being a “wishful recycler.”   This is not a complete list of prohibited items, but some of the most common non-recyclables we see in recycling containers include:

  • plastics #3
  • Batteries
  • Blue, black or frosted glass
  • Candy wrappers
  • Cassette tapes
  • Ceramics
  • Clothing/fabric
  • Construction materials
  • Electronics
  • Foam products (including egg cartons, packing materials and food containers)
  • Hardcover books
  • Laundry soap boxes
  • Light bulbs
  • Mirrors
  • Motor oil or cooking oil bottles
  • Needles/sharps
  • Paper napkins, tissues or paper towel
  • Pet food bags and feed sacks
  • Pizza boxes – greasy (cut off lid & recycle if clean)
  • Plastic/cling wrap
  • Plastic bags
  • Plastic straws and utensils
  • Pots and pans
  • Potato chip and cookie bags
  • Propane and helium tanks
  • VCR and VHS cartridges
  • Waxed paper cups
  • Windows
  • Wood


Here's a printable list of recyclable items 

Notes for above. Occasionally, some streets and areas may not be serviceable due to severe weather conditions and those conditions are subject to frequent changes. In such cases, residents who set out materials that are not picked up by the evening are asked to remove materials from the curb until their service day next week to allow street crews (i.e. snow plows) better access. Residents may also decide to not set waste materials at curb to avoid them from being scattered about (or covered by such things as plowed snow).

Other Special Material Collections 
Occasionally, other special materials such as computers, mercury or other household hazardous materials, tires, etc. are collected via special collections arranged by county agencies. Call the City office at 989-652-9901 or visit www.recyclemotion.org for additional information and details on those special collections.  Click here for more information. 

Mid Michigan Waste Authority Inclement Weather Plan
There are a number of public services that can be impacted by snowstorms and freezing rain, and refuse collection is no exception. While drivers make every effort to collect materials on schedule, they are cautioned against attempting service if driving conditions are hazardous. Safety is always MMWA and Waste Management’s shared priority. In preparation for this season’s weather challenges, MMWA would like to again share our Inclement Weather Service Impact Plan.

  • Roads that are found to be impassable when a truck goes by will not have collection service reattempts until the community’s regular collection day the following week. If an area is unable to be serviced two weeks in a row, MMWA will work with the affected community to develop an alternate service option, such as a roll-off dumpster being placed at your township hall for resident use. Please contact us if you would like to learn more about this option.
  • MMWA staff work closely with Waste Management to get timely information about road conditions. When there is weather that adversely affects service in a community – whether it is a complete cancellation of that day’s service or an area/road that cannot be completed – MMWA communicates these impacts to the affected community’s trustee via email. On snowy and icy days please keep an eye on your email so you have the latest information about how the weather could be affecting collection in your community. We encourage trustees to forward these weather updates to appropriate office staff and other key contacts within the municipality.
  • MMWA will keep its Facebook page and website updated with collection service impacts, and this information will be added to MMWA’s outgoing phone greeting. Press releases will be distributed to all daily media outlets. Three area television stations – NBC25, WEYI25, and FOX66 – will again include refuse collection cancellations (when services are canceled for the entire community) in their weather delay/school closing lists. Please encourage your residents to check these stations’ emergency closing lists in the event of inclement weather on their service day. Remember, this information will only be on the school closing list if there is a complete cancellation of service in a community.
  • As a reminder, the media sometimes refers to other communities and counties as being located in “mid-Michigan,” which can cause confusion. This is why it is important to remember that MMWA will always make an announcement when weather conditions impact service. If you do not hear from us and there is no announcement on our Facebook page or website, you and your residents should assume that trash collection will be attempted as scheduled. Please encourage your residents to follow the MMWA Facebook page, because that is the easiest way to get timely service updates.
  • Please note that while MMWA staff are committed to keeping our community partners informed about weather-related collection service issues, we too live in areas that may be impacted by weather conditions or resulting power outages. Please be patient if you cannot reach someone at our office, and leave a message so we can respond to your questions or concerns as soon as we are able.