Rochester Hills Trash Pickup Schedule, Recycling & Bulk 2026
Find your Priority Waste collection day, yard waste season, bulk pickup rules, and holiday delays for Rochester Hills.
City of Rochester Hills · Priority Waste (residential hauler) · Updated April 2026
Find Your Rochester Hills Collection Day
Select your trash pickup day to instantly see your full weekly schedule — garbage, recycling, yard waste, and bulk pickup details.
👈 Select your day above to see your complete Rochester Hills collection schedule.
⚠ Don’t know your day? Call Priority Waste at 248-906-8982 or the City at 248-656-4600. See all contact options ↓
Rochester Hills Waste Collection — Quick Facts
Priority Waste is the exclusive residential trash hauler for the City of Rochester Hills, serving all single-family homes. Trash and recycling are collected every week on the same day. Yard waste (compost) is collected weekly from March 23 through December 11, 2026. Service days run Monday through Thursday — there are no Friday residential routes for single-family homes.
Rochester Hills’ Two Carts — What Goes Where
Every Rochester Hills single-family home receives a 95-gallon gray/black trash cart and a 65-gallon recycling cart, provided at no extra cost. Both carts are assigned to the address — leave them behind if you move. Both are collected on the same weekday, every week.
Trash Cart — 95 Gallon
All non-recyclable household waste. Bags must be contained. No single bag over 40 lbs. Cart max 175 lbs. No hot ashes, liquids, or hazardous materials.
Weekly • Free cartRecycling Cart — 65 Gallon
Single-stream recycling. Items rinsed clean with caps removed. No plastic bags or film. No need to sort.
Weekly • Free cartYard Waste — Seasonal
Kraft paper bags or plastic containers labeled “yard waste.” No plastic bags. Branches max 2″ diameter, 4′ long, bundled. Max 50 lbs per container.
Mar 23 – Dec 11 • Weekly⏰ Set-Out Rules
- All carts must be at the curb by 7:00 a.m. on your collection day.
- Keep at least 3 feet between each cart and from any obstacles (vehicles, mailboxes, fire hydrants).
- Bring carts back in by the evening of your collection day.
- 95-gallon trash cart must not exceed 175 pounds; individual bags must not exceed 40 pounds.
- Yard waste containers and bundles must not exceed 50 pounds each.
- Handicap and back-door pickup is available — contact Priority Waste at 248-906-8982 to arrange.
Rochester Hills Holiday Trash Collection Schedule 2026
Priority Waste observes six holidays. If your collection day falls on or after a holiday during the same business week, your pickup is delayed by one day. If a holiday falls on a weekend, your collection day is not affected.
| Holiday | 2026 Date | Impact | What Happens |
|---|---|---|---|
| New Year’s Day | Thu, Jan 1 | 1-Day Delay | Thu → Fri | Mon–Wed: normal that week |
| MLK Day | Mon, Jan 19 | Normal | Not observed by Priority Waste. All routes run as scheduled. |
| Presidents’ Day | Mon, Feb 16 | Normal | Not observed by Priority Waste. No delay. |
| Memorial Day | Mon, May 25 | 1-Day Delay | Mon → Tue | Tue → Wed | Wed → Thu | Thu → Fri |
| Independence Day | Sat, Jul 4 | Normal | Falls on Saturday — no weekday impact. All routes run as scheduled. |
| Labor Day | Mon, Sep 7 | 1-Day Delay | Mon → Tue | Tue → Wed | Wed → Thu | Thu → Fri |
| Veterans’ Day | Wed, Nov 11 | Normal | Not observed by Priority Waste. No delay. |
| Thanksgiving Day | Thu, Nov 26 | 1-Day Delay | Thu → Fri | Mon–Wed: normal that week |
| Christmas Day | Fri, Dec 25 | 1-Day Delay | All routes that week shift one day later. Thu → Fri | Fri would move to Sat for applicable routes |
Rochester Hills Recycling — What Goes in the Recycling Cart
Rochester Hills uses single-stream recycling collected every week on the same day as your trash. All items should be rinsed clean with caps removed. No sorting required — everything goes together in the 65-gallon cart. Recycling is mandatory in the City of Rochester Hills.
✅ Accepted in the Recycling Cart
- Paper: newspapers, junk mail, magazines, mixed paper
- Cardboard: flattened box board and corrugated cardboard
- Aluminum and tin cans
- Empty aerosol cans (completely empty)
- Plastic bottles, jugs, and storage containers (rinsed)
- Plastic tubs (rinsed, caps removed)
- Glass bottles and jars (rinsed)
🚫 Never in the Recycling Cart
- Plastic bags or film → grocery store drop-off
- Plastic cups or plastic silverware
- Styrofoam / polystyrene
- Food waste → trash cart
- Soiled pizza boxes → trash cart
- Pyrex or ceramic
- Bubble wrap or packing materials
- Metal or plastic hangers
- Storage/zip-lock bags
Rochester Hills Yard Waste Collection — Seasonal Service
Priority Waste collects yard waste on your regular trash day, weekly from March 23 through December 11, 2026. Outside this window, yard waste must be handled separately. Yard waste in plastic bags will not be collected.
✅ Accepted for Yard Waste
- Grass clippings and leaves
- Garden trimmings and weeds
- Branches: max 2″ diameter, max 4′ long, bundled
- Bundles and containers max 50 lbs each
- Houseplants (without pots)
- Cut flowers
🚫 Not Accepted in Yard Waste
- Plastic bags — yard waste in plastic bags will be left
- Tree stumps or root balls
- Soil or rocks
- Food waste → trash cart
- Treated or painted wood
- Branches thicker than 2 inches or longer than 4 feet
📦 Yard Waste Container Requirements
- Use brown/kraft paper yard waste bags or a plastic 32-gallon container clearly marked with an “X” facing the street.
- Containers must not exceed 50 pounds.
- Branches must be bundled and tied, no more than 2 inches in diameter and 4 feet in length.
- Place yard waste at the curb by 7:00 a.m. on your collection day, separate from your trash and recycling carts.
🎄 Christmas Tree Collection 2026
Priority Waste collects Christmas trees curbside starting the week of Christmas and continuing for three weeks following the holiday. Remove all decorations, lights, tinsel, stands, and bags before placing the tree at the curb. Flocked trees are not accepted — those go in the trash cart.
Rochester Hills Bulk Item Pickup — Every Week, No Appointment Needed
Priority Waste collects bulk items every week on your regular trash day. Unlike many cities, no advance scheduling call is required for standard bulk items — simply place them curbside by 7:00 a.m. on your collection day. The driver will dispatch a separate truck to collect bulk items.
📅 How Bulk Pickup Works
- Place bulk items at the curb by 7:00 a.m. on your regular trash collection day. Keep them separate from your trash and recycling carts.
- No advance call needed for most standard furniture and appliances. The driver dispatches a separate truck.
- For appliances containing Freon (refrigerators, AC units, freezers): Priority Waste is required by law to remove Freon before disposal. Place curbside as normal — they handle it.
- For large-volume or unusual items, call Priority Waste at 248-906-8982 in advance to confirm acceptance.
✅ Accepted Bulk Items
- Furniture: sofas, chairs, tables, bed frames
- Mattresses and box springs
- Large appliances: refrigerators, washers, dryers, AC units (Freon removed by hauler)
- Carpeting rolled and secured with rope or tape (max 4 ft per roll, max 60 lbs per roll)
- Water heaters (water fully drained)
- Doors, shelving, and wood items
🚫 Not Accepted in Bulk Service
- Tires (check local tire retailers)
- Concrete, brick, or masonry
- Fencing
- Contractor-generated construction debris
- Free liquids, paints, or pesticides → SOCRRA
- Car parts or engines
- Fluorescent bulbs → SOCRRA
- Human waste or uncontained pet excrement
Rochester Hills HHW & Electronics Drop-Off — SOCRRA
Rochester Hills residents must bring hazardous waste materials (paint, chemicals, electronics, batteries) to the SOCRRA Drop-Off Center in Troy. A Rochester Hills voucher is required and a $10 per car fee applies. Vouchers can be purchased at the Treasury desk at City Hall during normal business hours, or online.
🚩 SOCRRA Drop-Off Center (Troy)
995 Coolidge Road, Troy, MI 48084
(between 14 Mile and Maple, across from Meijer)
Mon–Fri: 9:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m.
Saturday: 7:00 a.m.–1:00 p.m. (twice monthly; check scheduler)
Closed Sunday
Appointment required. Schedule at socrra.org
☎ 248-288-5150 • socrra@socrra.org
🚩 ERG Environmental Services (Livonia)
Enter off Industrial Road, Livonia, MI
Mon–Fri: No appointment required
Must show ID proving residency from a SOCRRA community, or a printed Rochester Hills paper voucher.
Ring doorbell at visitor entrance; attendant with PPE will unload your items.
✅ Accepted at SOCRRA
- Electronics: TVs, computers, phones, tablets, printers
- Batteries (all types)
- Paint: latex and oil-based
- Household chemicals and solvents
- Motor oil and automotive fluids
- Fluorescent and CFL bulbs
- Aerosol cans (partially used)
- Paper shredding (by appointment, SOCRRA members only)
🚫 Not Accepted at SOCRRA
- Unlabeled waste or containers with unknown contents
- Radioactive materials
- Explosives or ammunition
- Waste from cleanups or spills
- Hazardous waste generated by a business
- Regular household trash or large appliances
What to Do If Your Trash Wasn’t Collected in Rochester Hills
- Confirm your collection day — use the Day Finder above or call Priority Waste at 248-906-8982. Collection runs Monday through Thursday; there are no Friday residential routes for single-family homes.
- Check for a holiday delay. Priority Waste observes six holidays: New Year’s, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving, and Christmas. If your day fell on or after one of these during the same week, pickup shifts one day later.
- Verify cart placement: carts must be out by 7:00 a.m., with 3 feet of clearance on all sides. Overfilled or inaccessible carts may be skipped.
- Check for a contamination tag. If prohibited items were in your recycling cart, Priority Waste may have left a notice and skipped that cart. Remove offending items before next pickup.
- Report the missed pickup online via the Priority Waste portal at prioritywaste.com/MissedStop.php, or call 248-906-8982 (service issues) or 1-855-927-8365 (general customer service).
Rochester Hills Trash & Recycling Tips Every Resident Should Know
🏠 New to Rochester Hills or Just Moved In?
Your 95-gallon trash cart and 65-gallon recycling cart are assigned to your address and should already be there. If they’re missing, contact Priority Waste at 248-906-8982. To find your collection day, call the same number or the City at 248-656-4600. Remember: no Friday routes for residential single-family service.
❄ Cold Weather Rules
- Place trash on top of snow so drivers can see and reach it.
- Bags and carts must be accessible from the road. Trash frozen to the ground cannot be picked up.
- Service may be temporarily suspended during extreme weather. Check prioritywaste.com for service alerts.
🚫 5 Common Mistakes Rochester Hills Residents Make
- Putting yard waste in plastic bags — it will be left uncollected; use kraft paper bags or a labeled bin
- Forgetting that yard waste service ends December 11 — plan ahead for winter yard cleanup
- Not leaving 3 feet of clearance around carts, causing them to be skipped
- Putting plastic bags or film in the recycling cart — these contaminate the load
- Missing the SOCRRA voucher requirement for HHW — purchase from City Hall before your visit
🏭 Snowbird & Seasonal Absence
If you will be away from your residence for an extended period, contact Priority Waste at 586-228-1200 to suspend service and receive a Snowbird discount of up to $30 annually (April 1 – March 31 service year).
Contact Priority Waste & Rochester Hills
| Contact | Details |
|---|---|
| Priority Waste — Service Issues | 📞 248-906-8982 — missed pickups, damaged carts, bulk items, yard waste issues, Rochester Hills portal |
| Priority Waste — Billing | 📞 586-228-1200 — billing questions, autopay enrollment, senior/veteran discount verification, snowbird service suspension |
| Priority Waste — General | 📞 1-855-927-8365 — general customer service • prioritywaste.com |
| City of Rochester Hills | 📞 248-656-4600 — collection day inquiries, voucher enrollment • rochesterhills.org |
| Missed Stop Online Form | prioritywaste.com/MissedStop.php — report missed trash, recycling, yard waste, or bulk |
| SOCRRA (HHW & Electronics) | 995 Coolidge Rd, Troy • 📞 248-288-5150 • socrra.org • Appointment required • $10/car fee • Rochester Hills voucher required |
| Billing Online | Priority Waste Portal — pay bills, manage account (3.1% fee for credit card; free for e-check) |
Frequently Asked Questions — Rochester Hills Trash Pickup
Still Can’t Find Your Collection Day?
If the Day Finder above and the information on this page haven’t answered your question, use the official resources below. Priority Waste and the City of Rochester Hills are both available to confirm your exact schedule, collection day, and service details.
🔍 Official Rochester Hills Lookup & Contact Options
The following are the authoritative contacts for Rochester Hills residential waste service:
🔍 Priority Waste Portal 📞 Call 248-906-8982| Priority Waste — Rochester Hills Page | prioritywaste.com/municipality/rochester-hills-mi — service details, missed stop form, cart order, holiday schedule |
| City of Rochester Hills — Trash Page | rochesterhills.org/services/trash_pick_up.php — official city waste information, voucher info, rate schedule |
| Priority Waste Service Line | 248-906-8982 — missed pickups, damaged carts, service questions specific to Rochester Hills |
| Priority Waste Billing | 586-228-1200 — billing, autopay, discounts, snowbird suspension |
| City of Rochester Hills | 248-656-4600 — collection day questions, SOCRRA voucher purchase information |
| SOCRRA (HHW & E-Waste) | socrra.org — schedule HHW appointment, view accepted items, Saturday availability |
You will leave this website when using any of the links above. Priority Waste and the City of Rochester Hills are the definitive sources for address-specific collection day information.
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