Dumpster Day

Saturday, October 24, 2026 | 8:00 AM to Noon, or until the dumpsters are full

Drop-off:MacKay Jaycees Park, 2531 Kalamazoo Avenue SE

Bring your large-item trash to the drop-off site during the event window and we'll get it hauled. We have 12 dumpsters this year, and once they're full the event ends, so come early to be sure your items make it in.

Directions: use the rear parking lot behind the playground

The collection site is the back parking lot behind the playground at MacKay-Jaycees Park. Grand Rapids Public Works marked this lot on its map, and Parks and Recreation confirmed the location.

Follow event volunteers on arrival. The trash dumpsters will sit in the center of the back lot so vehicles can circulate around them to unload. A recycling dumpster will also be available.

The City plans to rotate four to five trash dumpsters at a time through the lot, for a total of 12 throughout the event. Keep the vehicle lane clear for collection trucks and be prepared to unload your own items.

Public drop-off: 8 AM–noon, or until full. City setup starts about 7–7:30 AM, before public drop-off opens.

Map of the rear parking lot behind the playground at MacKay-Jaycees Park, outlined in orange, showing where the Dumpster Day dumpsters will be placed. Confirmed by Grand Rapids Public Works and Parks.

Most of what you need to know is on the printable flyers below. Please take a look, and if there is anything they do not answer, reach out and we will do our best to help.

Do

Have identification showing you live in the cleanup area
Arrive early so everything can be collected
Be prepared to unload your own trash. Volunteers are not able to unload vehicles
Make sure major appliances (refrigerators, dishwashers, stoves, air conditioners) are Freon-free

Do Not

Place refuse at the curb. It must be brought to the collection site
Publicize this beyond the neighborhood
Bring yard waste, sod, broken concrete, wood, or asphalt
Bring hazardous materials such as tires, oil, gasoline, paint, hot ashes, or household and garden chemicals
Bring electronics (TVs, computers, monitors, printers, cell phones). Recycle those separately through Comprenew or a Kent County SafeChem site

A recycle dumpster will be on site, and metal recyclers will collect scrap metal on site.

Other free drop-off options

Hazardous wasteat Safe Chem, 1045 Wealthy St SW. Mon/Thu 1:30-5:30 PM, Wed 7:30-11:30 AM, every 2nd Sat 8:30-11:00 AM. Info: reimaginetrash.org
Yard wasteat 2001 Butterworth St SW. Mon-Sat, 7:30 AM to 4:00 PM

Volunteer

Shifts run in one-hour blocks from 7 AM setup through noon-1 PM cleanup, across three roles: checking IDs and collecting addresses, handing out promotional materials and surveys, and traffic control. Even one hour lightens the load for the rest of our volunteers. Pick whatever hours work for you and sign up to volunteer here.

Donations

The city provides the dumpsters. Everything else the association does, newsletters, printing, and getting the word out about events like this one, runs on donations. That support is what keeps the association going, and the association is what makes Dumpster Day happen.

Donate

Printable flyers

The full event details are shown on the flyers below. Click either flyer or the link beneath it to open a printable PDF.

Alger Heights Dumpster Day 2026 flyer in English

Dumpster Day flyer (English, PDF)

Volante del Dia de Basureros de Alger Heights 2026 en espanol

Volante del Día de Basureros (Español, PDF)