Trash & Recycling in Tinley Park, IL

If you live in Tinley Park or are thinking about moving there, trash & recycling are one of those things you probably won't think about until they affect you directly. Tinley Park has 9 specific rules on the books covering different aspects of trash & recycling, and some of them might surprise you.

Bin Placement Rules

Tinley Park requires garbage containers to sit behind or alongside a home's principal or accessory building, out of street view, between pickups. Carts may go to the curb no earlier than 4:00 p.m. the day before collection and must come back in by 8:00 p.m. the day of collection under § 96.08, with fines reaching $500 for violations.

Key details: Storage location: Behind or alongside building, out of street view. Earliest set-out: 4:00 p.m. day before collection. Latest removal: 8:00 p.m. day of collection. Holidays: Excluded from the removal deadline. Fine range: $25 to $500 per offense (§ 96.99).

Any violation of the container storage or set-out time requirements in § 96.08 is punishable under § 96.99: a fine of not less than $25 nor more than $500 per offense, with each day a violation continues treated as a separate and distinct offense. Code Enforcement can cite a resident for carts left visible from the street between pickups or set out earlier than 4:00 p.m. the day before collection.

Collection Schedule

Single-family homes in Tinley Park must use the village-designated garbage disposal contractor for refuse, recycling, and landscape waste under § 96.06, and § 96.09(B) requires all three waste streams to be picked up on the same day each week. Collection outside permitted hours is separately unlawful, keeping every home on one weekly pickup day.

Key details: Mandatory hauler: Village-designated contractor required (§ 96.06). Pickup frequency: Weekly, same day for all waste streams (§ 96.09(B)). Collection hours: 7 a.m.-7 p.m.; 6 a.m.-7 p.m. in Industrial zones. Billing: Charges billed directly by contractor (§ 96.10). Penalty: $25-$500 fine per offense (§ 96.99).

Disposing of refuse other than through the village-designated contractor, or collecting outside the hours set in § 96.09(A) (7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m., or 6:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. in Industrial-zoned territory), violates Chapter 96 and is punishable under § 96.99 by a fine of $25 to $500 per offense, with each day of a continuing violation charged as a separate offense.

Pickup Rules & Schedules

Village Code § 96.09(A) makes it unlawful for any garbage disposal contractor or scavenger service to collect garbage, refuse, or ashes in Tinley Park outside set hours: 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. village-wide, or 6:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. in territory zoned Industrial, with violations fined under § 96.99.

Key details: Standard hours: 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. (§ 96.09(A)). Industrial-zoned hours: 6:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.. Applies to: All contractors and private scavenger services. Penalty: $25-$500 fine per offense (§ 96.99).

Collecting garbage, refuse, or ashes outside the hours fixed by § 96.09(A), before 7:00 a.m. or after 7:00 p.m. in most of the village, or before 6:00 a.m. or after 7:00 p.m. in territory zoned Industrial, is unlawful and punishable under § 96.99 by a fine of not less than $25 nor more than $500, with each day of a continuing violation constituting a separate offense.

Recycling Requirements

Tinley Park runs a mandatory recyclable material program for every single-family detached home under § 96.12, with weekly curbside collection on the same day as regular trash pickup. Only the village-designated refuse disposal contractor may collect recyclables from the program area; unauthorized collection is a separate offense.

Key details: Program area: All single-family detached residences (§ 96.11). Collection frequency: Weekly, same day as trash pickup. Accepted materials: Newsprint, paper, plastics, aluminum, glass. Exclusive collector: Village-designated refuse disposal contractor only. Penalty: $25-$500 fine per offense (§ 96.99).

Collecting or purchasing recyclable materials within the program area without being the village-designated refuse disposal contractor violates § 96.12(B) and is punishable under § 96.99 by a fine of $25 to $500 per offense, with each day of a continuing violation treated as a separate offense. The designated contractor that sends recyclables to a landfill without the Village Manager's written approval also violates its § 96.14 duties.

Recycling Rules

Once a Tinley Park household sets recyclables at the curb for collection, § 96.13 keeps them the property of the householder until the village-designated refuse disposal contractor picks them up. Anyone else who collects those materials without authorization commits a separate offense for each location taken from.

Key details: Ownership rule: Recyclables stay householder's property until contractor collects. Prohibited act: Unauthorized collection of curbside recyclables. Offense counting: Each location taken from is a separate offense. Penalty: $25-$500 fine per offense (§ 96.99).

Collecting recyclable materials placed at the curb without village authorization violates § 96.13 and is punishable under § 96.99 by a fine of $25 to $500. Because § 96.13 treats each unauthorized collection from each separate location as its own distinct offense, a person who scavenges recycling bins along multiple addresses on one route can be cited once for every address rather than a single citation.

This is one of the stricter rules in Tinley Park's municipal code. If you are unsure whether your situation complies, it is worth checking with the city before proceeding.

Dumpster Rules

Tinley Park requires a screened trash enclosure at every new building except single-family homes if the owner uses a dumpster instead of garbage cans. The enclosure needs walls on three sides matching the principal building's material and style, a gate of wood or vinyl (never chain link), and a maximum height of 6 feet. No dumpster or enclosure may sit in the front yard of any building, including attached and detached single-family units.

Key details: Enclosure required for: all new buildings except single-family homes. Screening: walled on 3 sides, hidden from street/neighbors. Max enclosure height: 6 feet. Gate material: wood or vinyl only, no chain link. Front yard placement: prohibited for any building or use.

Placing a dumpster or trash enclosure in a front yard, using chain-link gate material, or building an enclosure that does not match the principal structure's material and style violates § 155.07(C)(1) and the Code's general compliance requirement in § 155.07(A)(1)J. The Building Official can require the enclosure rebuilt or relocated, and continuing noncompliance carries the standard misdemeanor fine of up to $750 for each day the violation continues.

Bulk Item Disposal

Tinley Park collects landscape waste such as grass, leaves, and tree limbs weekly at the curb under § 96.15, on the same day as regular trash pickup, using the village-designated contractor. Refuse too large or heavy for a standard container, like construction debris, may be placed alongside it under § 96.07(A).

Key details: Landscape waste collection: Weekly curbside, same day as trash (§ 96.15). Required container: Village-approved 95-gallon green cart or bags. Oversized refuse: May sit alongside container if it can't scatter (§ 96.07(A)). No mixing: Landscape waste cannot go in landfill-bound refuse. Penalty: $25-$500 fine; scavenger license suspension possible.

Mixing landscape waste with refuse bound for landfill disposal, or collecting landscape waste without a village license, violates § 96.15 and is punishable under § 96.99 by a fine of $25 to $500 per offense, with each day of a continuing violation a separate offense. An unlicensed scavenger who violates § 96.15 also risks license suspension or revocation under § 96.15(D).

Yard Waste Collection

Tinley Park runs a mandatory curbside landscape waste program under Village Code § 96.15. Single-family homes must use the village-approved green 95-gallon wheeled cart or approved biodegradable bags, collected the same day as regular refuse. Only the village's designated hauler, or a licensed landscaper doing incidental yard cleanup, can collect it; anyone else needs a village scavenger license.

Key details: Governing section: Village Code § 96.15. Container: Green 95-gallon wheeled cart or biodegradable bags. Collector: Village-designated contractor or licensed landscaper only. Penalty: $25 to $500 per offense, § 96.99. Mixing rule: Cannot mix landscape waste with landfill refuse.

Violating Chapter 96's landscape waste rules, including illegal collection or improper mixing with refuse, carries a fine of not less than $25 nor more than $500 per offense under § 96.99, with each day a violation continues charged as a separate offense. A scavenger who breaks the packaging, licensing, or collection rules in § 96.15 also faces license suspension or revocation proceedings under the village code, independent of any court fine.

Illegal Dumping

Depositing garbage, refuse or other material on any street, alley, park, public way or private property in Tinley Park violates § 96.04, and any Chapter 96 violation, including illegal dumping, draws a fine of $25 to $500 per offense under § 96.99, with each day the material stays a separate offense.

Key details: Fine range: $25 to $500 per offense. Covers: Streets, alleys, parks, and private property. Continuing violation: Each day = separate offense. Related remedy: Village may seek injunctive relief.

Illegal dumping under § 96.04 is fined not less than $25 nor more than $500 for each offense under the chapter's general penalty, § 96.99, and the Village may also pursue injunctive relief to force abatement. Each day the dumped material remains counts as a separate, additional offense.

The Bottom Line

Tinley Park's trash & recycling rules are a mixed bag. Some areas are strict, others are relaxed, and the details matter. The best approach is to check the specific rule that applies to your situation rather than assuming Tinley Park is broadly strict or permissive.

All of the above reflects Tinley Park's municipal code as of our last review. If you need specifics on fines, exemptions, or filing requirements, the detailed ordinance pages linked above have the full breakdown.