Trash & Recycling in Joliet, IL (2026)
6 verified trash & recycling rules for Joliet, Illinois, sourced directly from the municipal code and official government pages.
Verified from official government sources
Bin Placement Rules
Joliet caps household garbage containers at 33 gallons of hard plastic or metal with a tight-fitting lid, bars set-out before 6:30 p.m. the evening before pickup, and confines placement to the alley behind the property or the curb if no alley exists. Empty containers must come back off the collection point within 10 hours.
Joliet Trash Cart Placement & Set-Out Times
Some RestrictionsJoliet, IL Code of Ordinances § 14-4(b)-(d)
(b)Size of containers: Each container used for the disposal of municipal waste shall have a maximum capacity of thirty-three (33) gallons.(c)Out of doors storage of municipal waste:(1)Any person placing garbage out of doors for storage shall place it only in containers made of hard plastic or metal with tight-fitting lids. Containers shall not be filled beyond the point where the top level of t...
Bulk Item Disposal
Joliet's curbside collection service does not have to pick up demolition or construction debris, junked vehicles, large household appliances, or anything too heavy for one person to lift into the truck. Residents must arrange private removal, typically through a city-licensed municipal waste collector.
Joliet Bulk & Construction Waste Exclusion
Some RestrictionsJoliet, IL Code of Ordinances § 14-4(d)(8)
(8)This section shall not be construed to obligate the city or the city's contractor to collect waste created by the demolition, remodeling or construction of any building or structure or any motor vehicles, large household appliances, concrete or other materials that cannot be lifted by and placed in a waste collection vehicle by one (1) person.
Recycling Requirements
Joliet's curbside recycling program is protected by City Code § 14-8: once recyclables are set out at a parkway, alley, or curbside spot, at a designated collection point, or at a city recycling center, only the city's authorized recycling contractor or city employees may pick them up. Taking them yourself is a separate offense.
Joliet Curbside Recycling Program Rules
Some RestrictionsJoliet City Code § 14-8
(a)No person, other than an authorized recycling contractor of the City of Joliet or authorized employees or agents of the city shall remove, collect, or pick up or cause to be removed, collected, or picked up any recyclable material that has been placed in a designated recycling collection location as part of a city sponsored recycling program or at a city designated recycling center. ... "Des...
Illegal Dumping
Joliet bans open dumping of municipal waste, abandoning or depositing waste on public highways or public property outside an approved sanitary landfill, and disposing of waste by open burning. Section 14-2 carries no listed fine, so it falls under the Code's general penalty of $150 to $750 per offense, with every day counted separately.
Joliet Open Dumping & Illegal Waste Disposal
Significant RestrictionsJoliet, IL Code of Ordinances § 14-2
Sec. 14-2. - Disposal. No person shall: (a)Cause or allow the open dumping of any municipal waste;(b)Abandon, dump or deposit any municipal waste upon public highways or any other public property, except in a sanitary landfill approved by the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency and in accordance with applicable law; or(c)Dispose of any municipal waste by open burning.
Yard Waste Collection
Joliet requires landscape waste to be kept separate from regular municipal waste under § 14-5, using a biodegradable container if it goes in a container at all. Tree and shrub limbs can only be set out cut to under four feet long and three inches in diameter, securely bundled, under § 14-4(d)(5).
Joliet Landscape Waste & Brush Rules
Some RestrictionsJoliet, IL Code of Ordinances §§ 14-4(d)(5), 14-5
(5)No person shall place limbs of trees or shrubs for collection, except when cut in lengths of less than four (4) feet and of a diameter of less than three (3) inches and securely tied in bundles. Sec. 14-5. - Landscape waste.(a)No person may knowingly mix landscape waste that is intended for collection or for disposal at a landfill with any other municipal waste.(b)No person may knowingly put...
Collection Schedule
The city manager sets Joliet's residential collection zones and time intervals under § 14-3, and collectors cannot service any residential district between 10:00 p.m. and 6:00 a.m. under § 14-54. As of January 1, 2026, the municipal waste fee is $0.99 per day ($29.70 monthly), reduced for residents 65 and older.
Joliet Trash Collection Zones & Hours
Some RestrictionsJoliet, IL Code of Ordinances § 14-3; § 14-54
(a)The city may, through its employees or by contract, provide for the municipal waste of any person who is eligible for collection service under rules and regulations promulgated by the city manager or as set forth in any contract for municipal waste collection service.(b)The city manager or his designee may divide the city into various collection zones and fix the time interval for collection...
Looking for Will County county-wide rules?
County ordinances apply to unincorporated areas and may supplement Joliet city rules.
Trash & Recycling in Will County →