Trash & Recycling in Waukegan, IL (2026)
9 verified trash & recycling rules for Waukegan, Illinois, sourced directly from the municipal code and official government pages.
Verified from official government sources
Pickup Rules & Schedules
Waukegan residents cannot set garbage carts or recycling bins at the curb before 4:00 p.m. the evening ahead of their scheduled collection day, and containers have to come back off the curb by evening on pickup day itself. Between pickups, Sec. 10-5 requires carts to sit at the rear of the home or otherwise out of public view, with a disability exemption available through the public works director.
Waukegan Trash and Recycling Curb Timing
Some RestrictionsWaukegan City Code § 10-5(a)-(b)
The occupant or lessee of any residential unit shall place all solid waste and recyclable commodities, properly containerized or uncontainerized, pursuant to section 10-4, at the curb line of his/her residence for collection no earlier than 4:00 p.m. the evening preceding the designated day of collection, and remove such solid waste containers and recycling bins no later than the evening of suc...
Bin Placement Rules
Waukegan residents may not put solid waste containers or recycling bins at the curb before 4:00 p.m. the evening before pickup, and must pull them back in by the evening of collection day, under City Code § 10-5. Between pickups, carts must sit behind the residence or otherwise out of public view.
Waukegan Garbage Cart Set-Out Times
Some RestrictionsWaukegan, IL Code of Ordinances §§ 10-4, 10-5
Sec. 10-5. - Residential unit use of containers; time limitation on placement for pickup and removal from curb. (a)The occupant or lessee of any residential unit shall place all solid waste and recyclable commodities, properly containerized or uncontainerized, pursuant to section 10-4, at the curb line of his/her residence for collection no earlier than 4:00 p.m. the evening preceding the desig...
Bulk Item Disposal
Waukegan defines bulk item waste, oversized items like furniture, mattresses, appliances and tires that won't fit a standard cart, in City Code § 10-1. Normally these items can't be dumped on any street, alley or private premises, but § 10-3(a)(3) opens a citywide bulk clean-up window for the week after a natural disaster or other declared emergency.
Waukegan Bulk Item Waste Disposal Rules
Some RestrictionsWaukegan, IL Code of Ordinances §§ 10-1, 10-3(a)(3), 10-4(b)(4)
Bulk item waste means any large and oversized item of refuse which is not able to be adequately reduced to fit into a proper waste container, such as discarded furniture, fixtures, carpet, mattresses, and household appliances of all kinds, and which are not white goods. The definition of bulk item waste includes automobile tires. ... (a)(3)In the case of bulk item waste only, and only in the we...
Recycling Requirements
Waukegan supplies every residential unit with one 18-gallon recycling bin under Sec. 10-4(a), for use in the city's curbside program that collects plastic, glass, paper, and metal cans. Using the bin for those recyclable commodities is optional under the code's own wording, and extra bins cost $7.00 each from the city.
Waukegan Curbside Recycling Bin Rules
Light RestrictionsWaukegan City Code § 10-4(a), (b)(3); § 10-1
The city or its contractor shall provide each residential unit with one standard 65- or 95-gallon garbage and refuse container and one 18-gallon recycling bin. ... Recyclable commodities may be placed in 18-gallon recycling bin. Recyclable commodities means all plastic, glass, paper and metal cans (tins, bi-metal, and ferrous metal) collected by the city or its contractor in the city's curbside...
Illegal Dumping
Dumping, littering, or depositing any solid waste on Waukegan streets, alleys, sidewalks, beaches, public property, ravines, or private premises is banned outright under City Code § 10-3(a). Violators face $200.00 to $750.00 per offense, must pay for cleanup, and a court can add or substitute up to 48 hours of community service.
Waukegan Illegal Dumping Fines
Heavy RestrictionsWaukegan, IL Code of Ordinances § 10-3(a)-(c)
(a)No person shall dump, unload, deposit, litter, throw, place or leave any solid waste upon streets, alleys, sidewalks, beaches, public property, ravines, or private premises, except: ... (b)Any person who violates this section shall, for each violation hereunder:(1)Be fined not less than $200.00 nor more than $750.00 for each offense; and(2)Be responsible to promptly remove such waste and cle...
Yard Waste Collection
Waukegan requires landscape waste such as grass clippings, leaves and garden trimmings to go out in biodegradable Kraft bags or a marked 10- to 30-gallon container with a yard waste sticker. Tree branches and brush get bundled with biodegradable twine instead, capped at five feet long, 18 inches thick and 50 pounds per bundle, or the resident faces a fine.
Waukegan Yard Waste and Brush Bagging Rules
Some RestrictionsWaukegan City Code § 10-4(b)(2), (d)
Landscape waste must be contained in biodegradable Kraft bags; any ten to 30-gallon waste container marked by a yard waste sticker; or may be bundled with biodegradable string or twine if the waste consists of tree branches or brush. All bundled branches or brush must be no more than five feet long, 18 inches in diameter, and 50 pounds. ... Any person who violates any provision of this section ...
Dumpster Rules
Commercial buildings, industrial sites, and apartment structures of four units or more in Waukegan cannot use residential garbage carts; Sec. 10-7 requires them to keep an owner-maintained dumpster on a concrete or asphalt pad at least four inches thick, screened to the city's zoning code, and emptied daily so waste doesn't pile up on site.
Waukegan Commercial Dumpster Pad and Screening Rules
Some RestrictionsWaukegan City Code § 10-7(a)-(b)
All such waste materials as provided in subsection (a) above shall be placed in an approved garbage dumpster placed on the premises and maintained by the owner (legal or beneficial) of the premises. Such dumpster shall be placed at all times on an approved pad of a minimum four inches of portland cement concrete or four inches of full depth asphalt on a compacted base. Such dumpsters shall also...
Collection Schedule
Every Waukegan property owner, occupant or lessee must keep the premises free of accumulated solid waste and lawfully dispose of anything not properly containerized, under City Code § 10-2. Collection runs through permitted haulers, who must carry cleanup tools and recover any debris spilled during pickup under § 10-6.
Waukegan Mandatory Trash Removal Duty
Some RestrictionsWaukegan, IL Code of Ordinances §§ 10-2, 10-6
Sec. 10-2. - Removal required. The owner, occupant or lessee of any premises in the city shall lawfully remove from the premises or otherwise lawfully dispose of all uncontainerized solid waste, and shall keep the premises at all times, free and clear of any accumulation of solid waste, all as necessary to preserve and maintain such premises in a sanitary and healthful condition. ... Sec. 10-6....
Recycling Rules
Waukegan bans scavenging through any trash or recycling container and separately makes it a crime to take recyclables from a curbside bin or the public works recycling center without the owner's permission. Sec. 10-9 backs the ban with a fine of $50.00 to $150.00 plus four to 24 hours of mandatory work at the recycling center.
Waukegan Recycling Bin Scavenging Ban
Some RestrictionsWaukegan City Code § 10-9(a)-(c)
No person shall scavenge through private or public solid waste containers. For purposes of this section, scavenging means foraging or scrounging in waste containers. No person shall steal or take, without the owner's permission or right, any recyclable commodity from the recycling bin on the curb line of any residential unit or from the city recycling center at the public works department. Any ...
Looking for Lake County county-wide rules?
County ordinances apply to unincorporated areas and may supplement Waukegan city rules.
Trash & Recycling in Lake County →