Trash & Recycling in Kankakee County, IL (2026)
8 rules for unincorporated Kankakee County, Illinois.
Verified from official government sources
Pickup Rules & Schedules
In unincorporated Kankakee County, the occupant, tenant, owner, or agent of any building or lot is responsible for putting refuse into approved containers and getting it hauled away. The code sets a floor on how long trash can sit: refuse must be removed from any building or property not less than once every two weeks.
Trash Removal Frequency in Kankakee County
Some RestrictionsKankakee County Code § 46-26(b)
(b)The occupant, tenant, owner or his agent of any building or property shall be responsible for placing all refuse in containers, as prescribed in section 46-30 and for subsequent removal from such property. No person shall remove the covers from or open refuse containers, except as permitted in this chapter, or to place or disturb such containers such that their contents might be spilled or s...
Bin Placement Rules
Unincorporated Kankakee County requires every house, apartment, and small business to keep a rigid, corrosion-resistant refuse container holding 20 to 30 gallons, with tight lids and side handles. Plastic bags are allowed only for single-family and duplex homes, and only if stored out of sight until collection day, set out no earlier than close to the actual pickup time.
Refuse Container Rules in Kankakee County
Some RestrictionsKankakee County Code § 46-30(b), (d)
(b)Residential properties or small businesses. The occupant, tenant, owner or his agent of any house, building, apartment, or tenement where persons reside, board, lodge, or work shall provide and maintain in good repair approved containers for refuse storage and collection. ... one container of at least 20 gallons capacity shall be provided for any small business or for each two persons residi...
Bulk Item Disposal
Kankakee County requires every licensed waste hauler to file a recycling plan describing how bulky, landfill-banned items get handled. Under Section 46-120(c)(5), that plan must spell out what provisions, if any, the hauler offers for collecting or disposing of major appliances, scrap tires, waste oil, and landscape waste.
Bulky Waste Disposal Plans in Kankakee County
Some RestrictionsKankakee County Code § 46-120(c)(5)
(c)Recycling plan. Each applicant for license shall submit a recycling plan or plans to be offered to their residential customers to the solid waste and environmental division manager. ... (5)Provisions, if any, being offered for collection or disposal of items that may not be landfilled including: major appliances, scrap tires, waste oil, landscape waste, or other materials currently banned fr...
Recycling Requirements
Unlike municipalities in the county, unincorporated Kankakee County does not require curbside recycling for every home. Section 46-120(b)(2) requires a licensed hauler to provide recycling service to unincorporated residents and rental-property owners only upon request, covering at minimum the materials listed in Section 46-117.
Curbside Recycling Access in Kankakee County
Light RestrictionsKankakee County Code § 46-120(b)(2)
(2)Unincorporated residential services.a.Licensee shall provide recycling services to residents and owners of rental residential dwelling units, including single-family, two-family, and multifamily dwelling units, upon request, in unincorporated areas of the county.b.Nothing in this division shall preclude the county or a township located within the county from awarding a franchise agreement to...
Illegal Dumping
Dumping refuse on public or private property, or into any river, lake, or stream in unincorporated Kankakee County, is banned outright except at licensed disposal sites, in a proper container, during official cleanup days, or during an emergency. Violators face a class B misdemeanor, with each day of the violation a separate offense.
Illegal Dumping Penalties in Kankakee County
Heavy RestrictionsKankakee County Code §§ 46-25, 46-33
(a)Prohibited. ... No person shall dump, deposit, drop, throw, discard, leave, cause, or permit the dumping, depositing, dropping, throwing, discarding, or leaving of refuse upon any public or private property in the county, or upon or into any river, lake, pond, or other stream or body of water in the county unless:(1)The property has been designated as an authorized waste disposal site by the...
Dumpster Rules
Every construction site in unincorporated Kankakee County must keep a covered dumpster or container "sufficient in size to handle on-site debris" under Sec. 105-251, debris has to be cleaned up daily, and moving debris to another property instead of disposing of it is banned outright.
Kankakee County Construction Dumpster Rule
Some RestrictionsKankakee County Code Sec. 105-251
No construction debris shall be stored or in any way be allowed to remain at any location or property. Every construction site shall be required to have a garbage dumpster or other appropriate container sufficient in size to handle on-site debris. Every dumpster shall be sufficiently covered to prevent debris from blowing out and to prevent any unauthorized person from rummaging or contributing...
Collection Schedule
Kankakee County does not force unincorporated residents onto a single hauler. Section 46-119 encourages every household, business, industry, and institution in the county to use regularly scheduled garbage and recycling collection from a hauler licensed under Section 46-120, but service is arranged household by household, not mandated by the county.
Trash Collection Service in Kankakee County
Light RestrictionsKankakee County Code § 46-119(a)(1)
(a)Recycling.(1)Services. Each household in a residential dwelling unit, each business, each industry and each institution in the county is encouraged to use regularly scheduled garbage/recycling collection services to be provided by a hauler licensed to do business in the county.
Recycling Rules
It is unlawful in unincorporated Kankakee County for anyone without a county solid waste license to take, collect, or scavenge recyclables that residents have set out for a licensed collection program. Placing a donation-style recycling collection bin anywhere in the county also requires its own county permit.
Recycling Scavenging Ban in Kankakee County
Some RestrictionsKankakee County Code § 46-119(c), (d)
(c)Prohibitions. It shall be unlawful for any person not licensed by the county solid waste and environmental division under section 46-120 to take, collect, or scavenge any recyclable material set out for licensed collection programs within the county.(d)Recycling collection bins. It shall be unlawful to erect, place, maintain or operate any recycling collection bin without first obtaining a p...
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