Trash & Recycling in Madison County, IL (2026)
4 rules for unincorporated Madison County, Illinois.
Verified from official government sources
Pickup Rules & Schedules
In unincorporated Madison County, no company may collect or haul garbage, recyclables or refuse without a county hauler license, and no hauler may dump residential waste unless recyclables have already been removed. Licenses run one year from June 1, cost $60 per vehicle, and require a material separation plan filed with the Building and Zoning Department before the county will issue or renew one.
Trash Hauler Licensing in Madison County, IL
Significant RestrictionsMadison County Code § 112.16
No person shall knowingly dispose of waste, collected from residential dwelling units in the county, without recyclables first being removed. ... No person or company shall engage in the business of collecting or hauling garbage, municipal waste, recyclables or other refuse from sites within the county, or to a disposal site within the county, without first procuring a license to do so from the...
Recycling Requirements
Every occupant of a residential dwelling in Madison County must separate recyclables, at minimum newsprint, glass and plastic containers, and aluminum and steel cans, from garbage and store them separately, or take them to a recycling center, unless their municipality or township has its own written recycling agreement with the county under § 112.15.
Madison County Residential Recycling Separation Rule
Some RestrictionsMadison County Code § 112.15(A)
(A) Each occupant of a residential dwelling unit in the county shall comply with one of the following: ... (3) Shall separate recyclable materials from all other refuse, garbage and municipal waste, and store these recyclables separately in containers designed for recycling. As an alternative, occupants of residential dwellings may separate recyclable materials and take them to an establish...
Illegal Dumping
Madison County bans dumping bottles, ashes, paper, cans, rubbish, garbage, or any other trash on county-owned property, Mass Transit District property, or in a county or transit vehicle, unless it goes into a receptacle provided for that purpose. Section 56.07 of the Transportation Regulations chapter carries a fine of up to $500 per offense.
Illegal Dumping on County Property Banned
Some RestrictionsMadison County Code § 56.07
No person shall have brought in, dump, deposit, throw or leave any bottles, broken glass, ashes, paper, boxes, cans, dirt, rubbish, waste, garbage or refuse or other trash in or on any county, Transit District or any other transportation entity motor vehicle or upon any county, Transit District or any other transportation entity property, except in receptacles provided for that purpose.
Recycling Rules
Every household in unincorporated Madison County must separate recyclables such as newsprint, glass and plastic containers, and aluminum and steel cans from its regular trash, unless the municipality or township already has a written agreement with the county to meet the state's 25% recycling goal itself. Residents may sort at home or haul recyclables to a recycling center themselves.
Residential Recycling Rules in Madison County, IL
Some RestrictionsMadison County Code § 112.15
Each occupant of a residential dwelling unit in the county shall comply with one of the following: ... Shall separate recyclable materials from all other refuse, garbage and municipal waste, and store these recyclables separately in containers designed for recycling. As an alternative, occupants of residential dwellings may separate recyclable materials and take them to an established recycling...
All Madison County ordinances
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