Trash & Recycling in Illinois (2026)

In unincorporated Madison County, no company may collect or haul garbage, recyclables or refuse without a county hauler…

Naperville can award one exclusive hauler the sole right to collect residential trash, recycling, and yard waste…

Only recycling contractors approved by Peoria's director of public works may collect recyclables set out for pickup…

Chicago limits when you can set carts at the curb: evening before pickup day, off by that evening.

Private scavengers collecting garbage in Cicero cannot begin pickup before 6:00 a.m. on any property used for…

Trash and recycling collection in unincorporated Cook County is provided by private haulers contracted by residents or…

Elgin bans leaving a refuse cart, recycling cart or any solid waste visible from the street except during a narrow…

Kane County bans setting trash or recyclables out for collection more than 24 hours before the scheduled pickup time…

In unincorporated Kankakee County, the occupant, tenant, owner, or agent of any building or lot is responsible for…

Lake County requires every licensed hauler to collect recyclables from single-family homes at least every two weeks, as…

Unincorporated Macon County residents must keep watertight, tight-lidded refuse containers sized for one-person…

Unincorporated McHenry County bans unauthorized pickup of trash or recyclables you have set out for your licensed…

Oak Lawn lets you put containers out only between 5:00 p.m. the day before pickup and 9:00 p.m. on pickup day…

Oak Park requires residential properties with five units or fewer to store garbage in a Village mobile cart or a metal…

Anyone hauling refuse within unincorporated Rock Island County must use a closed or covered container or a hauling…

Unincorporated Sangamon County requires garbage and refuse to go into specific approved containers - sized watertight…

Schaumburg residents must have residential waste and recyclables at the curb by 7:00 a.m. on collection day, and cannot…

Skokie residents serviced by Village crews may not set containers or bags at the curb before 6:00 p.m. the day before…

Licensed refuse haulers in Springfield must pick up every regular bag, can, or receptacle a customer sets out on the…

Tazewell County requires garbage collection vehicles serving the unincorporated county to be covered and controlled so…

Village Code § 96.09(A) makes it unlawful for any garbage disposal contractor or scavenger service to collect garbage…

Waukegan residents cannot set garbage carts or recycling bins at the curb before 4:00 p.m. the evening ahead of their…

Single-family and two-family homes in Champaign may only put trash containers at the curb starting at 3:00 p.m. the day…

Arlington Heights, Illinois requires refuse containers to sit in side or rear yards, entirely within the lot line…

Curbside garbage, recycling, and trash containers can only go out after 7 p.m. the evening before pickup and must be…

Bolingbrook residents may not store garbage carts in view of the street except within a compatible, earth-tone Toter…

Champaign bars single- and two-family households from leaving trash containers at the curb outside a set window…

Carts go at the alley lot line for pickup, or curbside only from the evening before collection through collection-day…

Cicero requires every house, flat or apartment to keep a watertight garbage vessel of at least 110 gallons, built of…

In unincorporated Cook County, garbage and waste containers must be fly-tight, durable metal or hard plastic with a…

In unincorporated DuPage County's R-1 single-family residence district, outdoor trash containers serving any…

Elgin residents must wheel refuse and recycling carts to the tree bank or parkway no earlier than 5:00 p.m. the evening…

Evanston sets exact curb hours for trash carts, out no earlier than 6 p.m. the night before pickup, off the curb by 7…

Joliet caps household garbage containers at 33 gallons of hard plastic or metal with a tight-fitting lid, bars set-out…

In unincorporated Kane County, garbage may not be set out for collection more than 24 hours before pickup, containers…

Unincorporated Kankakee County requires every house, apartment, and small business to keep a rigid, corrosion-resistant…

Unincorporated McHenry County makes the occupant, not the hauler, responsible for a garbage or recycling cart's…

Naperville's property maintenance code exempts single-family and duplex homes from screening trash containers from…

Oak Lawn requires refuse containers to sit in the side or rear yard, at least ten feet from any neighboring building's…

Oak Park residential properties must set out garbage, recycling and yard waste containers close to the alley, no more…

Peoria requires residents to set garbage carts at least three feet from the property line, never in the front yard or…

Peoria County bars outdoor storage of refuse containers inside a required road setback, but carves out a specific…

Every house, apartment, or small business in unincorporated Rock Island County must keep an approved refuse container…

Rockford requires garbage containers to stay out of view from the street except on collection day, and refuse can only…

Schaumburg tells residents exactly when and where trash and recycling carts can sit outside. Section 96.07 requires…

Skokie bars residents from putting waste or recycling carts at the curb before 6:00 p.m. the day before pickup, and…

Springfield requires garbage and rubbish carts to sit on the owner's premises at ground level, at the alley if the lot…

The county Property Maintenance Code requires every dwelling to have approved, leakproof, covered garbage containers…

Tinley Park requires garbage containers to sit behind or alongside a home's principal or accessory building, out of…

Waukegan residents may not put solid waste containers or recycling bins at the curb before 4:00 p.m. the evening before…

Winnebago County requires garbage to be kept in a metal or plastic container with a fitted cover and hauled away at…

Arlington Heights, Illinois residents may set large items like furniture and white goods at the curb for collection…

Aurora requires a city-issued sticker on every bulk item, furniture, appliances, and similar large discards, set out…

Bulk trash containers in Bolingbrook must stay clean, tight-lidded and hold only one-way bagged refuse under Sec. 42-5…

Bulk item disposal in unincorporated Cook County is handled through private waste haulers. Large items may require…

Elgin requires a purchased disposal sticker on every bulk item, from mattresses and sofas to pianos and box springs…

Joliet's curbside collection service does not have to pick up demolition or construction debris, junked vehicles, large…

Kane County runs permanent Recycling Centers and periodic Recycling Extravaganza events where residents drop off…

Kankakee County requires every licensed waste hauler to file a recycling plan describing how bulky, landfill-banned…

Unincorporated Macon County residents get three large-item pickups a year through their licensed hauler under §…

Oak Lawn lets residents set out one bulk item free each week, furniture, appliances, or bundled construction debris…

Oak Park limits bulk item pickup to one item per week and charges eight dollars, covered by two refuse stickers. Brush…

Rockford residents must call the city's designated waste contractor before setting out bulk items like furniture or…

Large items and brush have to be bundled or capped in volume before Schaumburg's collector will take them curbside…

Skokie requires landscape waste to go out in biodegradable paper bags under Skokie Village Code § 86-17(a), with large…

Large items that don't fit regular garbage pickup go through Springfield's utility-billed large item program: call your…

There's no county bulk-pickup program. Large items and construction debris must be hauled to a permitted landfill or…

Tinley Park collects landscape waste such as grass, leaves, and tree limbs weekly at the curb under § 96.15, on the…

Waukegan defines bulk item waste, oversized items like furniture, mattresses, appliances and tires that won't fit a…

Illinois requires every county to develop and maintain a solid waste management plan with recycling provisions, and…

Owners of multi-family buildings in Arlington Heights, Illinois (Cook County) must offer recycling service to every…

Aurora runs its curbside recycling program through city-owned bins placed at each residence; city code makes it…

Bolingbrook operates a village-wide curbside recycling program under § 42-9, run through the village's contract waste…

Every commercial hauler serving a Champaign home with four or fewer dwelling units must provide weekly…

Illinois requires Champaign County to keep an adopted Solid Waste Management Plan emphasizing recycling. Recycling is…

City code mandates regular recycling service for all low-density households, with curbside collection as the preferred…

The Town of Cicero requires residents of buildings with four units or fewer to place recyclables in a distinctively…

The Cook County Solid Waste and Recycling Ordinance establishes a framework to increase recycling rates. The county…

New or expanded multi-family and commercial buildings in unincorporated DuPage County must set aside dedicated, marked…

Every Elgin single-family and multifamily curbside stop must sort solid waste into the city's grey refuse cart and blue…

Evanston requires recyclables, paper, cartons, glass, aluminum, steel, and plastics coded 1-5 and 7, to be cleaned and…

Joliet's curbside recycling program is protected by City Code § 14-8: once recyclables are set out at a parkway, alley…

Every household in unincorporated Kane County must separate recyclables from other trash and store them in containers…

Every hauler operating in unincorporated Lake County must provide curbside recycling collection to single-family homes…

Every occupant of a residential dwelling in Madison County must separate recyclables, at minimum newsprint, glass and…

Unincorporated McHenry County requires every occupant to separate mandated recyclable materials, aluminum and steel…

Naperville requires weekly curbside recycling collection under its exclusive hauler contract, with residents setting…

Owners of multi-family buildings in Oak Lawn that skip curbside pickup must keep an on-site recycling area with bins…

Oak Park residents in buildings of five units or fewer must recycle through the Village's official blue containers or…

Anyone running a curbside recycling program in Peoria needs written approval from the director of public works, a valid…

Illinois's Solid Waste Planning and Recycling Act forced Peoria County, population over 179,000, to file a municipal…

Sangamon County runs a voluntary curbside recycling program for unincorporated residential dwellings, accepting cans…

Schaumburg requires every resident and refuse generator to recycle under Village Code § 96.09(A), with curbside…

Skokie runs a Village-wide recycling program approved by the Mayor and Board of Trustees on March 5, 1990, under Skokie…

Springfield's curbside program accepts only specific plastics, glass, cans, and dry paper in an 18.5-gallon city bin…

Tinley Park runs a mandatory recyclable material program for every single-family detached home under § 96.12, with…

Unlike municipalities in the county, unincorporated Kankakee County does not require curbside recycling for every home…

Waukegan supplies every residential unit with one 18-gallon recycling bin under Sec. 10-4(a), for use in the city's…

Kane County does not force businesses to compost, but it forces their trash hauler to ask: Code Sec. 11-112(B)(3)…

Chicago does not require residents to separate food scraps; home composting is voluntary and permit-exempt under city…

Evanston does not mandate food-scrap or yard-waste separation. Code § 8-4-5 only 'encourages' property owners to use…

Oak Park offers back door collection, meaning pickup at the house itself rather than the alley or street curb, as an…

In Arlington Heights, Illinois (Cook County), Section 19-111 flatly bans burning, dumping or burying solid waste…

Dumping refuse, garbage, rubbish, or yard waste on any public street, alley, or on someone else's property is banned…

It's illegal in Champaign to dump or deposit refuse on someone else's property, in their trash cans, or on any City…

Dumping waste on the public way or private lots without a permit draws fines starting at $1,500 and scaling with volume…

Dumping garbage, rubbish, trash or refuse on someone else's property without consent is a class B misdemeanor in…

Cook County Code § 30-778 makes open dumping of waste and abandoning waste on public property a public nuisance across…

Elgin bans dumping solid waste, junk, or litter on any public or private property, or into the Fox River, lakes, ponds…

Dumping refuse on public or private property, or into any river, lake, or stream in unincorporated Kankakee County, is…

Dumping garbage, trash, debris, landscape waste or brush on any Oak Lawn property without the owner's consent carries a…

Dumping litter anywhere in Peoria except a public landfill is a straight violation of City Code Section 13-41, carrying…

Dumping garbage, trash or refuse anywhere in Peoria County that isn't an approved disposal site is against the law…

Springfield bans dumping litter on any public or private property, or city-owned land, under § 170.17.42 of the Litter…

Dumping, littering, or depositing any solid waste on Waukegan streets, alleys, sidewalks, beaches, public property…

Winnebago County bans dumping garbage, filth, offal or rotting refuse on any unincorporated property, and bans placing…

Open dumping of waste anywhere in unincorporated DuPage County is a misdemeanor carrying a fine of $500 to $1,000 per…

Joliet bans open dumping of municipal waste, abandoning or depositing waste on public highways or public property…

Dumping garbage, refuse, or rubbish in a public place in unincorporated Lake County, or entering another's property to…

Rock Island County bans dumping refuse on any public or private property, or into any river, lake, pond, or stream, in…

Dumping refuse anywhere in Schaumburg outside an approved container or disposal site is a declared nuisance under…

Dumping garbage, rubbish, trash or refuse on real property you don't own without consent is a Class B misdemeanor in…

Bolingbrook declares improper waste storage a specific nuisance under Sec. 42-3: junk piled more than two weeks, or…

Champaign County's Public Nuisance Ordinance bans dumping or accumulating garbage or debris on public or private land…

Evanston bans depositing litter or waste on any private or public property in the city, including vacant lots and…

Open dumping of any waste is prohibited statewide under the Illinois Environmental Protection Act (415 ILCS 5/21), and…

In unincorporated Kendall County it is unlawful to dump any refuse on public or private land unless the site holds an…

Unincorporated Macon County bans storing, dumping or discharging refuse on any property that isn't a licensed refuse…

Madison County bans dumping bottles, ashes, paper, cans, rubbish, garbage, or any other trash on county-owned property…

Dumping litter or waste on public or private property is prohibited. Crystal Lake bars depositing litter on any private…

Naperville makes it unlawful to dump refuse, grass, leaves, branches, garbage or hazardous materials in any street or…

Oak Park bans dumping litter anywhere in the Village except in an authorized receptacle, covering streets, alleys…

Rockford bans dumping litter on public or private property, carrying a minimum $100 fine plus mandatory public service…

The Village of Skokie, Cook County, Illinois, bans depositing or abandoning waste materials in any street, alley or…

Dumping litter, garbage, or debris on public or private property is illegal under Illinois' Litter Control Act - a…

Tazewell County declares litter on real property a public nuisance and bans property owners and tenants from letting it…

Depositing garbage, refuse or other material on any street, alley, park, public way or private property in Tinley Park…

DuPage County Code Sections 30-17 and 30-26 (Chapter 30, Solid Waste Management) prohibit the open burning of garbage…

Unincorporated Winnebago County allows open burning of dry landscape waste only on specific spring and fall weekends…

Arlington Heights, Illinois defines landscape waste as grass, shrubbery cuttings, leaves, and tree limbs under six…

Aurora defines yard waste as grass clippings, leaves, and small tree limbs under four inches across, while trees, large…

Bolingbrook requires landscape waste to go out in biodegradable paper bags or tied bundles, never loose or mixed with…

Champaign defines "landscape waste" as grass, shrubbery, leaf and tree-limb cuttings from lawn care, bans dumping…

In unincorporated Champaign County, letting yardwaste, brush or cut timber pile up outside a licensed facility is a…

Cook County lets residents burn landscape waste on-site only under strict conditions, not as a general disposal option.

Elgin picks up grass clippings, brush and leaves as 'landscape waste' only when bagged or bundled correctly and marked…

Evanston residents may set out yard waste in City roll-out carts, 30-gallon Kraft paper bags, or tied bundles: branches…

Joliet requires landscape waste to be kept separate from regular municipal waste under § 14-5, using a biodegradable…

Kane County bans letting yard waste sit more than seven days after it is generated on unincorporated property. The rule…

Unincorporated Kendall County has no curbside yard-waste collection ordinance; instead, Kendall County Code § 18-22…

Unincorporated Lake County runs no municipal yard-waste trucks: landscape waste, brush, leaves and grass clippings are…

Naperville collects residential landscape waste weekly from March 15 through December 15, requiring bagged, bundled, or…

The Village collects landscape waste April through mid-December on regular refuse day, with brush bundles capped at 60…

Oak Park residents must bag grass clippings, small brush, and trimmings in thirty-gallon yard waste bags or a labeled…

Rockford requires yard waste, leaves, grass clippings, tree limbs, and garden refuse, to go out in 30-gallon two-ply…

Schaumburg bans loose landscape waste at the curb: leaves, grass and weeds must go in village-approved biodegradable…

Skokie requires residential landscape waste to go out in biodegradable paper bags, limits brush bundles to 5-foot…

Springfield requires yard waste to go out in stickered paper bags or receptacles containing yard waste only; haulers…

Tinley Park runs a mandatory curbside landscape waste program under Village Code § 96.15. Single-family homes must use…

Waukegan requires landscape waste such as grass clippings, leaves and garden trimmings to go out in biodegradable Kraft…

Cicero does not run its own yard-waste trucks. Section 78-78 authorizes the town to contract with private waste haulers…

Placing a dumpster or roll-off box on a Chicago street or sidewalk requires a Department of Transportation permit…

Cicero requires a permit-linked dumpster for any building permit project, surrounded by lighted safety barricades, set…

Putting a dumpster on a Rockford street, alley, downtown mall or city lot requires a daily parking permit from the…

Commercial and multi-family properties in Arlington Heights, Illinois, cannot just drop a dumpster anywhere on site…

Aurora requires screened, setback dumpsters for every multifamily property over eight units and all commercial or…

Bolingbrook requires commercial and construction site refuse to sit in containers built for the job: business waste…

Champaign keeps dumpsters off the public right-of-way unless the operator holds a Chapter 30, Article XIV permit or…

In unincorporated Cook County, commercial dumpster and waste containers must sit on a paved, well-drained surface, use…

DuPage County requires new or expanded multi-family and commercial/industrial developments in unincorporated areas to…

In Elgin's Multiple-Family Residence, Community Facility, business and industrial zoning districts, a commercial…

Evanston requires business and multifamily dumpsters to display the property's name and address, locks them downtown…

Every construction site in unincorporated Kankakee County must keep a covered dumpster or container "sufficient in size…

In unincorporated Kendall County, every new construction site in a residential, business, or manufacturing district…

Multi-family developments in unincorporated Lake County must set aside adequate space for recycling dumpsters and bins…

Commercial and industrial properties in unincorporated McHenry County must fully enclose refuse dumpsters on three…

Naperville requires every commercial waste and grease dumpster to sit inside a screened, six-foot enclosure with a…

Roll-off dumpsters must sit on private property in Oak Lawn; only a Public Works hardship exception allows street or…

Buildings with more than five dwelling units, and other non-residential structures, must use garbage containers sized…

Anyone who places a dumpster or portable storage unit in a Peoria public right-of-way, or who contracts to do so, needs…

In unincorporated Rock Island County, apartment buildings and larger businesses generating eight or more 20-gallon…

Schaumburg requires every multifamily, business and manufacturing dumpster to sit inside a screened refuse enclosure…

Skokie requires a construction dumpster or roll-off receptacle at every demolition, construction or renovation site…

Springfield's fire code sets a hard clearance for big dumpsters: Sec. 94.61 bars any commercial dumpster or waste…

Tinley Park requires a screened trash enclosure at every new building except single-family homes if the owner uses a…

Commercial buildings, industrial sites, and apartment structures of four units or more in Waukegan cannot use…

Will County's Building Code requires construction dumpsters on unincorporated job sites to be placed before framing…

Any refuse or recycling dumpster serving a commercial, industrial or multi-family site in unincorporated Winnebago…

For two-family, multi-family and mobile-home-park properties in Kane County, the county's recycling ordinance sets a…

Oak Park requires every residential property with five units or fewer to use the Village's own garbage, refuse and…

Single-family homes, attached residences and two-to-four family buildings in Peoria must use curbside and alley pickup…

Arlington Heights, Illinois restricts residential solid waste pickup to 7:00 a.m. through 6:00 p.m. under Section…

City-contracted crews collect curbside from single-family and small residential buildings citywide; larger apartment…

Every Bolingbrook business must keep covered, waterproof waste containers and clear garbage within seven days under…

Champaign requires every property owner, agent and occupant to empty litter receptacles at least once a week, and…

Chicago is the exclusive refuse collector for single homes and buildings with four or fewer units, billed $9.50 per…

Every Cicero residence or apartment building of four units or fewer must use the town's contracted waste hauler and pay…

Elgin provides curbside garbage and recycling pickup on a weekly basis to every single-family and multifamily stop…

Evanston's Public Works Department collects municipal solid waste once a week from single-family homes and multi-family…

The city manager sets Joliet's residential collection zones and time intervals under § 14-3, and collectors cannot…

Licensed haulers in Lake County must collect recyclables from single-family homes at least once every two weeks as part…

Unincorporated Macon County requires every occupied dwelling to subscribe to regular refuse collection, with a monthly…

McHenry County does not mandate a subscription or a fixed pickup day, but it does regulate the haulers who serve…

Naperville requires weekly residential waste and recycling pickup under Municipal Code Section 4-2-3, with collection…

Oak Lawn provides weekly curbside collection of garbage, recycling and landscape waste for every residential account…

In unincorporated Rock Island County, refuse cannot pile up on any building or lot except licensed junk or salvage…

Rockford requires the city or its contractor to collect residential refuse at least once a week, and participation is…

Schaumburg requires every residential property to have its waste collected at least once every seven days, and every…

In the Village of Skokie, Cook County, Illinois, residential and commercial waste pickup can only happen between 7:00…

Springfield fixes garbage and rubbish collection to 6 a.m.-6 p.m. Monday through Saturday for homes, with different…

Single-family homes in Tinley Park must use the village-designated garbage disposal contractor for refuse, recycling…

Every Waukegan property owner, occupant or lessee must keep the premises free of accumulated solid waste and lawfully…

Every unincorporated Winnebago County household must dispose of its garbage in an approved metal or plastic container…

Kankakee County does not force unincorporated residents onto a single hauler. Section 46-119 encourages every…

Owners of Champaign buildings with five or more dwelling units, plus dormitories and rooming houses, must join the…

Once a Tinley Park household sets recyclables at the curb for collection, § 96.13 keeps them the property of the…

Chicago requires source-separated recycling citywide: residents, tenants and building owners must sort recyclables into…

Residents of Cicero homes and buildings of four units or fewer must bag recyclables, at minimum newspaper, PET and HDPE…

Cook County requires demolition permit holders countywide, outside Chicago, to divert at least 70% of debris by weight…

Elgin's blue recycling cart is for recyclables only, and picking through anyone's recycling cart without a city…

In unincorporated Kane County, any company running two or more trucks to collect garbage, recyclables or other refuse…

It is unlawful in unincorporated Kankakee County for anyone without a county solid waste license to take, collect, or…

Every hauler operating in Lake County must offer recyclable-material collection at least every two weeks to…

Every household in unincorporated Madison County must separate recyclables such as newsprint, glass and plastic…

Owners of multi-family buildings in unincorporated McHenry County must file a written Recycling Plan with the…

Commercial recycling collection stations in unincorporated McLean County can't exceed 1,000 square feet without extra…

Condo and apartment buildings that skip Village curbside pickup must keep an on-site recycling area for paper and…

Oak Park residents may only recycle through the Village's own program: official recycling boxes, designated drop-off…

Taking recyclables someone else set out for collection is unlawful in Peoria unless you are the city-authorized…

Event facilities in Schaumburg, permanent venues like sports arenas or convention centers, must comply with the entire…

Skokie Village Code § 86-2 defines recyclable materials as anything collected under the Village recycling program, and…

Springfield requires recyclables to go in an approved receptacle; leaving material out without one violates City Code…

Tazewell County requires any commercial hauler collecting recyclable material in the unincorporated county to hold a…

Waukegan bans scavenging through any trash or recycling container and separately makes it a crime to take recyclables…

Unincorporated Macon County's Solid Waste chapter defines recyclables as source-separated or commingled paper, glass…