Rock Island County, IL Trash & Recycling: Bin Placement Rules (2026)

05 requires containers at every building or property that generates or stores refuse, and division (A) sets the residential and small-business standard: rigid, corrosion-resistant, metal or plastic containers that are leakproof and fly-proof with tight-fitting lids and side handles, sized at least 20 gallons for a small business or for each two people living on the premises, and capped at 30 gallons for hand-emptied cans. Division (B) governs the plastic-bag alternative, which the code restricts tightly: bags may be used only if the sealed, bagged refuse is kept in a fly-proof or vermin-proof spot such as a shed, garage, other outbuilding, or inside the dwelling until collection, and once out, bags must be tied and placed outdoors only on the date of collection, as close to pickup time as practical, not days in advance.

That bag option is further limited to single-family dwellings and duplex apartments; larger buildings cannot rely on bags at all. Division (C) requires apartment buildings or larger businesses needing eight or more 20-gallon containers to instead use one-cubic-yard or larger containers that are stable, hinge-lidded or sliding-door equipped, built for mechanical dumping, durable, and leakproof. Division (D) requires all containers to be kept clean and covered except when refuse is actually being deposited or collected, and cleaned as often as needed to avoid vermin and odors.