Skokie, IL Trash & Recycling: Bulk Item Disposal (2026)

Section 86-17(a)(1) requires landscape waste collected by the Village or its contractor at residential sites to be placed in biodegradable paper bags, with limited exceptions elsewhere in the section. Subsection (a)(2) covers large brush: limbs must be cut to lengths no greater than 5 feet and no more than 3 inches in diameter, then bundled together with other landscape waste for collection, and no bag of landscape waste or bundle of brush, including branches and limbs, can weigh more than 50 pounds. Subsection (a)(3) gives residents a seasonal alternative for leaves specifically, allowing them to be pushed into the curb lane of the street during the Village's fall leaf collection instead of being bagged.

This landscape waste system sits apart from Section 86-18, which covers demolition, construction, renovation, and other non-garbage waste: any site with that kind of activity underway must have a construction dumpster or roll-off receptacle on site, removed within 14 days of completing the work, so bulkier construction and demolition debris does not go out with curbside brush or bagged landscape waste at all. Section 86-17(b) separately permits backyard composting of landscape waste and food scraps in an Approved Composting Bin in R1 and R2 single-family districts, subject to Skokie Health Department specifications and a minimum 5-foot setback from side yard lot lines, as an alternative to bagging yard waste for pickup.