Elkhart County, IN Trash & Recycling: Pickup Rules & Schedules (2026)

Under Elkhart County Code of Ordinances § 50.01, the Board of Commissioners dissolved the Elkhart County Solid Waste Management District effective December 31, 2020, ending the county's role as a district-wide collection authority. That means unincorporated Elkhart County has no assigned trash truck route, no set pickup day, and no county bin program: households and businesses contract directly with a private hauler of their choice, or haul their own waste to the Elkhart County Landfill at 59530 County Road 7, Elkhart.

Dissolving the district didn't erase its financial obligations. Section 50.02 directs the county to keep collecting, under I.C. 13-21-15-4, all fees the district used to collect, and to spend that money only on the services the district used to provide. Section 50.03 puts the former District Director in charge of overseeing that fee collection on the county's behalf, and § 50.04 assigns the same director to oversee the transfer of the district's assets and the payoff of its liabilities under I.C. 13-21-15-1.

Residents who choose the self-haul route answer to the Landfill Rules subchapter (§§ 50.15-50.16) instead: the landfill run by the Solid Waste Disposal Department is open Monday through Friday, 7:00 a.m. to 4:45 p.m., and Saturdays from 9:00 a.m. to 11:45 a.m. between April 1 and the third Saturday in November, and is closed New Year's Day, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve (half day), and Christmas Day. Loads must be covered in transit, and no vehicle may enter within 15 minutes of closing.