Springfield, IL Trash & Recycling: Pickup Rules & Schedules (2026)
Key Facts
- Enforcing agency
- Office of Public Works
- Excess item fee
- Up to $2.50 per item/bag/receptacle
- Fee escalator
- +$0.25 every 5 years from Jan. 1, 2022
- Fallen garbage
- Hauler must retrieve spills from dumpster service
- Unauthorized fees
- Barred without written household agreement
Summary
Licensed refuse haulers in Springfield must pick up every regular bag, can, or receptacle a customer sets out on the assigned collection day, plus any garbage that falls to the ground while a dumpster is emptied. Excess items outside normal service can carry a per-item fee.
(e)The licensed refuse hauler must pick up any garbage that has fallen on the ground as a result of emptying the dumpster. ... (g)Each licensed refuse hauler shall pick up all solid waste and bags or waste receptacles containing solid waste on the day such refuse is regularly placed for collection by the customer. Each licensed refuse hauler shall also pick up any excess bags, waste receptacles, and individual items not included in the customer's regular service. The hauler may charge the customer up to $2.50 per item, bag, or receptacle for excess solid waste picked up. This rate shall be increased by $.25 beginning January 1, 2022 and every five-year period thereafter.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 82).
Full Breakdown
Under Springfield City Code Sec. 04, a licensed refuse hauler must pick up any garbage that has fallen on the ground while emptying a dumpster, and must pick up all solid waste and every bag or waste receptacle a customer places out on the day refuse is regularly collected. 25 beginning January 1, 2022 and every five years after. Where refuse-disposal screening exists, haulers must relocate the dumpster inside the screened area and close and secure the gate after collection when practicable. Recycling haulers may reject an item placed in a bin that has not been rinsed or still holds food residue, but must tag the bin with a notice explaining why.
03(d) caps what haulers can bill: the fees in Chapter 105 are the maximum a licensed hauler may charge for yard waste disposal, refuse hauling, and recycling service, and no other charge, including truck-washing or fuel-surcharge fees, is authorized unless an individual household separately agrees to it in writing. All refuse haulers must be licensed by the city (or hold an accepted Sangamon County license) and report their routes to the office of public works.
Violations & Fines
Chapter 105 does not set a stand-alone fine schedule for missed pickups under Section 105.04 itself; enforcement runs through the office of public works, which can require compliance and revoke or decline to renew a hauler's Chapter 110 license for failing to meet these collection obligations. Unauthorized added fees are barred outright unless a household has agreed to them in writing.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does my hauler have to pick up extra bags I leave out?
Can my hauler add a fuel surcharge or truck-washing fee?
What if my hauler spills garbage while emptying the dumpster?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Springfield
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