Waukegan, IL Trash & Recycling: Pickup Rules & Schedules (2026)

Sec. 10-5 of the Waukegan City Code governs when residential solid waste and recycling containers can sit at the curb. the evening before the scheduled collection day, and must pull them back in no later than the evening of collection day itself, unless the residential unit already has council-, public-works-director-, or designee-approved back door or alleyway pickup that removes the need for curb placement altogether. Outside that narrow collection window, subsection (b) requires the containers to be kept at the rear of the residence or otherwise out of public view; a resident who cannot manage that because of a physical disability can petition the director of public works for an exemption, which the director grants or denies at his or her sole discretion.

Subsection (c) adds a general nuisance backstop: no container may be placed or maintained so that it becomes a nuisance to the neighboring property or its occupants, giving code enforcement a hook even when the timing and storage rules are technically met. Because Sec. 10-5 does not carry its own dollar penalty, a violation falls under the Code's catch-all Sec. 00 per offense and treats every day the violation continues as a new, separate offense, so a garbage cart left at the curb all week can rack up daily citations rather than a single flat fine.