Lake County, IL Trash & Recycling: Recycling Requirements (2026)
Key Facts
- Single-family recycling frequency
- At least once every 2 weeks
- Cart sizes encouraged
- 35, 65 or 95 gallon carts
- Recycling info to customers
- At least once every other year
- Commercial recycling offer
- Written offer at least every 2 years
- Fine for noncompliance
- Up to $500 per day
- 2nd violation penalty
- 14-day license suspension
- Appeal window
- 15 calendar days to request a hearing
Summary
Every hauler operating in unincorporated Lake County must provide curbside recycling collection to single-family homes at least once every two weeks as part of basic service, and must offer it to multifamily, commercial and institutional customers, under Lake County Code § 50.02(A). Haulers face fines up to $500 a day for skipping the requirement.
(A) Recyclable material collection offered or required. Each hauler operating within the county shall be required to offer, either as part of basic service or alternately as an additional service, the collection of recyclable materials from any multifamily home, commercial business or institutional facility within the county and shall be required to provide the collection of recyclable materials, as part of basic service, from any single-family home, at least once every two weeks. Haulers are encouraged to provide residents of single-family homes with larger containers (35, 65 or 95 gallon carts) for collecting recyclable materials. Haulers shall provide information on how and what materials to recycle as least once every other year to customers with recycling service.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: 2026 S-15: Supplement contains: Local legislation current through Ord. 26-0618, passed 6-9-2026 | State legislation current through ILCS Pamphlet 2025 #5).
Full Breakdown
" Haulers are encouraged, though not required, to give single-family customers larger 35, 65 or 95 gallon recycling carts, and must send customers recycling instructions at least once every other year. Any commercial account that is not already recycling must get a written offer of recycling service from its hauler at least once during the contract term, or once every two years absent a contract, and that offer must ask the business to respond in writing. 02(B) lets each municipality separately license, franchise or otherwise regulate recyclable collection within its own boundaries so residents there can recycle curbside.
02(D). 02(E); customers under a township or county aggregated franchise agreement are exempt from that volume-pricing requirement. 01 to include ferrous metal cans, aluminum containers, glass, HDPE and PET plastics #3 through #7, newsprint, corrugated paper, junk mail, magazines, office paper and boxboard.
Violations & Fines
A hauler that fails to provide the required recycling collection or volume-based pricing under § 50.02 is subject to a fine of up to $500 for each day the violation continues, under § 50.99(B)(1)(a). A licensed hauler's second violation of § 50.02 triggers an automatic 14-day suspension of its county collection license, and a third violation within 12 months of the first results in revocation of the license for one full year, per § 50.99(B)(1)(b). The county may also sue for an injunction to stop a noncompliant hauler under § 50.99(B)(1)(c), and a licensee can appeal a suspension or revocation by requesting a hearing within 15 calendar days under § 50.05(A)(2).
Frequently Asked Questions
How often must my hauler pick up recycling in Lake County?
Is my hauler required to give me a recycling cart?
Can my hauler landfill my recycling instead of selling it?
What happens if a hauler skips required recycling service?
Do I own my recycling once I set it at the curb?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Lake County
Compare Lake County to another location·View the Illinois trash & recycling overview
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