Madison County, IL Trash & Recycling: Recycling Requirements (2026)
Key Facts
- Resident duty
- Separate recyclables or use a covered municipal/township program
- Minimum recyclables
- Newsprint, glass, plastic containers, aluminum and steel cans
- Hauler license fee
- $60 per vehicle annually, from June 1
- Hauler reporting
- Tonnage reports due July 31 and January 31
- Fine
- Up to $1,000 per violation
- State goal
- 25% recycling goal under written county agreement
Summary
Every occupant of a residential dwelling in Madison County must separate recyclables, at minimum newsprint, glass and plastic containers, and aluminum and steel cans, from garbage and store them separately, or take them to a recycling center, unless their municipality or township has its own written recycling agreement with the county under § 112.15.
(A) Each occupant of a residential dwelling unit in the county shall comply with one of the following: ... (3) Shall separate recyclable materials from all other refuse, garbage and municipal waste, and store these recyclables separately in containers designed for recycling. As an alternative, occupants of residential dwellings may separate recyclable materials and take them to an established recycling center. For the purposes of this division (A)(3), RECYCLING shall be defined as materials consisting of, at a minimum, newsprint, glass and plastic containers, and aluminum and steel cans.
Full Breakdown
15 gives residents three ways to comply: live in a municipality that has signed a written agreement with the county to meet the state's 25% recycling goal, live in an unincorporated township with the same kind of agreement, or personally separate recyclables and store them in dedicated containers, or haul them to a recycling center. 16 backs the resident rule with a licensing system for anyone who collects or hauls waste from Madison County residences: a hauler cannot dispose of residential waste unless recyclables have already been removed, must hold a county license running from June 1 each year, and pays a $60 per-vehicle registration fee to the Building and Zoning Department, though municipal and township-owned vehicles are exempt from the fee but not from licensing.
15 will be collected, and licensees must report tonnage of municipal waste and recyclables collected, by commodity, to the county every six months, by July 31 and January 31. The county can issue, deny, condition or suspend a hauler's license, with 15 days to request a hearing after a denial, suspension or revocation notice.
Violations & Fines
Violating Chapter 112, including failing to separate recyclables or hauling residential waste without recyclables removed, exposes a licensed hauler to a fine of up to $1,000 per violation under § 112.99, with a repeat offense risking license revocation for the rest of the term plus an extra year. Anyone caught scavenging materials residents have set out for collection also faces a fine up to $1,000, with each day a separate offense; the county can also issue a warning notice or seek injunctive relief under § 112.30.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do Madison County residents have to recycle?
Can my trash hauler pick up my recyclables mixed with garbage?
Does a waste hauler need a county license?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Madison County
Compare Madison County to another location·View the Illinois trash & recycling overview
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