McHenry County, IL Trash & Recycling: Recycling Rules (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing code
- McHenry County Code § 8.44.050
- Plan filing deadline
- 6 months after ordinance adoption
- Tenant notice
- Within 30 days of move-in, annually after
- Plan updates due
- Within 15 calendar days of change
- Container duty
- Licensed hauler maintains common bins
- Fine
- $25 to $100 per violation
Summary
Owners of multi-family buildings in unincorporated McHenry County must file a written Recycling Plan with the Department and keep educating tenants on recycling under Code § 8.44.050. Communal recycling containers must be as convenient as the trash bins, and the licensed hauler maintains them.
A. RESPONSIBILITIES. 1. A multi-family dwelling owner or the owner's representative is responsible for notifying and continually educating its occupants on recycling issues and practices through a formal and ongoing education campaign. Every owner or their representative shall distribute to every new occupant, within thirty (30) calendar days of occupancy...general recycling information and current program recycling guidelines...5. Every multi-family dwelling owner or the owner's representative must provide a Recycling Plan on the form provided by the Department within six (6) months of adoption of this Ordinance by the McHenry County Board.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: 2025 S-5: Supplement contains: Local legislation current through Ord. A25-0037, passed 8-19-2025 | State legislation current through ALS 2025 Pamphlet No. 1).
Full Breakdown
Section 8.44.050 of the Residential Recycling Program sets separate, more detailed rules for buildings with three or more dwelling units. The owner or their representative must submit a Recycling Plan to the Department, on the county's own form, within six months of the ordinance's adoption by the County Board (§ 8.44.050A.5), naming the property, unit and tenant counts, the owner or managing company, a contact person, and the materials to be recycled (§ 8.44.050A.6). Any later change to that plan must be submitted in writing within fifteen calendar days (§ 8.44.050A.7.a), and a company managing several properties must file one plan per property (§ 8.44.050A.8).
Owners must distribute recycling information and program guidelines to every new occupant within thirty days of move-in and to existing occupants at least annually (§ 8.44.050A.1). Communal outdoor recycling containers must be at least as convenient to occupants as the trash receptacles and kept clean and litter-free (§ 8.44.050C), and the licensed hauler serving the property must furnish, maintain, and replace those common-area containers (§ 8.44.050A.10). An owner is not held responsible for whether tenants actually use the program, only that the plan, education, containers, and hauler contract stay properly in place (§ 8.44.050A.9).
Violations & Fines
A multi-family owner who fails to maintain a properly set up program, including the filed plan, tenant education, and containers, faces the same enforcement path as any other occupant: a Department warning notice, capped at two before escalation to a Notice to Appear, and a fine of $25 to $100 per violation for the ordinance generally (§§ 8.44.060, 8.44.070A). The Department may also pursue injunctive relief to compel compliance (§ 8.44.060D).
Frequently Asked Questions
Does an apartment complex in unincorporated McHenry County need its own recycling plan?
How often must an apartment owner remind tenants about recycling rules?
Who maintains the shared recycling dumpsters at an apartment complex?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in McHenry County
Compare McHenry County to another location·View the Illinois trash & recycling overview
See something wrong?
Help us keep this page accurate. If you notice an error or outdated information, let us know.