Tinley Park, IL Trash & Recycling: Recycling Rules (2026)
Key Facts
- Ownership rule
- Recyclables stay householder's property until contractor collects
- Prohibited act
- Unauthorized collection of curbside recyclables
- Offense counting
- Each location taken from is a separate offense
- Penalty
- $25-$500 fine per offense (§ 96.99)
Summary
Once a Tinley Park household sets recyclables at the curb for collection, § 96.13 keeps them the property of the householder until the village-designated refuse disposal contractor picks them up. Anyone else who collects those materials without authorization commits a separate offense for each location taken from.
From time of placement of recyclables at the curb in recycling containers for collection in accordance with the village's recycling program, the recyclable materials shall remain the property of the householder until such time as they are collected by the designated refuse disposal contractor. It shall be a violation of this chapter for any person unauthorized by the village to collect or cause to be collected any such items. Any and each such collection in violation hereof from one or more locations shall constitute a separate and distinct offense punishable as hereinafter provided in § 96.99.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: 2026 S-40: Supplement contains: Local legislation current through Ordinance 2026-O-007, passed 2-17-2026, Resolution 2018-R-077, passed 10-2-18, and State legislation current through 2010 Pamphlet No. 7).
Full Breakdown
13 governs what happens to recyclable materials once they are placed at the curb under the village's recyclable material program. From the moment of placement in recycling containers for scheduled collection, the recyclables remain the property of the householder until the village's designated refuse disposal contractor actually collects them, so title does not pass to whoever happens to pick the bin up first. The section makes it a violation of the chapter for any person not authorized by the village to collect, or to cause to be collected, any such recyclable items, and it specifies that each separate collection made in violation of the rule, from one or more locations, counts as its own separate and distinct offense rather than a single ongoing violation.
That structure lets the village and its contractor treat repeated scavenging runs by the same person as multiple citable events rather than one continuing act. 14, which makes that same contractor responsible for properly handling and selling the recyclables it collects. 99.
Violations & Fines
Collecting recyclable materials placed at the curb without village authorization violates § 96.13 and is punishable under § 96.99 by a fine of $25 to $500. Because § 96.13 treats each unauthorized collection from each separate location as its own distinct offense, a person who scavenges recycling bins along multiple addresses on one route can be cited once for every address rather than a single citation.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can someone legally take recycling out of my bin before pickup?
What is the penalty for stealing recycling from the curb in Tinley Park?
Why can't I sell my own recyclables to a scrap buyer?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Tinley Park
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