Evanston, IL Trash & Recycling: Yard Waste Collection (2026)

Section 8-4-3(D) of the Evanston City Code sets three ways to put out yard waste. You can use a roll out cart or dumpster provided by the City, a biodegradable paper bag of thirty gallons or less designated for yard waste, or a bundle of brush or tree branches. Bundles must be no more than four feet long, no more than three feet in diameter, and tied with cloth ties. Bundles tied with plastic, wire, or rope are not accepted. Branches under four inches in diameter count as yard waste and City crews collect them. Anything thicker has to be removed at the resident's own expense.

Section 8-4-1 defines yard waste as grass clippings, leaves, tree prunings and woody wastes, weeds, brush, and other compostable landscape material. Section 8-4-6(B)(3) repeats the bag and bundle limits for Kraft paper bags: thirty gallons, no more than fifty pounds when filled, and no food scraps inside a yard waste bag. Section 8-4-3(F) caps any cart or food and yard waste bag at fifty pounds, and the volume must let the cart lid fully close.

The City supplies the food and yard waste carts. Under § 8-4-6(B), they come in ninety-five gallon or thirty-five gallon sizes, carry a green lid and a sticker listing acceptable items, and are stamped with the City seal and a serial number. The City maintains and replaces them free of charge when it decides a replacement is needed. Ownership stays with the City, so removing a cart without authorization is a violation of the Chapter.

Collection is not year round. Section 8-4-5(A) refers to the nine and one-half months of the year that food and yard waste is collected, and property owners are encouraged to use the cart during that season. Loads too large for the container, such as a big pile of cuttings, need a special pick up under § 8-4-3(K): contact the City to schedule it, and do not leave the material on public property before the scheduled day.

Cost is set by § 8-4-11(B). A yard waste sticker costs $2.50, and one sticker goes on each bag or branch bundle left for City collection. A cart costs $7.00 per month starting April 1, 2026. Section 8-4-3(M) also requires property owners to make tenants aware of compostable materials collection, forbids denying a tenant access to it, and allows the owner to pass the cost on to tenants.