What Should I do with Household Waste?

We offer free Christmas tree disposal in January for both real and artificial trees! Trees should be free of decorations and lights. If you have a live tree, we encourage you to dispose of your Christmas tree within the first few weeks of January. Even a well-watered tree will dry out and can become a fire hazard. Please put your tree by the curb on your regularly scheduled trash pick up day. If you have an artificial tree, take the tree apart and place it in a box next to your garbage bin. Artificial trees are considered bulk items and are included in your weekly garbage service. You can also consider donating your artificial tree to a nursing home, thrift store, or charity if it is in good condition.

Under Illinois Law, it is illegal to put yard waste in your weekly garbage cart. Yard waste includes organic materials like grass, leaves, dead plants, and branches. It does not include dirt, rocks, tree stumps, sod, and food scraps. If your village participates in a yard waste program, designate your cart with a yard waste sticker in a separate container or in a brown biodegradable yard waste bag, We will pick it up at your curb on your regular garbage day. To find out if yard waste collection is available in your area, visit our village information page.

Never pour grease or cooking oil down the drain. Grease and oil will cool and turn into a solid as it runs down your pipes, clogging them in the process. Instead, if you only have a small amount, let the oils cool in the pan and wipe it up with a paper towel that you can throw in the trash. If you have a large amount, pour the grease into a can or jar and let it cool. Once the jar is filled, seal it as best you can and throw it away in your with your regular garbage, not the recycling.

Lithium, rechargeable, and button batteries are hazardous waste and should never be disposed of in your curbside garbage or recycling programs. Placing lithium batteries in your curbside bins at home puts collection crews at risk. They are the leading cause of truck fires in the garbage and recycling industry. Many electronic and hardware stores offer drop-off locations to ensure proper recycling. Alkaline batteries are okay to put in your trash but should not be placed in your recycling cart. That being said, recycling is still an option. Many electronic and hardware stores will accept both alkaline and lithium batteries to ensure proper recycling.

Tires are not accepted in your curbside recycling and garbage service. Tires are a serious solid waste disposal problem. They are a fire hazard, contaminate ground water, and become a breeding ground for mosquitoes. The best way to dispose of tires is to leave them with your tire retailer when you purchase news tires. Retailers are required by law to accept the same number of tires that you buy.

Plastic bags and film plastics are not currently accepted as part of curbside recycling programs due to market constraints and sorting restrictions. This includes grocery bags, dry-cleaning bags, bread bags, wraps from paper towels, bathroom tissue, napkins, diapers and newspaper bags. Thankfully, many local department stores and grocery stores offer a plastic bag recycling service.

Some types of glass are included in your regular residential curbside program. Please consider taping or wrapping large glass prior to pick up. For items larger than 4ft by 4ft or for broken glass, please contact our office so that we can let the driver know about glass in the load, as it can pose a safety risk. We also suggest containing broken glass in a box.

CFL, or Compact Fluorescent Light Bulbs are hazardous waste and do not belong in your weekly trash or recycling program. These bulbs contain mercury and pose a safety risk to both the environment and disposal workers. Thankfully, many local home improvement stores offer CFL recycling programs. Please call your local home improvement stores for details. Older incandescent light bulbs are safe to dispose of in your regular garbage cart.

We can remove your water heater! Water heater pick up is included with your weekly residential service. Before placing your water heater at the curb on your regular garbage pick up day, please drain the water inside.

Most books are recyclable! Whole paperback books can be placed in your recycling bin, but the cover must be taken off for hard cover books. When this is done, the inside pages can be recycled and the cover can be thrown away. You can also check with your local libraries, nursing homes, shopping center, or senior centers regarding a book exchange and reuse program.

While paper is one of the best items to recycle, shredded paper does not belong in your curbside recycling bin. Because of its small size, shredded paper ends up with glass and acts as a glass contaminate. If you prefer to put your shredded paper to use, regular printer paper is great for composting, otherwise professional shredding companies will recycle large amounts of shredded paper.

Packing peanuts and other packing materials do not belong in your curbside recycling container. Bubble wrap, peanuts, and colored casts are all made from Styrofoam which is not currently accepted with your curbside recycling program. This material will be taken with your regular household garbage. Prefer recycling? Many local shipping stores offer free Styrofoam recycling programs!

Toner and ink cartridges are not accepted in your curbside recycling program, but they can be placed with your regular household garbage. If you prefer to have them recycled, many local office retailers offer refills or discounts on new products in exchange for used ones.