Garbage Collection
Please note: garbage collection days vary following snowfall. Streets & Sanitation will not empty garbage carts if they are not accessible due to obstructions (including snow). If your garbage carts are stuck to the pavement with ice, please make your best effort to free the carts. If Sanitation workers are unable to lift the carts, they will not remove the garbage. Residences that receive garbage collection services provided by the Department of Streets and Sanitation will begin paying a garbage service fee of $9.50 per month per dwelling unit.
To determine your garbage pick-up date, click here.
For the Holiday garbage schedule, click here.
Recycling
The City of Chicago offers several ways for residents of the 44th Ward to recycle. If your garbage is picked up by the city’s Streets & Sanitation department, you can participate in Chicago’s Blue Cart Program. With this program, materials no longer need to be sorted in blue bags. All materials to be recycled can go directly into the blue cart. Blue carts will have separate pickup from normal garbage collection, and will be sorted on-site. For more information on the City of Chicago’s recycling program, please click here.
The City of Chicago has introduced a new Recycle Coach education app, advising residents on waste and recycling schedules and proper waste management. Click here to be directed to the Recycle Coach online widget to receive customized waste and recycling information specific to where you live.
Yard Waste
The City of Chicago coordinates dedicated bagged leaf and other yard waste collection trucks to assist residents in clearing their yards, parkways and storm drains of leaf debris. Residents can call our office or request separate yard waste collection via 311. Yard waste should be left in the alley or at the curb for collection, and bagged separately – not added to the garbage in the black cart or the recycling in blue. The Department will collect the bags based on 311 requests and take it to be composted. Yard waste consists of leaves, grass clippings, branches, brush, clippings from shrubbery, and garden waste. Yard waste does not include dirt, rocks, or gravel.
Bulk Pickup
Please note: the City no longer provides bulk pickup services. If you need to dispose of trash in large quantities and will not fit inside of the garbage cart (s), please place the items in the alley next to your garbage cart the night before or the morning of your scheduled pickup day.
City code prohibits obstructing the alley even in cases of garbage disposal. Please do not place large quantities of garbage in the alley.
Fly Dumping
Illegal dumping, or “fly dumping,” is the dumping of any waste material on public or private property without a permit. Illegal dumping endangers public health by creating a breeding ground for mosquitoes that may carry the West Nile Virus, attracts rats, poses hazards to children playing nearby and decreases property values.
Trash that is commonly dumped includes:
- Tires
- Old furniture, mattresses
- Construction debris
- Appliances
- Yard waste
- Hazardous waste (generally dumped in drums or barrels)
Composting
Composting is the process of turning organic materials (such as fruit/vegetable scraps, fall leaves, and grass clippings) into compost through natural decomposition. Microbes, in the presence of air and water, feed on the organic matter, causing it to decompose. The result is a dark, crumbly, earthy-smelling compost that you can use to nourish the soil in your garden. There are many composting opportunities offered through the City of Chicago, including Food Scrap Drop-off and Community Composting.
Free compost bins are available to eligible Chicago residents while supplies last. To kick off the program, 20 compost bins will be distributed to each of the City’s 50 wards. If your request exceeds the number of bins available per ward, your name will be added to a waiting list, and you will be notified by email if more bins become available.
To request a free compost bin with delivery to your residence, click here.
TO BE ELIGIBLE:
- You must live in the City of Chicago.
- You must live in a single-family home or in a building with 4 dwelling units or less (those served by DSS for trash and recycling).
NOTE:
- The compost bin must stay with the property if you move.
- Limit one compost bin per property..
Benefits of composting include:
- Reducing waste by keeping your food scraps and yard waste out of landfills
- Protecting the climate by preventing the greenhouse gas emissions that are generated when food scraps and yard waste decompose in a landfill
- Turning your food scraps and yard waste into compost, a valuable soil amendment that you can use to improve soil and plant health
Click here to learn more about what can and cannot be composted.
Clean & Green
The Chicago Department of Streets and Sanitation invites residents and community groups to volunteer to help revitalize their neighborhoods by participating in the Clean and Green citywide beautification effort.
Community groups who wish to participate are asked to identify a worksite and contact 311 to register. The Chicago Department of Streets and Sanitation can provide the brooms, rakes, shovels and bags needed to complete each cleaning project. Individuals who wish to participate can also call 311 to be referred to Clean and Green activities in their area.
Household Chemicals & Computer Recycling Facility
Dispose of your household chemicals responsibly and recycle your old computers by dropping them off at the City’s permanent Household Chemicals & Computer Recycling Facility at 1150 N. North Branch Street (two blocks east of the Kennedy Expressway at Division Street).
When thrown out with our garbage, household chemicals and computers, which often contain hazardous substances, such as lead, mercury, and PCBs (polychlorinated biphenyls) can contaminate our air, soil and water. Through proper disposal methods or recycling, these hazardous substances are reprocessed and reused in an environmentally-responsible manner.
The Household Chemical and Computer Recycling Facility accepts a range of items, including household cleaners, oil-based paints, solvents, cell phones, compact fluorescent light bulbs, computers and related equipment to name a few. It does NOT accept business/commercial sector wastes, explosives, fireworks or latex paint. Please review the full list of items in both categories before you visit.
During business hours, an attendant is outside, ready to help unload your vehicle and accept your materials. Materials should not be left outside the facility unattended. Therefore, please do not drop off any items outside of scheduled business hours:
Tuesdays 7 am – 12 pm
Thursdays 2 pm – 7 pm
The first Saturday of every month 8 am – 3 pm