Weekly Collection Schedule
Official municipal pickup timing for Arlington Heights
Trash Day
Trash collection occurs once per week divided by four quadrants: Monday for North of Oakton St. & West of Arlington Heights Rd.; Tuesday for South of Oakton St. & West of Arlington Heights Rd.; Thursday for North of Oakton St. & East of Arlington Heights Rd.; Friday for South of Oakton St. & East of Arlington Heights Rd.
Recycling
Recycling is collected weekly on the same day as your regular trash collection.
Yard Waste
Yard and landscape waste is collected weekly on your regular trash day from late March through mid-December (via stickers or seasonal subscription).
Set Out Time
By 7:00 AM on collection day (starts at 6:00 AM in June, July, and August during summer heat)
Utility Billing & Payments
Manage your local solid waste services
Residential waste and recycling services are contracted through Groot Industries and billed separately on a quarterly basis, while Village water and sewer utilities are billed bi-monthly.
Billing Cycle
Quarterly
Accepted Methods
Online, Auto-Pay, Phone, Mail, In-Person
Pro Tip / Discount
Discounts on refuse service are available for seniors (age 65+), active military families, and low-income households with annual income under $16,000.
Groot-issued Cart Bin (Trash)
Trash must fit inside your Groot-issued cart. Carts must be placed at the curb by 7:00 AM on your collection day. From April to October, do not place carts out before 7:00 PM the night prior; from November to March, carts can be placed out after 4:00 PM.
Accepted Items
- ✓Standard household garbage
- ✓Food wrappers and non-recyclable plastics
- ✓Small broken household items
Groot-issued Cart Bin (Recycling)
All recyclables must be placed loosely in the single-sort recycling cart without being bagged. Excess recyclables may be placed in a plain paper bag next to the cart.
Accepted Items
- ✓Clean cardboard and paper (flattened to 2x2 ft max)
- ✓Plastic bottles and containers (#1, #2, #3, #4, #5, #7)
- ✓Glass bottles and jars
- ✓Aluminum, tin, and steel cans
Do NOT Include
- ✕Plastic bags
- ✕Styrofoam and packing peanuts
- ✕Electronics and batteries
- ✕Food waste
- ✕Duct tape
Yard Waste Bin
Must be placed in 30-gallon biodegradable Kraft paper bags or rigid 32-gallon containers weighing under 50 pounds. Standard bags require a prepaid Village landscape sticker unless using a yearly subscription cart.
Accepted Items
- ✓Grass clippings
- ✓Leaves
- ✓Small branches and twigs (under 6 inches diameter)
- ✓Approved food scraps (fruits, veggies, bread, coffee grounds)
Bulky Item Pickup
Frequency
Weekly on your designated solid waste collection day
Placement
Place items curbside next to your Groot cart. Do not place bulk items in the street or block sidewalks.
Accepted
- ✓ Small furniture and chairs
- ✓ Mattresses and box springs
- ✓ Rolled carpet (tied, under 5 feet long, under 50 lbs)
- ✓ White goods and appliances (requires a call ahead)
Not Accepted
- ✕ Construction and remodeling debris exceeding 1 cubic yard
- ✕ Hazardous waste and wet paint
- ✕ Unscheduled electronics over 50 pounds
- ✕ Auto parts
Remodeling refuse and oversized items that exceed the 1 cubic yard limit or weigh more than 50 pounds are subject to a special pickup fee of $17.48 per cubic yard. White goods are free but must be scheduled by calling 800-244-1977.
Holiday Schedule
General Rule
If a recognized holiday falls on a weekday on or before your scheduled collection day, your pickup will be delayed by one day for the remainder of that week.
Yard Waste Exception
Landscape waste and food scrap collection strictly follow the exact same holiday delay schedule as standard refuse.
If a holiday falls on a Sunday, the regular collection schedule is generally not interrupted unless it is legally observed on a Monday.
Observed Holidays
Seasonal Information
Spring
AprilA Free Spring Clean-Up Week typically occurs in mid-April. During this designated week, Groot will collect up to five unstickered bags or bundles of landscape waste per household entirely for free.
Fall
Mid-October - Mid-DecemberThe Village's 2-for-1 leaf collection program runs from mid-October through mid-December, allowing residents to dispose of two 30-gallon Kraft bags of leaves using only a single prepaid landscape waste sticker.
Winter
JanuaryUnbagged, live Christmas trees stripped of all lights, ornaments, stands, and tinsel are collected for free on your regular garbage day during the first and second weeks of January. No landscape sticker is required.
Local Tips & Community Info
Village Refuse Services and the Groot Partnership
In the Village of Arlington Heights, residential solid waste and recycling collection is expertly managed through a long-standing partnership with Groot Industries. Keeping the village's tree-lined streets clean is a community effort, and the residential program is designed to make waste disposal as straightforward as possible for single-family homes. Your specific collection day is determined by your neighborhood zone. It is essential to remember that garbage and recycling are collected on the same day each week. Residents can utilize standard village-approved carts, which are available in various capacities, to securely contain their household refuse and prevent litter from blowing into neighbors' yards or storm drains.
Container Placement and Curbside Deadlines
To ensure your bins are emptied without issue, Groot requires all carts to be placed at the curb no later than 7:00 a.m. on your designated pickup day. However, local ordinances state that you cannot set your containers out before 6:00 p.m. the evening prior. When positioning your bins, place them at the edge of the driveway apron or parkway, ensuring the lid hinges face your home. Keep a minimum distance of three feet between your trash cart, recycling bin, and any surrounding obstacles like fire hydrants, mailboxes, or parked vehicles. By midnight on the day of collection, all empty receptacles must be retrieved from the curb and stored out of public view.
Navigating the Landscape Waste Season
Arlington Heights features a beautiful, highly vegetated landscape, making yard waste management a crucial seasonal service. The landscape waste collection program runs annually from the first week of April through mid-December. Residents have two options for disposing of grass clippings, leaves, and brush. You can either purchase individual yard waste stickers to attach to 30-gallon kraft paper bags, or you can subscribe to Groot's seasonal yard waste cart program for a flat annual fee. If you are trimming trees, brush bundles must not exceed four feet in length, two feet in diameter, and 50 pounds in weight. Unstickered bags or improperly bundled branches will be left at the curb.
Disposing of One Free Bulk Item Weekly
One of the most convenient features of the Arlington Heights waste program is the weekly bulk item allowance. Each single-family household is permitted to set out one large item per week—such as a sofa, a mattress, or a wooden bookshelf—at no additional charge. There is no need to call ahead for a standard piece of furniture. However, this rule strictly excludes 'white goods' like refrigerators, ovens, and washing machines, as well as heavy construction debris. If you need to dispose of an appliance, you must contact Groot directly at least 24 hours in advance to schedule a special pickup, which will require an additional processing fee.
SWANCC Electronics and Hazardous Materials
The State of Illinois strictly bans electronic waste, including televisions, computers, and printers, from being dumped into standard landfills. As a member of the Solid Waste Agency of Northern Cook County (SWANCC), the Village of Arlington Heights provides residents with eco-friendly alternatives. While you cannot put electronics in your curbside bins, you can drop them off at designated SWANCC transfer stations. Alternatively, residents can contact Groot to schedule a curbside electronic waste pickup for a fee. Hazardous household items like motor oil, wet latex paint, pesticides, and cleaning solvents must also be kept out of the trash and taken to specialized IEPA collection drives.
Drop-off Facilities
Arlington Heights Health and Human Services (Village Hall)
33 S. Arlington Heights Road, Arlington Heights, IL 60005
Materials Accepted
SWANCC Glenview Transfer Station (Electronics Drop-off)
3 Providence Way, Des Plaines, IL 60016
Materials Accepted
Frequently Asked Questions
Who do I call if my garbage or recycling was missed in Arlington Heights?
If your carts were out by 7:00 a.m. but were not serviced, you should contact Groot Industries directly at 800-244-1977 to report the missed collection.
How many bulk items can I throw away each week?
Residents are allowed to place one standard bulk item, such as a mattress or a chair, at the curb each week for free. Appliances and construction debris are not included in this allowance.
When does the yard waste collection program end?
The seasonal landscape waste collection program in Arlington Heights typically begins in early April and concludes in mid-December each year.