Weekly Collection Schedule
Official municipal pickup timing for Skokie
Trash Day
Monday through Friday (pickup occurs once per week on designated neighborhood collection days: Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, or Friday)
Recycling
Collected once per week on the same day as your regular trash pickup
Yard Waste
Wednesdays from early April through mid-November (shifts to Saturday during holiday weeks)
Set Out Time
By 7:00 AM on collection day (not before 6:00 PM the night before)
Utility Billing & Payments
Manage your local solid waste services
Residential refuse fees are billed quarterly alongside municipal water and sewer services across the Village's three billing districts.
Billing Cycle
Quarterly
Accepted Methods
Online, Auto-Pay (Direct Debit), Mail, In Person
Village-issued Cart (95-gallon) Bin (Trash)
Trash must fit inside the 95-gallon cart. Must be placed at the curb or alley by 7:00 a.m. on your designated once-weekly collection day. To report a missed pickup, call Public Works.
Accepted Items
- ✓Standard household refuse
- ✓Non-recyclable plastics
- ✓Food waste
- ✓Small non-hazardous household items
LRS-issued Cart (65-gallon) Bin (Recycling)
Place recyclables loosely inside the cart. Do not bag items in plastic. Carts are serviced weekly by LRS on the same day as your refuse. Missed pickups should be reported directly to LRS at 844-633-3577.
Accepted Items
- ✓Clean paper and flattened cardboard
- ✓Plastic bottles, jugs, and tubs
- ✓Glass bottles and food jars
- ✓Aluminum and tin cans
Do NOT Include
- ✕Plastic grocery bags
- ✕Styrofoam
- ✕Electronics
- ✕Food-soiled paper
- ✕Yard waste
Yard Waste Bin
Collected only on Wednesdays. Use 32-gallon paper yard bags (fill only 1/4 to 1/3 full if disposing of sod) or tie brush into bundles under 5 feet long and less than 3 inches thick. Maximum 10 bags/bundles per week, under 50 lbs each.
Accepted Items
- ✓Leaves and weeds
- ✓Plant clippings and small brush
- ✓Small amounts of dry sod (soil removed)
Bulky Item Pickup
Frequency
Weekly on your regular collection day
Placement
Place your weekly allowance of bulk items alongside your refuse cart by 7:00 a.m. Do not block the sidewalk or the street.
Accepted
- ✓ Furniture (couches, chairs, end tables)
- ✓ Mattresses (must be wrapped in plastic)
- ✓ Rolled carpet (cut to 6-foot lengths, max one room's worth)
- ✓ Minor DIY construction debris (up to 1 cubic yard)
Not Accepted
- ✕ Televisions and electronics
- ✕ Hazardous waste (paints, oils)
- ✕ Large-scale contractor construction waste
- ✕ Dirt, mulch, stumps, or logs
The standard weekly limit is free. If you have a small move-out (several items), you must call Public Works at 847-933-8427 to schedule and avoid a violation. Massive cleanouts require you to rent a dumpster through LRS.
Holiday Schedule
General Rule
If a Village-observed holiday falls on a weekday, regular refuse and recycling routes will typically be delayed by one day for the remainder of that week.
Yard Waste Exception
Because yard waste is collected on Wednesdays, a holiday during the week will delay the yard waste collection to the Saturday following the holiday.
Always leave your carts out if a collection is delayed. Minor adjustments to the holiday schedule are frequently posted in the Village's electronic newsletter, The Scoop.
Observed Holidays
Seasonal Information
Autumn
Mid-October - Early DecemberSkokie provides an extensive unbagged Leaf Collection program. You do not need to call to request service; simply rake loose leaves near the street curb (not in the street) and crews will vacuum them up every 5 to 7 days.
Spring through Fall
April - NovemberStandard yard waste in bags or bundles is collected exclusively on Wednesdays. On weeks containing a major holiday (such as Memorial Day, Juneteenth, or Labor Day), the Wednesday yard waste collection is typically shifted to the Saturday following the holiday.
Winter
December - MarchYard waste collection is suspended for the winter. During heavy snowfalls, the Public Works Snow and Ice Control Division takes priority. Please ensure your refuse carts are placed in cleared areas and not obstructing street plows.
Local Tips & Community Info
Skokie's Unique Twice-Weekly Refuse Service
Unlike most surrounding municipalities, the Village of Skokie offers exceptional convenience by providing single-family homes with twice-a-week garbage collection. This premium service ensures that residential alleys and parkways remain clean and sanitary year-round. All standard household refuse must be securely bagged and placed in your village-issued containers. Residents should check the official Skokie public works map to confirm their specific two-day collection schedule, as routing depends heavily on your neighborhood zone. For smaller apartment complexes and multi-unit dwellings of up to four units, garbage is generally collected on the exact same days as single-family homes in the same geographic area.
Single-Stream Recycling with LRS
While standard trash is collected twice a week, residential recycling is a once-a-week service managed in partnership with Lakeshore Recycling Systems (LRS). Every eligible home is equipped with a blue 65-gallon recycling cart. You can place all approved recyclables, such as flattened cardboard boxes, glass jars, aluminum cans, and rigid plastics, directly into this cart without sorting. It is vital that residents do not contaminate the recycling stream with plastic grocery bags, food waste, or landscape debris. Contaminated carts will simply be bypassed by the automated collection trucks, leaving you responsible for the remaining waste until the following week.
Container Placement and Curfew Ordinances
To keep streets passable and visually appealing, the Village of Skokie enforces strict container placement times. Carts and acceptable waste bags must be placed at the curb or alley line no later than 7:00 a.m. on the morning of your scheduled pickup. However, to prevent nocturnal wildlife from scavenging, local ordinances prohibit residents from setting their containers out any earlier than 6:00 p.m. the night before collection. Once the sanitation trucks have serviced your property, you are required to pull your empty carts back onto your private property by the end of the day.
Seasonal Yard Waste and Leaf Rules
Managing seasonal landscaping debris in Skokie follows a specific weekly routine. From early April through mid-November, the village dedicates every Wednesday to yard waste collection. Homeowners must place leaves, plant trimmings, and small branches into 30-gallon biodegradable brown paper bags. Notably, the village does not collect grass clippings, so residents are encouraged to practice grasscycling by leaving clippings on the lawn. During the peak autumn season, from mid-October to early December, Skokie also deploys a specialized leaf collection fleet, allowing residents to rake their fallen leaves directly to the curb for vacuum removal.
Disposing of Small-Scale Bulk Items
Skokie makes getting rid of larger household items remarkably straightforward. If you are discarding small-scale bulk goods, such as a single chair, a mattress, or a few rolls of old carpeting, you do not need to call ahead or schedule a special appointment. These items can simply be placed out alongside your regular garbage by 7:00 a.m. on your normal refuse day, and the village crews will handle the removal. However, heavy construction debris, electronic waste, and hazardous chemicals require alternative disposal methods and cannot be left at the alley or curb.
Drop-off Facilities
SWANCC Glenview Transfer Station
3 Providence Way, Des Plaines, IL 60016
Materials Accepted
Skokie Health and Human Services Department
5127 Oakton Street, Skokie, IL 60077
Materials Accepted
Frequently Asked Questions
How often is garbage picked up in the Village of Skokie?
The Village of Skokie provides twice-a-week refuse collection for single-family homes and small residential buildings up to four units.
What time do I need to put my recycling cart out?
You must place your 65-gallon recycling cart at the curb or alley by 7:00 a.m. on the day of your pickup, but no earlier than 6:00 p.m. the evening prior.
Does the village collect grass clippings with yard waste?
No. Skokie does not accept grass clippings in its Wednesday yard waste program. Residents are encouraged to leave clippings on their lawn to act as a natural fertilizer.