Trash pickup in Chicago, IL

Who collects trash in Chicago, how trash day works, and which holidays move pickup. Checked against official city and hauler pages on Oct 15, 2026.

At a glance

Who collects
City crews and contractors
Haulers
2: City of Chicago Department of Streets and Sanitation, Lakeshore Recycling Systems
Recycling
Every other week
Holiday schedule
2026 not found, 2027 not found
Last checked
Oct 15, 2026

The City of Chicago Department of Streets and Sanitation (DSS) collects black-cart garbage weekly, Monday to Friday, from single-family homes and buildings of four units or less across the whole city. Blue Cart recycling is collected every other week: DSS crews serve recycling Zones 2 and 4, and the City's contractor, Lakeshore Recycling Systems (LRS), serves Zones 1, 3, 5 and 6 on a different holiday schedule. Many homes have alley pickup, so carts may be in the alley rather than at the curb. The City's holiday page still shows 2024 dates, and no 2026 schedule is posted.

Who picks up trash in Chicago

City crews and contractors.

City of Chicago Department of Streets and Sanitation (DSS)

City serviceTrashRecyclingYard waste
Area
Garbage: whole city (single-family homes and buildings of 4 units or less), run under the grid garbage collection system through ward and district sanitation offices. Blue Cart recycling: Recycling Zones 2 and 4 only. Yard waste: citywide, collected by request through 311.
Phone
311 (312-744-5000 from outside Chicago); DSS Recycling and Materials Management 312-744-2413

Garbage goes out weekly, Monday to Friday, in a 96-gallon black cart. Yard waste isn't collected with garbage: bag it separately, leave it in the alley or at the curb, and call 311 for pickup. The 44th Ward page says the City no longer offers bulk pickup, so items that don't fit go next to the cart on garbage day. There's no curbside organics service, but the City runs food-scrap drop-off sites. Recycling zones are shown on the City's Blue Cart Schedule and Maps page (2022).

Lakeshore Recycling Systems (LRS)

Private haulerRecycling
Area
Blue Cart recycling in City Recycling Zones 1, 3, 5 and 6, under contract to the City. The zones are shown on City maps; there's no ward or ZIP list.

The City named LRS for Zones 1, 3, 5 and 6 on its 2022 schedule page, and the City's 2025 schedule and Recycle by City still show the same four-zone and two-zone split. WTTW and Waste Dive reported that LRS's 2021 contract ran three years (June 2021 to June 2024), with options for up to three more. The City's Chicago Recycles page says Blue Carts are serviced by DSS 'along with the City's recycling contractor', without naming it. LRS observes fewer holidays than DSS.

Not covered

Buildings of 5 or more units and commercial properties must hire a private hauler. City service covers only single-family homes and buildings of 4 units or less.

How trash day works in Chicago

DSS sets garbage days under its grid garbage collection system, through ward and district sanitation offices. The City has no garbage-day map or address lookup; it tells residents to call 311 or their district sanitation office. Recycle by City, the City's recycling education partner, has an address lookup for collection days and holiday reminders. Recycling follows A-week/B-week zone calendars.

Find a trash day on recyclebycity.com

Recycling: every other week. Blue Carts follow A-week/B-week zone calendars. Curbside homes: set the blue cart out on garbage day in your highlighted week. Alley homes: leave it in the alley for the whole highlighted week, since it can be emptied any day that week. DSS serves Zones 2 and 4, and LRS serves Zones 1, 3, 5 and 6.

Garbage is weekly, Monday to Friday. Many homes have alley pickup, with carts in the alley rather than at the curb. The City publishes no citywide set-out time; the 44th Ward page says extra items go next to the cart 'the night before or the morning of your pickup day.'

Chicago trash pickup holiday schedule

Chicago hasn’t posted a holiday schedule for the rest of 2026; no 2027 schedule was found.

The City's holiday garbage schedule page still shows 2024, and no 2026 or 2027 schedule is posted on chicago.gov. In 2024, DSS had no garbage pickup, and no recycling in Zones 2 and 4, on 11 City holidays: New Year's, MLK Day, Pulaski Day, Memorial Day, Juneteenth, Independence Day, Labor Day, Columbus Day, Veterans Day, Thanksgiving and Christmas. LRS recycling in Zones 1, 3, 5 and 6 skipped only six: New Year's, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving and Christmas. The 2025 Blue Cart schedule follows the same split and says 'Pick-ups that fall on holidays will be picked up the following day.' Neither page says how garbage pickup shifts after a holiday, so call 311 before a holiday to check.

No dates to list yet. Check Chicago’s page before each holiday week.

Cleaning bins in Chicago?

Bins get cleaned right after pickup, so when a holiday moves trash day, your route moves with it. In Clean Bin System you give each zone its hauler and add the hauler’s holidays once: that week’s cleanings move with the pickup, and each customer gets a text. See how it works

Chicago neighborhoods

77 names from City of Chicago Community Areas. Each hauler’s area is listed under Who collects.

  • Rogers Park
  • West Ridge
  • Uptown
  • Lincoln Square
  • North Center
  • Lake View
  • Lincoln Park
  • Near North Side
  • Edison Park
  • Norwood Park
  • Jefferson Park
  • Forest Glen
  • North Park
  • Albany Park
  • Portage Park
  • Irving Park
  • Dunning
  • Montclare
  • Belmont Cragin
  • Hermosa
  • Avondale
  • Logan Square
  • Humboldt Park
  • West Town
  • Austin
  • West Garfield Park
  • East Garfield Park
  • Near West Side
  • North Lawndale
  • South Lawndale
  • Lower West Side
  • Loop
  • Near South Side
  • Armour Square
  • Douglas
  • Oakland
  • Fuller Park
  • Grand Boulevard
  • Kenwood
  • Washington Park
  • Hyde Park
  • Woodlawn
  • South Shore
  • Chatham
  • Avalon Park
  • South Chicago
  • Burnside
  • Calumet Heights
  • Roseland
  • Pullman
  • South Deering
  • East Side
  • West Pullman
  • Riverdale
  • Hegewisch
  • Garfield Ridge
  • Archer Heights
  • Brighton Park
  • McKinley Park
  • Bridgeport
  • New City
  • West Elsdon
  • Gage Park
  • Clearing
  • West Lawn
  • Chicago Lawn
  • West Englewood
  • Englewood
  • Greater Grand Crossing
  • Ashburn
  • Auburn Gresham
  • Beverly
  • Washington Heights
  • Mount Greenwood
  • Morgan Park
  • O'Hare
  • Edgewater

Questions about trash pickup in Chicago

Who picks up trash in Chicago?

The City of Chicago Department of Streets and Sanitation (DSS) collects black-cart garbage weekly, Monday to Friday, from single-family homes and buildings of four units or less across the whole city. Blue Cart recycling is collected every other week: DSS crews serve recycling Zones 2 and 4, and the City's contractor, Lakeshore Recycling Systems (LRS), serves Zones 1, 3, 5 and 6 on a different holiday schedule. Many homes have alley pickup, so carts may be in the alley rather than at the curb. The City's holiday page still shows 2024 dates, and no 2026 schedule is posted.

How do I find my trash day in Chicago?

DSS sets garbage days under its grid garbage collection system, through ward and district sanitation offices. The City has no garbage-day map or address lookup; it tells residents to call 311 or their district sanitation office. Recycle by City, the City's recycling education partner, has an address lookup for collection days and holiday reminders. Recycling follows A-week/B-week zone calendars.

Is recycling picked up every week in Chicago?

No, every other week. Blue Carts follow A-week/B-week zone calendars. Curbside homes: set the blue cart out on garbage day in your highlighted week. Alley homes: leave it in the alley for the whole highlighted week, since it can be emptied any day that week. DSS serves Zones 2 and 4, and LRS serves Zones 1, 3, 5 and 6.

Sources

Official city and hauler pages, checked Oct 15, 2026. News and other sites used for details the official pages don’t give are listed separately. Schedules change, especially around holidays: check the city’s page before you plan routes. Something out of date? Email taylor@bincleanmarketing.com.

Other sources (4)
  • recyclebycity.com: Recycling zones by provider, LRS holidays and schedule lookup
  • news.wttw.com: LRS contract for 4 of 6 regions, June 2021 to June 2024
  • wastedive.com: LRS contract extension options; DSS keeps Zones 2 and 4
  • 44thward.org: Bulk items, extra-item set-out and yard waste requests

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