Elgin, IL trash pickup schedule

Elgin trash and recycling: who collects, how often, how to find your pickup day, and what changes on holidays in 2026.

Population 115,476 (Census 2025 estimate)Last checked October 30, 2026Not affiliated with any city, county or hauler.

Contents10 sections

Quick answer

Who collects	A private hauler under city contract: Lakeshore Recycling Systems (LRS) City of Elgin program under a 2025-2029 agreement with LRS (optional five-year extension from 2030); covers single-family homes and multi-family buildings up to five units. Billed monthly on the city water bill. Some condo/townhome properties get centralized dumpster service; their seasonal yard waste/brush service is via the HOA.¹¹
How often	Trash weekly, recycling weekly, same day as garbage, yard waste weekly, regular garbage day⁶¹⁴
Set out	Out by 6:00 a.m. on collection day, not before 5:00 p.m. the day before; carts and leftovers off the curb by midnight after collection. Place on the parkway (not in the street), 5 feet apart, handles away from the curb.⁵
Your pickup day	Address lookup: portal.cityofelgin.org²
Holidays	The city publishes a rule, not a dated list: see the holiday rule.

Bulk items: set-days (with stickers on regular garbage day) (details). Drop-off sites: 4 listed (hours and fees).

Elgin holiday trash schedule 2026

City’s rule	Collection is delayed one day when it falls on New Year's Day, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving or Christmas (e.g. Tuesday area served Wednesday; Friday area served Saturday). The address lookup shows holiday delays.²
Official notice	elginil.gov
Holidays listed	new-years-day; memorial-day; independence-day; labor-day; thanksgiving; christmas²

No dated list of holidays is published for Elgin; the holiday delay checker shows the rule above for each upcoming holiday.

Check your own day for the next three holidays with the holiday delay checker, or download a pickup calendar.

Sources: Collection Schedule, LRS and City of Elgin Agreement Last checked October 30, 2026 Report a change

Bulk trash pickup in Elgin

How it works	set-days (with stickers on regular garbage day)⁴
How to request	No booking: put the item out on your regular collection day with one teal refuse sticker per item. Items over 45 lb: call 311 first. Appliances: yellow appliance sticker from City Hall, set out on regular day (separate truck). Large clean-outs: call LRS 1-855-612-7938 for a special collection or dumpster.⁴
Limits	2 bulk items per week; max 45 lb per item, manageable by one person; carpet rolls max 5 ft x 2 ft, up to 8 rolls/week; mattresses/box springs in taped plastic cover⁴
Fees	$4.16 refuse sticker per bulk item; appliance sticker $30 per the Stickers page and LRS portal, $31.20 per the Program Cost page (conflict, both city pages)⁴
Not accepted	Tires (call LRS for special handling)⁸ Household hazardous waste and electronics (use LRS at-home HHW/e-waste pickup)⁸

Sources: Stickers, Garbage Guidelines, Program Cost Last checked October 30, 2026 Report a change

Recycling in Elgin

Pickup	weekly, same day as garbage¹⁴
Type	single-stream¹⁴
Glass	accepted in cart (clear, green and brown bottles and jars)⁹
Plastics	Hard or rigid plastic bottles, jugs and jars (no number list published)¹⁴

Accepted

Cardboard (flattened to 3x3 ft in the cart; extra flattened to 4x4 ft beside it), office paper, newspaper, magazines, paper cups¹⁴
Steel and aluminum cans, containers and foil¹⁴
Cartons¹⁴
Hard/rigid plastic bottles, jugs and jars¹⁴
Glass bottles and jars¹⁴

Not accepted

Plastic bags, wrappers, film and packing fillers (take bags to Jewel or Target)¹⁴
Polystyrene / Styrofoam¹⁴
Tanglers: cords, hangers, wires, hoses, ropes, chains, string lights¹⁴
Electronics, wood, propane tanks, scrap metal¹⁴
Clothing, textiles, shoes¹⁴
Mirrors, window glass, Pyrex, light bulbs⁹

Programs

64-gallon blue recycling cart; unlimited properly prepared recyclables; no 35-gallon recycling cart¹⁴

Sources: Recycling Guidelines, City of Elgin, IL Resident Portal (LRS) Last checked October 30, 2026 Report a change

Yard waste, food scraps and seasonal pickups

Yard waste pickup	Yes⁶
Season	April 1 through the first full week of December⁶
How often	weekly, regular garbage day⁶
Rules	No stickers since Jan 1, 2025. Free LRS 35/64/96-gal organics cart, brown 2-ply kraft bags (50 lb), or 35-gal own can with two handles (50 lb); brush bundled with biodegradable twine, max 5 ft x 2 ft, 45 lb; branches over 2 in. thick not collected. No plastic bags; sod/mulch go as garbage.⁶
Food scraps	Free organics cart (food scraps + yard waste) collected same day, April 1 through first full week of December; no meat, dairy, bones¹⁰
Christmas trees	2026-27: curbside on regular garbage day starting Dec. 28, 2026; free through Friday, Jan. 15, 2027 (after that one garbage sticker). Remove decorations/lights/stands, unbagged, on the parkway.⁴
Leaf collection	2026 Fall Leaf Pick-Up: Mon Oct. 26 - Dec. 4 in designated areas, leaves raked to the street by 6 a.m. on the area's day (map on page); elsewhere bag leaves in brown paper bags for LRS on garbage day¹³

Sources: Stickers, Yard Waste, Organics Guidelines, Fall Leaf Pick-up Program Last checked October 30, 2026 Report a change

Drop-off sites: landfill, recycling and hazardous waste

LRS at-home Household Hazardous Waste & E-Waste collection

Type	Household hazardous waste
Run by	hauler (LRS, city contract)
Address	collected at your home³
Hours	schedule by calling 855-612-7938 or emailing [email protected]³
Fees	Included in regular service (no sign-up). HHW pickups limited to 70 lb per collection (LRS). Electronics: the city page says televisions limit one per call; the LRS portal says up to 7 items incl. up to two TVs/monitors per pickup (conflict).³
Who can use it	curbside cart customers only (not multi-family dumpster service)³

Naperville Hazardous Waste Drop-Off Center

Type	Household hazardous waste
Run by	listed by City of Elgin
Address	156 Fort Hill Dr., Naperville, IL 60540 · Map⁷
Hours	Sat and Sun 9am-2pm, excluding holidays⁷
Fees	free; no appointment; no latex paint⁷

Waste Management Bluff City Transfer Station

Type	Transfer station
Run by	Waste Management (listed by City of Elgin)
Address	1225 Gifford Rd., Elgin, IL 60120 · Map⁷
Hours	Mon-Fri 6am-4pm⁷
Fees	Not published by the city (official page)

Midwest Compost

Type	Compost / yard waste site
Run by	private (listed by City of Elgin)
Address	1320 Spaulding Rd., Elgin, IL 60120 · Map⁷
Hours	Mon-Fri 6am-4pm; Sat 6am-12pm⁷
Fees	Not published by the city (official page)

Item guides: Mattress · Couch and furniture · Appliances · Paint · Batteries · Electronics · Tires · Motor oil · Christmas tree.

Sources: Household Hazardous Waste and Electronic Waste Collection, Drop-Off Locations, City of Elgin, IL Resident Portal (LRS) Last checked October 30, 2026 Report a change

Missed pickup and contacts

Missed pickup form	elgin.lrsrecycles.com (LRS Elgin resident portal, 'Missed Pickup?' under Support & Service Requests) or call LRS 855-612-7938¹⁴
Phone	LRS Elgin customer service 855-612-7938 ([email protected]); City of Elgin 311 / 847-931-6001 ([email protected])¹⁴
311	Elgin 311: dial 311 or 847-931-6001 (from outside Elgin); activations 7 a.m.-5 p.m. Mon-Fri¹¹
Official website	elginil.gov

Sources: Program Cost, City of Elgin, IL Resident Portal (LRS) Last checked October 30, 2026 Report a change

Nearby cities

Other cities served by Lakeshore Recycling Systems (LRS)

All Illinois cities: Illinois trash pickup schedules.

Elgin trash pickup FAQ

What day is trash picked up in Elgin?

Trash is collected weekly. Elgin does not use one citywide day: your day depends on your address. Look it up with the city’s address lookup (portal.cityofelgin.org).

How do I get rid of bulky items in Elgin?

set-days (with stickers on regular garbage day). No booking: put the item out on your regular collection day with one teal refuse sticker per item. Items over 45 lb: call 311 first. Appliances: yellow appliance sticker from City Hall, set out on regular day (separate truck). Large clean-outs: call LRS 1-855-612-7938 for a special collection or dumpster. Fees: $4.16 refuse sticker per bulk item; appliance sticker $30 per the Stickers page and LRS portal, $31.20 per the Program Cost page (conflict, both city pages).

Does Elgin recycle glass?

Glass: accepted in cart (clear, green and brown bottles and jars).

How do I report a missed trash pickup in Elgin?

Use the city’s online form (elgin.lrsrecycles.com) or call LRS Elgin customer service 855-612-7938 ([email protected]); City of Elgin 311 / 847-931-6001 ([email protected]).

Sources

1
Garbage, Organics & RecyclingCity · elginil.gov · checked October 30, 2026
2
Collection ScheduleCity · elginil.gov · checked October 30, 2026
3
Household Hazardous Waste and Electronic Waste CollectionCity · elginil.gov · checked October 30, 2026
4
StickersCity · elginil.gov · checked October 30, 2026
5
Garbage, Recycling, and Organics CollectionCity · elginil.gov · checked October 30, 2026
6
Yard WasteCity · elginil.gov · checked October 30, 2026
7
Drop-Off LocationsCity · elginil.gov · checked October 30, 2026
8
Garbage GuidelinesCity · elginil.gov · checked October 30, 2026
9
Recycling GuidelinesCity · elginil.gov · checked October 30, 2026
10
Organics GuidelinesCity · elginil.gov · checked October 30, 2026
11
Program CostCity · elginil.gov · checked October 30, 2026
12
Condos & TownhomesCity · elginil.gov · checked October 30, 2026
13
Fall Leaf Pick-up ProgramCity · elginil.gov · checked October 30, 2026
14
City of Elgin, IL Resident Portal (LRS)Contracted hauler · elgin.lrsrecycles.com · checked October 30, 2026
15
LRS and City of Elgin AgreementCity · elginil.gov · checked October 30, 2026

Something changed? Report a change

Second-pass verification against every source: November 1, 2026. Not affiliated with any city, county or hauler.