Who picks up trash at a Skokie house?

Houses and buildings of up to four units have village service, with carts out by 7 a.m. Buildings with more than four units use the village's contracted hauler, on a schedule set for the property. Crews will not return for late set-outs on the four-or-fewer unit service.

How does Skokie want old paint handled?

Paint must be completely dried or mixed with an absorbent such as sand or cat litter and allowed to solidify before disposal. Flammable liquids and explosives are also banned from garbage containers under Village Code 86-11, so they cannot go in the weekly cart.

Does Skokie have an at-home chemical pickup?

Yes. The regional solid waste agency says Skokie opted in to a scheduled at-home household hazardous waste pickup for residents. Dates change each year; check with the agency for the current schedule. The pickup is run with a hazardous waste contractor, not through the village's regular garbage service.

What counts as unlawful dumping in Skokie?

Depositing, throwing away or allowing waste materials to accumulate in any street, alley or other public place, or in any place where their presence would be a nuisance or hazard to health, sanitation or safety.

When does the village code require a dumpster on a project?

All residential, commercial and industrial sites with demolition, construction, renovation, cleanup or like activity underway must have a construction dumpster or roll-off receptacle, and it must be removed within 14 days of the completion of the work. Under Village Code 86-18, construction dumpsters must be located on private property unless the lot has limited space.

How old is most of Skokie's housing?

About 38 percent of Skokie's 25,159 homes were built in the 1950s, and about 54 percent date to before 1960. About 75 percent of occupied Skokie homes are owner occupied; about 55 percent of the village's units are single family detached.

Junk removal in Skokie, IL | Homes from the 1950s

Q: What will the village's yard waste pickup not take?

Grass clippings, yard waste in plastic bags or carts, bundles longer than 5 feet or heavier than 50 pounds, branches 3 inches or more thick, dirt, large amounts of sod, mulch, stumps, logs, or waste from large landscaping projects. Those items need a different route.

Skokie housing by decade

The median year built for Skokie housing is 1959, and the 1950s are the village's biggest building decade: 9,593 of its 25,159 housing units date to 1950 through 1959, about 38 percent of the total.¹ About 54 percent of the village's housing stock was built before 1960.¹

Period built	Housing units
Built 1939 or earlier	1,582
Built 1940 to 1949	2,299
Built 1950 to 1959	9,593
Built 1960 to 1969	4,389

Period built

Housing units

Built 1939 or earlier

1,582

Built 1940 to 1949

2,299

Built 1950 to 1959

9,593

Built 1960 to 1969

4,389

About 55 percent single family detached homes²
About 27 percent in buildings with at least five units²
About 13 percent in buildings with two to four units²
About 75 percent of occupied homes are owner occupied²

Trash pickup by building type in Skokie

Garbage and recycling are collected on the same day for houses and small apartment buildings of up to four units, with carts placed out by 7 a.m. on the collection day; crews will not return for late set-outs.³ The village's contracted hauler provides trash collection for condos and other multifamily buildings with more than four units, on a schedule that depends on the property.³

Yard waste in Skokie

The village collects yard waste on Wednesdays from the first Wednesday in April through the second Wednesday in November; material goes in 32-gallon paper yard waste bags or in bundles tied with string or twine.⁴ Residents can put out up to 10 bags or bundles per week, and none over 50 pounds.⁴

The village will not collect grass clippings, yard waste in plastic bags or placed inside trash or recycling carts, bags over 50 pounds, bundles longer than 5 feet, branches 3 inches or more thick, dirt, large amounts of sod, mulch, stumps, logs, or waste from large landscaping projects.⁴

Furniture removal

Paint and household chemicals in Skokie

Village Code 86-11 says explosives and flammable liquids shall not be placed in garbage containers for storage or collection.⁵ Paint must be completely dried, or mixed with an absorbent such as sand or cat litter and allowed to solidify, before it goes in the trash; hazardous waste more broadly falls under state and federal law.

Paint, household chemicals and flammable liquids are not ours.

The regional solid waste agency says Skokie is one of the member communities that opted in to a scheduled at-home household hazardous waste pickup for residents, run with a hazardous waste contractor.⁶ Dates change year to year; check with the agency before planning around the program.

The village's dumping and dumpster rules

Village Code 86-10 says no waste materials shall be deposited, thrown away or permitted to accumulate in any street, alley, or other public place, or in any place or condition where their presence would be a nuisance or a hazard to health, sanitation or safety.⁵ No waste materials collected shall be disposed of within the village, under Village Code 86-15(a).⁵

All residential, commercial and industrial sites where demolition, construction, renovation, cleanup or like activity is underway shall have a construction dumpster or roll-off type waste receptacle for depositing construction waste and related trash, serviced as needed and removed within 14 days of the completion of the work, under Village Code 86-18.⁵ Construction dumpsters shall be located on the private property undergoing construction, demolition or renovation, unless the lot has limited space.⁵

If a project at a Skokie address involves demolition, renovation or construction, ask the village about the dumpster requirement before the work starts.

Junk removal in Skokie, IL