Refuse and Recycling

Refuse and Recycling

General Information
As of May 1, 2016, the City contracts with Groot Industries, 2500 Landmeier Road, Elk Grove Village, Illinois 60007, (847) 734-6400, for the collection of residential waste and recycling. The following provides information about residential waste laws and the City's recommendations for the handling, storage, and disposal of all household waste produced.
Frequency of Collection
The collection is made once each week at the curb or alley on the scheduled day for single and two-family dwellings. (MAP) If you live in a multiple-family dwelling, please call the disposal company to find out about the specific collection program for your building.

Park Ridge has a city-wide recycling program that picks up residents’ recyclables the same day as refuse collection. 
Due to a state mandate, yard waste, including grass clippings, tree and shrub trimmings and leaves cannot be mixed with regular household refuse. Collection for single and two-family dwellings is made once each week (beginning the first full week in April and continuing through mid-December) on the same day as refuse and recycling collection. Click here for more information about yard waste and composting.
 
Holidays observed for recycling/garbage pickup are: 
  • New Year's Day
  • Memorial Day
  • Independence Day
  • Labor Day
  • Thanksgiving Day
  • Christmas Day
Time of Collections
The collection is made between the hours of 7 am and 6 pm. Where refuse is collected at the parkway, refuse must not be placed on the parkway prior to 3 pm the day before collection.

Refuse Containers

All refuse must be stored in the 95-gallon wheeled cart provided by Groot Industries. Refuse carts are available in three sizes: 95, 65, and 35 gallons.
 
Residents wishing an alternate cart size should call Groot Industries at (847) 734-6400 for information on the cart exchange program. There is no cost to the resident to exchange carts. However, carts may only be exchanged once in a 12-month period.
 
Additional refuse carts are available for lease through Groot Industries for a quarterly fee. To obtain an additional cart, contact them directly at (847) 734-6400. They will deliver the additional cart and bill the resident on a quarterly basis.
 
Refuse containers shall be kept covered at all times, maintained in good repair, and in a clean and sanitary condition. No container used for refuse storage shall be placed so as to be unsightly, odorous, or so as to constitute a nuisance to adjacent properties.
 
Dumpsters shall be deemed a standard refuse container on property used for multiple families and commercial purposes only.

Refuse Containers on City Parkways and Streets

Refuse may not be placed on City parkways for collection prior to 3 pm the day before collection. Refuse containers or uncollected refuse must not remain upon City parkways or streets more than 24 hours after collection.

Services Provided

The contractor will collect and dispose of materials referred to collectively as refuse, including furniture (2 pieces of furniture or 1 mattress set per week) and carpeting up to 40 square yards in total (rolled, not to exceed 5' in length or 45 pounds). All refuse must be containerized unless the item is too large.
Please call Groot at (847) 734-6400 to make arrangements and payment for special collections exceeding these limits.
Recycling
The city's recycling program is paid for through property taxes. Residents are provided one 65-gallon wheeled cart from Groot Industries for recycling at curbside or alley. Recycling carts are available in three sizes: 95, 65 and 35 gallons. Residents may request an alternate size cart for exchange. Residents wishing an alternate size cart should Groot Industries directly at (847) 734-6400. There is no cost to the resident to exchange carts however carts may only be exchanged once in a 12-month period. Additional recycling carts are also available from Groot for a fee. All approved recyclables can be placed in the same recycling cart; materials do not need to be separated. Recycling placed out at the curb or in the alley in containers other than the wheeled carts will not be collected. The occasional overflow recycling may be placed in paper bags and placed adjacent to the filled cart for collection. Do not place your address on the cart. The carts remain the property of Groot Industries and are to be left at the residence when an owner vacates the property.
The following materials are approved for recycling:
Aluminum - Rinsed beverage cans or formed aluminum trays. Crushing is optional.
Steel (tin) cans - Food, beverage, candy, cookie tins, empty aerosol cans, except paint. Metal lids, caps, and rings are permitted.
Glass bottles and jars - Green, brown, and clear glass only. Remove lid, ring, and cap. Rinse, do not break.
Paper - Office paper, newspaper, magazines, catalogs, cartons, flattened food boxes or cardboard boxes no larger than 3' X 3', and clean paper bags. No waxed paper.
Plastic - Empty and rinsed plastic containers to include bottles, jugs, tubs, and jars. Recap lids. Do not flatten. No plastic wrap.  PLEASE NOTE: Plastic Bags are NOT recyclable.
Furniture - will be picked up by Groot on your regular garbage day. LIMIT 2 ITEMS PER WEEK.
Appliances or "White Goods" - Stoves, refrigerators, freezers, air conditioners, humidifiers, dryers, dehumidifiers, dishwashers, furnaces, etc. by law require special handling. Please call Groot Industries at (847) 734-6400 for current pricing and to arrange for pickup.

Groot's recycling page can be found here.

Click here for SWANCC's Recycling page for additional recycling resources!

Batteries
Effective June 12, 2018, the City of Park Ridge has discontinued its battery recycling program. Alkaline batteries can be disposed of with the regular household refuse as they contain no mercury or other heavy metals. Rechargeable batteries do contain heavy metals and should be recycled. Visit the SWANCC website at www.swancc.org for disposal information.

For information on electronics, paint, and plastic bag recycling, please visit www.swancc.org

Click here for a link to an IEPA Interactive Website on recycling.

Changes in Electronics Recycling
Due to changes in Illinois's electronics recycling law, beginning January 1, 2012 residents will no longer be able to place any electronic products in their refuse or recycling for disposal. Groot Industries will not collect these items

SWANCC has worked with its member communities to provide environmentally-sound recycling for electronics through one-day collection events and permanent drop-off locations.  Residents are also able to utilize many retail drop-off locations during evening and weekend hours.  
For a complete list of options, please visit SWANCC 

Current weekly electronic drop-off locations include:
Glenview Transfer Station
3 Providence Way
Des Plaines, IL 60016
(847) 724.9205
Saturdays, 9 AM - 11:30 AM

Acceptable materials include:  Cable Receivers, Cell Phones, Computer Monitors, Computers (Desktop, Notebook, Tablet), Converter Boxes, Desktop Fax Machines and Printers, Keyboards, Mice, MP3 Players, Portable Digital Assistants (PDAs), Satellite Receivers, Scanners, Televisions, Video Game Consoles, Video Recorders/Players and Zip Drives.

Small household appliances, such as toasters, blenders, coffee makers, and lamps can be thrown away in the garbage if they cannot be donated for reuse. Microwaves can be taken to a scrap metal company for recovery. Some electronics may be taken to retailers such as a Goodwill, Best Buy or Abt Electronics for recycling.  Please call first to confirm that your items will be accepted and if fees apply.

Hazardous Materials Collection
For further information regarding hazardous material collection, contact the Environmental Health Officer at (847) 318-5281.

The City collects expired and unused medications, sharps (diabetic needles), for disposal on a monthly basis in cooperation with the Solid Waste Agency of Northern Cook County (SWANCC) and the National Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA).  The City also accepts mercury thermometers, compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs), and fluorescent tube bulbs for recycling (4 ft. or less / 12 bulbs max). Collections are the first Thursday of the month, in the lobby of City Hall, between 8 and 11 am.
 
It is suggested labels be removed from the prescriptions as a precaution.  Sharps need to be in a container and the bulbs should be in plastic bags.
 
Only over-the-counter medications, prescription medications (not including pharmaceutical controlled substances), and sharps are taken.  Pharmaceutical controlled substances may not be collected.
 
The DEA classifies certain pharmaceuticals as controlled substances because of the potential for abuse or addiction. Such drugs generally include narcotics, stimulants, depressants, halogens, and anabolic steroids.  Contact the Health Division regarding the disposal of these substances.
 
Construction MaterialsConstruction materials, such as broken concrete, lumber, sod or dirt, etc, over one cubic yard, will not be picked up by the City's contractor Groot. Such material must be hauled away by the property owner or by a private hauler contracted for by the property owner.

White Goods

White goods are appliances and equipment which include refrigerators, ranges, water heaters, freezers, air conditioners, humidifiers, stoves, clothes dryers, dehumidifiers, ovens, dishwashers, water coolers, heat pumps, chillers, furnaces, and boilers. Homeowners can call Groot at (847) 734-6400 to arrange for a special pickup to dispose of any white goods and/or automobile tires / truck tires. A disposal fee will be charged for the collection of these items.

Maintaining Premises

No person shall permit refuse, litter, or junk to accumulate on their premises in a manner that creates a nuisance or a hazard. It is unlawful to dump, deposit, or in any other way place trash, grass clippings, tree branches, garden trimmings, stones, bricks, concrete, scrap metal, lumber, or any other discarded materials on any vacant lot, alley, park, parkway, lawn, or other private or public property.
 
All premises, improved or unimproved, and all open lots, areas, streets, sidewalks, and alleys shall be kept clean and free of all rubbish and materials that might serve as harborage for rodents; all lumber, boxes, barrels, and loose iron, scrap metal, auto bodies, as well as other materials that may be permitted to remain thereon and that may be used as harborage by rodents shall be placed on supports and elevated 12 inches above the ground.
 
No person shall sweep into or deposit any litter, including leaves, in any gutter, street, or other public places within the City.
 
If problems should result from Groot Industries work, or if a special pick up is requested, please call the company directly at (847) 734-6400. Problems that cannot be resolved by calling the company should be referred to the Park Ridge Public Works Department at (847) 318-5227.

To stop junk mail and reduce household refuse write to: 
Direct Marketing Association
Mail Preference Service
P.O. Box 282
Carmel, NY 10512

Or call: (212) 768-7277 ext 1500 
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