In July 1990, the State of Illinois officially banned yard waste
from landfills.

Since then, the Village has worked with recycling educators, community leaders and residents to create a culture of reuse and composting of yard waste.

Residents serviced by the Village's residential solid waste hauler will be provided yard waste collection service from April – November. A yard waste sticker is required for each commercial yard waste bag or can or bundle of branches/tree limbs. Yard waste sticker sales locations include: Municipal Center - Gary Ave. & Hiawatha Tr.
(Mon- Fri. 8 am – 5 pm)

Police Records – Gary Ave. & Hiawatha Tr.
(after hours & 24/7 on Sat. & Sun)

Jewel Foods - County Farm & Army Tr. Rds.
(Heritage Plaza)

Carol Stream Food Mart - Elk & Idaho Trs.

Ace Hardware – 806 Army Trail Rd.
(Heritage Plaza)

Dominick's- Geneva & Schmale Rds.
(Geneva Crossing)

Convenient Food Mart - Kuhn Rd. & Munson Dr.

Due to occupational safety concerns of the waste hauling industry, bundles or containers of yard waste cannot weight more than 50 lbs with limbs or branches to be cut into 4 ft. lengths and have a diameter of not more than 4 inches. Branches or tree limbs longer than 4 feet in diameter and more than 4 ft in diameter as well as large tree stumps can be taken for composting to:

DuPage Yard Waste Facility
1195 W. Washington St.
West Chicago, IL 60185
Phone: (630) 876-8900
Fax: (630) 876-0719
Accepts: Grass clippings, branches, leaves etc.
Call for rates and hours.

The Village recycles all parkway tree debris. The debris is chipped through our mobile chippers and then is put through a tub grinder. By tub grinding, this turns our chips into usable mulch. The usable mulch is placed near the Water Reclamation Center at 245 N. Kuhn Road for our residents to use.

Backyard composting helps reduce yard waste disposal costs.

The Village code supports composting in the rear yard of residential properties as long as the location is not within a drainage swale or interferes with the overland flow of storm water and the height, composition and volume of the composting material is manageable so as not to create odor problems. The preferred recipe for residential backyard composting is as follows:

Allowable materials include grass trimmings, wood waste, leaves, weeds and other garden refuse which may be placed in a compost pile, provided it is placed in such a way so the material cannot be wind blown. Compost piles may NOT
▪ Be more than 5 feet in height;
▪ Have a maximum ground or base area of more than 100 sq. ft;
▪ Be located in a front yard;
▪ Be located within 7 feet of the side yard property line;
▪ Be located within 10 feet of the rear yard property line;
▪ Be located within in a utility easement or drainage swale.

Needed Ingredients – GREEN Organic Matter such as grass clippings, weeds, lawn/house plant trimmings together with BROWN organic matter such as leaves, straw and shredded paper.

Combine 3 equal parts of GREEN to 1 part of BROWN matter. For example: layer 6 inches of grass clippings with 2 inches of leaves. Alternate the above portions, water occasionally, and stir every two weeks. Contents should be moist like a wrung- out sponge. Do not add thick layers of any one material! Experiment a little to see what ratio works best for the materials you need to compost.

Composting Tips:
▪ If an odor problem develops, the general cure is to add more brown material or turn the mixture;
▪ Avoid putting sticks or nuts in the compost bin;
▪ Materials will compost quicker when pieces are small. So chop, cut, chip or shred to help speed up the decomposition process.

For more information on backyard composting, visit the Univ. of Illinois Cooperative Extension Service.

For more information about the free mulch, contact our Public Works Department at (630)871-6260, email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or click this link to view the Village's mulch information.

For more information about our waste hauler or composting, contact our Administration Department at (630)871-6250 or email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it