Chicago bulk trash pickup: schedule, rules & how to schedule
Chicago's Department of Streets and Sanitation collects garbage from single-family homes and apartment buildings of four units or fewer. The city's sanitation rules say you should arrange a bulk pick-up with your ward Streets and Sanitation superintendent before you put out a large item or an extra load of trash.
By appointment
How pickup works
| Type | Arrange before you set out |
| Schedule | City garbage is collected weekly, Monday through Friday. Arrange the bulk pick-up before you put a large item out. Follow the instructions you get from 311 or your ward office. |
| Limits | No item limit is published on the official city pages we reviewed. Confirm with 311 or your ward office for a large cleanout. |
| Cost | The official pages we reviewed do not publish a separate bulky-item fee. Confirm with 311. |
| Who is eligible | Single-family homes and apartment buildings of four units or fewer that receive city garbage collection. Larger buildings must arrange private collection. |
| How to set items out | Do not put a large item out until the bulk pick-up has been arranged. |
How to book
Call 311 (or 312-744-5000), use 311.chicago.gov or the CHI311 app, or contact your ward Streets and Sanitation office.
Sanitation ordinance (bulk pick-up) →Phone: 311
What they accept
Usually accepted
- Large items that do not fit in your cart (arrange the pick-up first)
Usually not accepted
- The sanitation code also says to remove doors or lids from discarded refrigerators and freezers before disposal.
Mattresses
Confirm with 311 or your ward office whether a mattress can go out with your bulk pick-up.
Appliances (including Freon)
Always remove doors or lids from discarded refrigerators and freezers, and arrange the bulk pick-up before setting them out.
Tires
Not described on the official bulk-pickup pages we reviewed. Confirm with 311.
E-waste
Household chemicals and computer equipment go to the city's Household Chemicals & Computer Recycling Facility, not out with ordinary garbage. Confirm with 311 before setting out a TV.
If you would rather drop it off
Chicago does not run a public dump for household trash. Electronics and household chemicals go to the city's permanent collection facility — see FindMyDump.
Find official landfills, transfer stations and drop-off centers in Chicago on FindMyDump: Chicago dumps and drop-off sites.