Reference
Bulk pickup rules, village by village
Every town in Lake and NW Cook County has a different hauler and a different set of limits. Here is what yours actually takes at the curb, and what it will not.
Most people assume bulk pickup works the same everywhere. It does not. Lake Zurich caps a free bulk item at 50 pounds and 4 feet. Palatine draws its line at 60 pounds. Long Grove requires that a single collector be able to lift the item alone. Arlington Heights runs bulk on a bi-weekly schedule with a fee rather than weekly.
We put this together because we kept answering the same question on the phone. If your village already takes what you have, use the program you are paying for through your taxes and your hauler bill. Call us for the things it will not take.
| Village | Hauler | The rule | Details |
|---|---|---|---|
| Algonquin | Groot (800) 244-1977 | Groot serves Algonquin, with residents choosing between a sticker program and a cart subscription. Large items that do not fit an approved container need one prepaid sticker each up to 50 pounds, and two stickers between 50 and 75 pounds. Anything the driver cannot safely lift, regardless of weight, may require a special collection quoted by Groot. | Village page |
| Arlington Heights | Groot (800) 244-1977 | Groot handles Arlington Heights collection. Unlike most towns nearby, bulk refuse here runs on a bi-weekly schedule rather than weekly, and reported wait times run two to three weeks with a fee per pickup. Electronics are separate, at up to two items a week. | Village page |
| Barrington | Groot (800) 244-1977 | Groot collects for the Village of Barrington. You get one large item per pickup, plus up to one cubic yard of miscellaneous debris or construction material each week at no extra charge, as long as it is bundled under 4 feet long and 2 feet in diameter. Appliances and anything unusually heavy require a paid special pickup you have to schedule ahead. | Village page |
| Barrington Hills | Private, resident-contracted (224) 456-6607 | Barrington Hills has no municipal garbage pickup. The village confirms residents must contract individually with a private hauler, and each carrier sets its own containers, schedule, recycling, and what waste it will take, including yard waste and, given the equestrian character here, manure. There is no village-wide bulk allowance because there is no village-wide program. | Village page |
| Buffalo Grove | Waste Management (800) 964-8988 | Waste Management collects for Buffalo Grove, once a week for refuse, landscape waste, and recycling. Each household can put out one oversized item per week at no extra cost. Anything beyond that one item, you arrange and pay for directly with Waste Management. Yard waste needs a rigid container with an organics decal from Village Hall. | Village page |
| Cary | Flood Brothers (630) 261-0578 | The Village of Cary contracts with Flood Brothers for refuse and recycling. Bulk items like household furniture are collected, but each one has to have a pre-paid Cary refuse bag attached to it. So every piece you set out is a sticker cost, and the item still has to get itself to the curb. | Village page |
| Crystal Lake | LRS (Lakeshore Recycling Systems) (844) 633-3577 | The city contracts with a single hauler for residential collection, and LRS serves Crystal Lake proper. The base rate includes weekly refuse, recycling, yard waste, and one bulk item a week at no additional charge, such as a couch, chair, or table. By-the-bag refuse stickers are available for overflow. | Village page |
| Deer Park | Groot (800) 244-1977 | Groot is the contracted residential hauler for the Village of Deer Park. Like Groot's other area contracts, service centers on a weekly cart plus a limited bulk-item allowance, with heavier or oversized items arranged as a paid special pickup. Confirm your specific tier and allowance with Groot directly. | Village page |
| Fox River Grove | LRS (Lakeshore Recycling Systems) (844) 633-3577 | The village contracts with LRS for weekly refuse and recycling and seasonal yard waste collection, covering single family homes, duplexes, and most multi-family properties up to six units. Bulk items beyond standard service are arranged with LRS directly. | Village page |
| Grayslake | Groot (847) 693-2700 | Groot took over Grayslake residential collection on October 1, 2025. Residents get one bulk item a week, under 50 pounds, and specifically one a single Groot collector can lift safely alone. Items banned from landfill disposal, including appliances, tires, car batteries, televisions, and electronics, are excluded. The village guidance names a hot tub as the example of an oversized item requiring a paid special pickup. | Village page |
| Gurnee | LRS (Lakeshore Recycling Systems) (844) 633-3577 | LRS took over Gurnee residential collection in June 2024. One bulk item a week goes beside your cart at no charge. Anything over 50 pounds needs to be scheduled with LRS so they bring proper equipment, and additional items the same day require prepayment and prescheduling. Mattresses have to be wrapped in plastic to be collected. Electronics, refrigerators, freezers, paint, chemicals, and oils are refused outright. | Village page |
| Hawthorn Woods | Waste Management (800) 964-8988 | Waste Management takes two free bulky items a week, plus white goods like water heaters, washers, dryers, stoves, and dishwashers on top of that limit. You have to call at least 24 hours before your regular pickup day to arrange it. | Village page |
| Kildeer | LRS (Lakeshore Recycling Systems) (847) 381-9300 | Kildeer selected LRS as the exclusive provider for weekly residential garbage, recycling, and yard waste, collected on Fridays. Bulk items beyond the standard allowance are arranged directly with LRS. | Village page |
| Lake in the Hills | Flood Brothers (630) 261-0578 | The Village of Lake in the Hills contracts with Flood Brothers for all residential collection, with refuse, recycling, and landscape waste picked up once a week on a designated day. Bulk and oversized items beyond standard cart service are arranged with Flood Brothers directly. | Village page |
| Lake Villa | LRS (Lakeshore Recycling Systems) (844) 633-3577 | LRS has provided garbage, recycling, yard waste, and fall leaf collection for Lake Villa since May 1, 2024. Bulk items and special pickups are arranged directly with LRS customer service. | Village page |
| Lake Zurich | LRS (Lakeshore Recycling Systems) (847) 381-9300 | LRS handles Lake Zurich collection. On the unlimited 95-gallon plan you get one bulk item a week at no charge, but only if it weighs under 50 pounds and is shorter than 4 feet. On the 35- or 65-gallon plans, any bulk item costs 3 stickers. Construction debris is not accepted at all. | Village page |
| Libertyville | Groot (877) 404-7668 | Libertyville contracts with Groot for single-family and multi-family collection, and the residential service tiers include one bulk item a week. Pickup days run Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday depending on where in the village you are. | Village page |
| Lindenhurst | Groot (847) 693-2700 | The village contracts with Groot, with residential collection on Mondays. The contract covers garbage in the automated cart plus one bulk item a week that one person can handle. Anything beyond that you arrange directly with Groot, and they charge a separate fee for special pickups outside standard service. | Village page |
| Long Grove | Groot (847) 693-2700 | Groot serves Long Grove. Residents get one bulk item a week, under 50 pounds, and specifically one that a single Groot collector can safely handle alone. Anything past that first item costs extra. Yard waste and food scrap collection runs April 1 through November 30 on a sticker program. | Village page |
| Mount Prospect | Republic Services (847) 981-0091 | Republic Services collects for Mount Prospect. Large items like furniture and bedding go beside the cart, but the village maintains an approved bulk item list and anything outside that list is left at the curb. If it does not fit and does not qualify, your options are to hold it until next week or pay Republic for a special pickup. | Village page |
| Mundelein | Groot (847) 693-2700 | Groot serves Mundelein, and the village runs an annual spring cleanup week when residents can put bulk items at the curb on their normal collection day. That week accepts furniture, patio furniture, grills, drained mowers and snow blowers, bikes, and general household debris. It specifically excludes yard waste, electronics, tires, paint, chemicals, fuel, asbestos, railroad ties, and large quantities of construction debris. Appliances with refrigerant are refused unless the refrigerant has been removed and the unit tagged to prove it. | Village page |
| Palatine | Groot (800) 244-1977 | Groot collects for Palatine. One bulk item goes to the curb each week, and the village publishes exactly what qualifies: appliances, grills, bicycles, cabinets, countertops, furniture, mowers, mattresses, plumbing fixtures, snow blowers with the fuel removed, sofas, and swing sets cut to 4 feet or less. Anything over 60 pounds or over 4 feet may require a paid special pickup. | Village page |
| Prospect Heights | Flood Brothers (630) 261-0578 | Flood Brothers collects for Prospect Heights. Bulk items are picked up at no additional charge as long as you call at least 24 hours ahead of your collection day. White goods like refrigerators, water heaters, washers, and dryers are included on the same 24-hour notice. Overflow refuse must be in a bag or container no larger than 32 gallons or 50 pounds. | Village page |
| Rolling Meadows | City of Rolling Meadows program (847) 963-0500 | The city sets hard limits at the curb. Items must be no larger than 4 feet by 4 feet, stacked neatly, and no more than 6 pieces per collection. Anything larger or beyond 6 pieces needs a special pickup, which carries a $50 minimum. Garage doors have their own rule: dismantled into sections, each cut to 4 feet, with a 6-door limit per pickup day. | Village page |
| Round Lake | Groot (847) 693-2700 | Groot has served the Village of Round Lake since January 1, 2021, providing residents with a 95 gallon refuse cart and a 65 gallon recycling cart. Groot runs an annual spring clean-up week when bulk items can go to the curb on your normal collection day. | Village page |
| Round Lake Beach | Groot (847) 693-2700 | Groot has been the waste hauler for Round Lake Beach since July 1, 2023. Bulk collection beyond the standard cart service is arranged with Groot, and the village runs periodic clean-up periods announced through Village Hall. | Village page |
| Round Lake Park | Groot (847) 693-2700 | Groot serves Round Lake Park and runs an annual spring clean-up week, during which residents may put bulk items at the curb on their regularly scheduled pickup day. The village publishes an approved item list for that week. | Village page |
| Vernon Hills | Waste Management (800) 964-8988 | The village contracts village-wide with Waste Management. Waste must go in the WM-provided containers, and items left outside them are either not collected or charged an additional fee. Bulk items need a special pickup arranged and paid for directly with WM. | Village page |
| Wauconda | LRS (Lakeshore Recycling Systems) (847) 381-9300 | The village contracts with LRS for weekly single-family garbage and recycling, collected Thursdays and Fridays. Bulk items are handled as a special pickup arranged directly with LRS. | Village page |
| Wheeling | Waste Management (800) 796-9696 | Waste Management is the exclusive residential hauler for Wheeling. Collection includes refuse, recycling, and one bulk item or a limited amount of carpeting per week. | Village page |
Rules verified July 2026 against official village and hauler pages. Municipal waste contracts change when they are renewed, so confirm with your village before relying on any of this. If you spot something out of date, call us at (224) 456-6607 and we will correct it.
What no village will take
A few categories are excluded everywhere in our service area, regardless of which hauler your town uses. Hot tubs, above-ground pools, sheds, decks, and fences are structures rather than bulk items. Construction and renovation debris is excluded from most residential programs outright. Anything hazardous, meaning liquid paint, fuel, pesticides, and propane, needs Lake County household chemical waste collection, and we cannot legally take it either.
Electronics are their own case. Illinois bars covered electronic devices from landfills, so televisions and computers have to go to a registered recycler. Some villages run their own e-waste programs, and where they exist they are free and worth using.
See how we handle each of those
Got something your village will not take?
Send a photo. We will quote it in 1 to 2 hours.