Skokie Switches To Once-Weekly Trash Pickup

SKOKIE, IL — The village of Skokie this week shifts from twice-a-week garbage pickup to once-weekly refuse collection.

All single-family homes and buildings with up to four units will have trash pickup on the same day as they currently have recycling collection (see map below) — although trucks will likely be coming at a different time of day.

Village staff said carts must be put out for collection before 7 a.m. and should all be serviced by 3 p.m. Missed pickups can be serviced the following day if reported by residents.

Approved by the village board in November 2022, the trash collection change was recommended as part of the Skokie's environmental sustainability plan and the village's sustainable environment advisory commission as a way to cut greenhouse gas emissions and reduce waste.

Village officials aim to make a 10 percent reduction in residential landfill waste by 2030, and a study conducted by village public works staff found that only 15 percent of households need or use the second refuse pickup.

The transition is also intended to cut down on the amount of waste sent to the landfill by increasing recycling and composting. Village officials said the change will also reduce wear-and-tear on roads in the village, decrease noise pollution in residential areas and stabilize future rates.

Currently the $9.25-per-month refuse fee charged quarterly to Skokie residents covers less than a third of the expense of the program.

Meanwhile, neighboring suburbs, which already have once-weekly service, have rates ranging from $17 to $30 a month, according to village staff.

"So, while the refuse fee will remain unchanged," according to the village website, "transitioning to once-weekly collection will help minimize rate increases in the long-term."

The village, park district and Niles Township government are providing free food scrap composting at eight locations, and the village government is sponsoring a 15 percent discount for new annual subscriptions for a residential curbside composting service and $25 rebates for approved aboveground compost bins.

Each single-family household is allotted with a 95-gallon refuse container that can fit up to 200 pounds of household trash, which does not include electronic waste, hazardous chemicals and cleaning products, outdoor plant waste or construction waste.

Residents that produce more bags of trash than fit in the bin were asked to place sealed trash bags on top of it on collection day — not before, and not on the ground.

Households that need a second bin may request them, and such requests will be assessed by staff on a case-by-case basis.