Rockford, IL Trash Pickup Schedule
Collection days, holiday changes, recycling rules, and drop-off options for Rockford, Illinois — in one page, with sources.
Trash in Rockford, IL runs on a set schedule — your exact day depends on your address. Rules and holiday shifts below.
Pickup days are assigned by address — the city's lookup gives your day, and the schedule repeats each week unless a holiday shifts it.
When is each service collected?
Recurring schedule for Rockford services.
| Service | When | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Trash | Unlimited collection ONCE WEEKLY Monday-Thursday across 4 citywide zones (one weekday per... | Depends on your address — the city assigns days via its lookup/map |
| Recycling | Depends on your address | WEEKLY on the regular garbage collection day. 65-gal cart provided to every active-garbage building (2024). Loose, no plastic bags; no food-contaminated paper; cardboard flattened and bundled <=2 ft x 2 ft. |
| Bulk | Depends on your address | Bulk items weekly with garbage, some restrictions; each dwelling gets one truck hopper (~3 cubic yards)/week - exceeding triggers a bulk-refuse surcharge. No call-ahead needed. Not accepted: building/remodeling materials, TVs/monitors, auto parts, oil, tires, liquids, hazardous waste. |
What changes on holidays?
Upcoming days that move your pickup, with the exact shift rule.
| Holiday | Observed | Pickup |
|---|---|---|
| Thanksgiving Day * | Thu, Nov 26, 2026 | Runs one day later |
| Christmas Day * | Fri, Dec 25, 2026 | Runs one day later |
| New Year's Day * | Fri, Jan 1, 2027 | Runs one day later |
| Memorial Day * | Mon, May 31, 2027 | Runs one day later |
* Observed date derived from the standard U.S. calendar; the service rule comes from the linked source.
Which bin does it go in?
Search the material, follow the color: green chip recycles, red goes to trash.
| Material | Where it goes |
|---|---|
| cadence | Recycle Weekly, same day as garbage |
| cart | Recycle 65-gal recycling cart provided to every residential building with an active garbage account (early 2024) |
| prep | Recycle Place recyclables loosely - never in plastic bags |
| not_accepted | Recycle Food-contaminated paper (pizza boxes excluded) |
| cardboard | Recycle Flatten and bundle <=2 ft x 2 ft with string/twine |
What about bulky or special items?
Mattresses, appliances, storm debris — the rules before you set them out.
- Set-out rules — Place out no earlier than 3:00 p.m. the day before collection and not later than 6:00 a.m. on collection day; empty cans returned to an inconspicuous storage location by 8 a.m. the following day; garbage stored out of sight from the street (Ch. 25 ordinance).
- Carts & senior swap — 95-gal city cart issued to every serviced building (2024); all garbage must be in these carts. Overflow allowed in cans <=32 gal, <=50 lbs. Residents 62+ or disabled may swap to a 65-gal cart at no cost (application via customerservice@rockfordil.gov).
More details: bulk & yard waste page.
Who collects what?
The provider for each service and how to reach them.
| Service | Provider | Contact |
|---|---|---|
| Trash | Rock River Disposal (Waste Connections company) under city contract | |
| Recycling | Rock River Disposal (city contract) | |
| Bulk | Rock River Disposal (city contract) |
Common questions
The things Rockford residents ask most.
What day is garbage pickup in Rockford, IL?
Weekly Monday-Thursday depending on your garbage zone (4 citywide zones).
How much bulk trash can Rockford residents set out?
Weekly with regular pickup - up to one truck hopper (~3 cubic yards) per dwelling per week; more triggers a bulk surcharge. TVs, tires, auto parts, liquids and hazardous waste are not accepted.
What changed recently?
Every update to this page, newest first.
- Record created from Rockford's 4-zone garbage boundary layer (2024, served via the AGOL utility proxy to the city server).
- Holiday QA R6 (2026-09-24) INCONCLUSIVE: city /469 page MEASURED - refuse collection contracted to Rock River Disposal (Waste Connections; 815-965-2489, callcenter@wasteconnections.com), mandatory for <=4-unit residential; holiday schedule lives only in a customer-gated JS embed ('Local Holiday Schedule' / 'Garbage Pickup Schedule During Holidays' on rockriverdisposal.com/pickup-schedule render empty; 'You can only see your pickup schedule if you are a current customer'). No statically reachable holiday rule.
- QA: population corrected to Census Vintage 2023 estimate (Rockford township: 167,522; prior estimate 146120).
- Added rockfordil.gov /469 /470 /475: hauler identified (Rock River Disposal/WC), recycling clarified to WEEKLY same-day with 65-gal cart, 6 named holidays, bulk 3-cu-yd weekly cap, set-out window and senior cart swap.
- Sources re-checked 2026-10-20: the previously registered route-service link no longer resolves and was replaced with bounded notes; the city's residential waste pages remain the answer path and are linked.
Population 167,522 · Sources: Rockford_Garbage_Boundary MapServer L0 'Rockford Garbage Boundaries' …, City of Rockford Residential Waste & Recycling Services (fetched 2026…, City of Rockford Weekly Garbage Collection (fetched 2026-10-08), City of Rockford Weekly Recycling Collection (fetched 2026-10-08) · Summarized from municipal, hauler, and public-data records; schedules change without notice.