City Issues Seasonal Cleanup Reminders for Fall

As the leaves start to fall, community members should familiarize themselves with seasonal cleanup reminders to help keep neighborhoods clean and safe.

Food & yard waste is now collected year-round. Thanks to this year's service changes, collection doesn't stop in December anymore. Weekly collection will occur from April through November. Beginning December 7 and continuing through March, collection will occur every other week. Winter collections willSave alternate between "A" weeks, which include Monday and Tuesday routes, and "B" weeks, which include Wednesday and Thursday routes. Download the free Recycle Coach through the Apple or Google Play stores or access the tool directly on the City’s website to get reminders for your route. Your green-lidded cart now accepts fruits and vegetables, meat and bones, eggshells, grains, coffee grounds and filters, paper towels, and similar materials, so it's a great place for post-Halloween pumpkins, too.

Use up your old yard waste stickers by November 1. Previously issued City stickers will be accepted until November 1, 2026. New stickers will be priced at $2.60 per sticker. New stickers are sold at Valli Produce, Jewel-Osco, Lemoi Ace Hardware, City Hall, the Levy Senior Center, and the Evanston Ecology Center.

Leaf blowers. Only electric leaf blowers may be used in Evanston, and only during set hours: Monday-Friday 7 a.m. to 9 p.m., Saturday 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Sunday 12 p.m. to 4 p.m. Fines apply for repeat violations, starting with a written warning. To report a violation, call 311. Learn more.

Keep leaves out of the street. Dumping debris into the streets is illegal and can cause flooding. Violators will be fined. Consider mulching leaves in place instead; it feeds your lawn and garden beds over the winter. 

Street cleaning continues through mid-December. The City's street cleaning season runs from March 1 through December 15. The City has added additional fall street cleaning dates for residential streets to clear late-season leaves. Signage is posted, and parking restrictions will be enforced. Check your block's signs and sign up for text or email reminders so you remember to move your car.

Fall cleanout? Schedule a special pickup. There's no single fall bulk trash day this year. A new pilot program replaced the previous pre-scheduled spring and fall bulk trash pickup days. Instead, residents can call or text 311 to schedule a pickup whenever they need one. For homes with one to five units, each pickup can include up to 3 cubic yards, about the size of a couch or twin mattress, with an annual limit of 12 cubic yards per unit. All material must be out by 7 a.m. on the scheduled day. City crews will not return for late set-outs.