🌽 WHAT WE TAKE IN ILLINOIS
Navigating Illinois’ Landfill Bans
Illinois has specific laws prohibiting the disposal of certain items in landfills.1 Our full-service junk removal helps you responsibly manage these materials, ensuring they are recycled or disposed of in compliance with state law.
♻️ BANNED ITEMS AND RECYCLABLES WE HANDLE
The items listed below are banned from Illinois landfills. We ensure they are properly processed through the mandated recycling and disposal streams.
| Banned/Regulated Item | What We Take | Illinois Compliance & Disposal Process |
| Electronics (E-Waste) | TVs, Computers (desktops/laptops), Monitors, Printers, Keyboards, VCRs/DVDs, Fax Machines, Video Game Consoles, etc. | Banned from landfills since 2012 by the Consumer Electronics Recycling Act. We deliver them to certified e-waste recyclers. Note: Charges for CRT glass (old TVs/monitors) may apply depending on the local recycler’s policy. |
| Large Appliances (White Goods) | Refrigerators, Freezers, Air Conditioners, Water Heaters, Washers, Dryers, etc. | Banned from landfills since 1994. We ensure all hazardous components (like mercury switches, Freon/CFCs, and PCBs) are removed prior to the metal being recycled. |
| Lead-Acid Batteries | Motor vehicle batteries (car, motorcycle, RV, etc.). | Banned from landfills since 1990. We take them to automotive service centers or salvage yards for recycling. |
| Used Tires | Passenger vehicle and light truck tires. | Banned from landfills since 1994 to prevent illegal dumping and mosquito breeding. We transport them to licensed tire processors. |
| Landscape Waste | Grass clippings, leaves, garden waste, branches, and brush. | Banned from landfills since 1990. We haul these to permitted composting facilities. |
| Used Motor Oil | Liquid motor oil. | Banned from landfills since 1996. We ensure it goes to a service station or facility that accepts used oil for recycling or burning as heating oil. |
| Mercury-Containing Products | Fluorescent and High-Intensity Discharge (HID) Lamps, Thermometers, and Thermostats. | Banned due to mercury content. We deliver them to appropriate Household Hazardous Waste (HHW) collection sites or retailers. |
🏡 GENERAL JUNK & CONSTRUCTION MATERIALS
We haul all non-hazardous household, office, and construction debris.
- Furniture: Couches, mattresses, chairs, tables, desks, bookshelves, etc.
- Household Clutter: Old boxes, scrap metal (non-appliance), tools, exercise equipment, and non-banned general trash.
- Construction & Demolition (C&D) Debris:
- Clean Fill: Uncontaminated broken concrete, bricks, rock, and asphalt pavement.2 (Often routed to special C&D disposal sites.)
- General Debris: Drywall, wood products, roofing shingles, and non-hazardous painted/treated wood.3
⚠️ WHAT TO KNOW ABOUT PAINT DISPOSAL IN ILLINOIS
Latex Paint (Water-Based):
- Not considered hazardous.
- We can take it if it is dried/solidified. Illinois state law allows solidified latex paint (mixed with kitty litter, sand, or shredded paper) to be disposed of in the regular trash.4
Oil-Based Paint, Stains, & Thinners:
- Considered Household Hazardous Waste (HHW).
- This must be taken to a state-sponsored HHW collection event or a permanent HHW facility (like those in Naperville, Rockford, or Chicago). We may be able to haul and transfer your approved HHW materials, but this requires specific arrangements to ensure it reaches a certified facility.