Paper  

• Remove metal caps and rings, notebook spirals, three-ring binders, and industrial size staples 
• Envelopes with cellophane windows can be accepted 
• Newspaper and inserts 
• Magazines, catalogs, and phone books
• Office paper, notebooks, computer print outs, hanging file folders, pastel colored sticky notes (no fluorescent), glossy brochures, index cards, greeting cards, stationery, fax paper, manila folders and envelopes
• Junk mail
• Chipboard/paperboard – cereal, cracker, tissue, shoe, gift, and 6/12-pack boxes, paper towel tubes, and egg cartons
• Cardboard boxes must be flattened and cut
• Brown paper grocery bags
• Paperback books (no hardcover books)

Steel/Tin Cans  

• Empty and rinse, labels may be left on
• Food cans and lids
• Metal paint cans and lids (must be empty and dry, some dried paint residue is fine)
• Metal lids are recyclable

Cartons  

• Empty, rinse, do not crush or flatten, leave caps and tabs on
• Food and drink cartons
• Milk, soup, and juice

Aluminum Cans and Foil  

• Empty, rinse, do not crush or flatten
• Aluminum cans
• Aluminum foil (ball clean foil to 2 inches or larger, no flat foil or small balled up foil)
• Pie plates & trays

Glass Bottles and Jars  

• Empty, rinse, labels are fine to leave on
• All glass colors are accepted

Plastic Containers  

• Leave plastic screw top caps on empty bottles and jars
• Empty and rinse; labels may be left on
• Bottles include: Water, soda, juice, laundry detergent, soap/shampoo, health and beauty products and cleaners
• Tubs include: coffee, tofu, cottage cheese, yogurt, margarine tubs, fruit or lettuce
• Jugs include: milk and juice
• Jars include: mayo, peanut butter

Organics season is April 1^st – November 30th. LRS offers two options for Northbrook residents to dispose of landscape waste and organics – a sticker program and subscription. Residents who enroll in subscription will pay an annual subscription fee and be delivered a 95g cart for yard waste. Residents on the sticker program require 1 sticker for every personal can/container of yard waste. All branches must be ties with string or twine into bundles not exceeding 2 feet in diameter and 4 feet in length.

ORGANICS COLLECTION PROGRAMS

The LRS franchise agreement offers three different programs residents can utilize for the collection of compostable/organic materials. All organics collection takes place on Wednesdays, regardless of your regular collection day.

WINTER COLLECTION SCHEDULE

Organics pickups will take place on an every-other-week service cadence beginning in December and run through March of next year. The service dates are as follows:

2025 Dates: December 10, December 24

2026 Dates: January 7, January 21, February 4, February 18, March 4, March 18

WHAT IS CONSIDERED LANDSCAPE WASTE?

Yard waste, also known as landscape waste, consists of organic waste materials accumulated as the result of cultivation and maintenance of gardens, lawns, shrubbery, trees, and vines. Organic Food Scrap may be mixed in with yard waste April through November.

Organic Food Scraps Accepted (All Food Scraps Need To Be In A Lidded Rigid Container)

BREAD | CEREAL | COFFEE GROUNDS | DAIRY | EGGSHELLS | EGGS | FRUITS | GRAIN | PASTA | SHELLS | VEGETABLES

Unacceptable Materials:  

SOD | DIRT | ARTIFICIAL CHRISTMAS TREES | WREATH GREENERY AND GARLAND (NOT CONSIDERED YARD WASTE)

ALL-IN COMPOSTING PROGRAM

Beginning this May, LRS, through the existing franchise agreement, will start All-In Composting in Northbrook. This year-round program will allow all households in the Northbrook corporate limits with LRS service to easily dispose of yard waste and food scraps for composting. Food waste accounts for
as much as 20% of all material that ends up in landfills and by diverting yard waste and food scraps from landfills, we increase the lifespan of landfills and reduce emissions of methane (a potent greenhouse gas). Northbrook joins communities like Highland Park and Deerfield in taking proactive, community-wide steps to address these issues.

For more information on the All-In Composting Program, visit this link.

ENHANCED (SUBSCRIPTION) COMPOSTING PROGRAM

Also referred to as Subscription Composting, this legacy program is an optional service with a flat rate paid annually and provides either a 65- or 96-gallon compost cart for yard waste and food scraps. With enhanced composting, additional yard waste bags do not require collection stickers. This is perfect for residents without a lawn service. Curbside pick-up is each Wednesday April 1 through November 30, then every other Wednesday from December 1 through March 31. Click here for every-other-week schedule.

Subscribers using their own containers for overflow organics must label each container YARD WASTE.

STICKER PROGRAM

No subscription needed! Dispose of organic waste by placing collection in labelled Kraft-type paper, plastic, or metal containers. Stickers can be purchased for $3.25 each at Village Hall, Ace Hardware, and some local grocers. Collections by LRS using the Sticker Program are available from April 1 thru November 30 on Wednesdays regardless of the primary collection day for refuse & recycling. The sticker program is not a year-round service. This service includes both yard waste and food scraps.

HOLIDAY TREES

LRS will provide an annual special collection of Christmas trees at no charge starting during the whole month of January.

• The tree must be real, not artificial, not in any plastic bags and free of tinsel, lights, ornaments and not frozen to the ground.
• Trees must be placed curbside

Flocked trees, trees with shiners, tinsel, light bulbs, glitter, wire, or plastic or in plastic bags will not be included in this special collection.