Departments
IMPORTANT – please refer to this guide (via link) to confirm proper disposal of your refuse vs. recycling. Please try and inhibit contamination of your recyclables by educating yourself on the Dos and Don’ts. See list here.
Holiday Recycling Naughty and Nice List – click here
In 2006, the Village of Forest Park, in partnership with Allied Waste Services (now known as Republic Services), launched the 64-gallon recycling container program. Residents who called Allied Waste at 708-345-7050 and ordered their new container received it free of charge. The “toter,” as it is commonly called, holds ALL of your recyclables, making it easy for anyone, even children, to contribute to saving the environment! Further, by reducing waste at landfills, you also save the Village money in disposal costs. Click THINK GREEN to view more about recycling.
Waste Pick Up
NEW PICKUP DAY FOR RESIDENTS NORTH OF MADISON STREET
To better service all our customers, Republic Services has changed the service day for some Forest Park residents. Beginning March 8, 2024, garbage, recycling and yard waste collection will be on Fridays for residents in the area north of Madison Street, south of the railroad tracks, west of Harlem Avenue, and east of Lathrop Avenue.
Click here to view a map of the affected service area.
If you have any questions, please call Republic Services at 708-345-7050.
If you are new in Forest Park, refuse, recycling and yard waste are picked up on Thursday for residents south of Madison Street and Friday for residents north of Madison Street. This normal service schedule may be affected by New Year’s Day, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving and Christmas Day. During a holiday week, if one of these holidays falls on or before your pickup day, service will be delayed by one day.
Make sure all of your containers are in the alley or at the curb by 6 a.m. on the morning of collection! Containers that are on private property, inside fences or gates will not be emptied.
YARD WASTE: Yard waste is collected between April 1st and the end of November. Yard waste should be collected in a separate container clearly marked “YARD WASTE,”* and placed alongside your regular refuse containers for weekly pick up. Brown yard waste bags are also acceptable. *YARD WASTE stickers can be obtained, free of charge, from Village Hall*. Autumn leaves should be raked onto the street, curbside, for collection by the Street Department. Leaves are picked up on various days of the week throughout the season and will cease being collected once a significant snowfall is realized, typically the first or second week of December.
* Yard Waste stickers are not needed for bags.
Organics Collection
Organics/food scrap collection is a seasonal (April thru November) a la carte service offered by Republic Services. A 95 gallon collection bin is provided for personal organics disposal. The fee for this service (2023) is $113.63 for the season and billed directly to the customer by Republic. For guidance regarding permissible items to dispose of under this program, please click on the flyer link below. To sign up, please contact Republic at 708-345-7050.
Bulk Items
Bulk items (such as sofas, mattresses, etc.) should be placed in the alley. Please note, some large (bulk) items require you to call the waste hauler for a “special pick-up” at an additional cost. Please call 708-345-7050 directly or they may not be picked up with the regular waste.
Hazardous Waste
Hazardous materials, such as paint, pesticides, cleaning solutions, gasoline, oil, and other flammable, toxic or corrosive products are not acceptable in your regular refuse for disposal. Please click HERE to be directed to a page on the Illinois EPA Website that contains information regarding where household hazardous waste items may be disposed of. Further, hardware stores sell a product that you can pour into paint which will harden the paint for disposal in the regular trash.
Medication Waste/Recycling
The Forest Park Police Department takes part in the Cook County MEDS Disposal Initiative. If you have expired, unused or unwanted prescription or over-the-counter medications, you can bring them in to the Forest Park Police Department located at 517 Desplaines Ave., Forest Park, IL. Police Department staff will dispose of the medication in a secure receptacle that is emptied regularly by staff from the Cook County Sheriff’s Police. More information can be found at: https://www.cookcountymeds.org
Other resources for medication disposal can be found at: Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago (mwrd.org) and Prescription Drug Takeback Program (cookcountysheriff.org)
Electronics Recycling
The State of Illinois prohibits disposal of electronic items with the everyday waste. Waste haulers are not allowed to remove your electronic items. Stores such as Best Buy, Earth911.com and Staples advertise free electronics recycling. Please contact them directly for more information. Once per year, the Village hosts an electronics recycling event during the third week in May. Stay tuned to the Village’s website/e-newsletter as information about this yearly event becomes available.
2023 Electronics Recycling Week Flyer
Questions
If you have any questions at all about Forest Park recycling programs, household waste and yard waste, feel free to contact Republic Services directly at 708-345-7050 or the Village Hall at 708-366-2323. If your bin is lost, stolen or damaged, contact the Village for a replacement.
