Recycling - Curbside

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General Information
Recyclable Items
Collection Guidelines

General Information

Naperville began its curbside recycling program in 1986, making it the first community in Illinois to offer this service to its residents. The program has grown and improved from a bi-weekly service that required a large amount of sorting to a weekly service that requires virtually no preparation work at all.

Both garbage and recycling are collected every week on the same day.  Please see the garbage collection schedule for information on your collection day.  The city provided one recycling bin for every single-family home in the city. The bins are the property of the city and must be left at the home in the event of relocation.  Additional bins may be purchased from Resource Management, or a water-tight plastic or metal container no larger than 32 gallons and clearly marked as recycling may be used. 

Note: City-issued, 32-gallon garbage carts are not suitable for recycling purposes.

Resource Management is the city's recycling contractor, (view program details)  If you have any additional questions regarding recyclable materials, please call Resource Management Customer Service at (708) 952-1896.

Recyclable Items

Please place the following recyclables in your curbside collection bin. All recyclables may be placed in one container.

• Newspaper
• Advertisements
• Junk Mail
• Magazines
• Catalogs
• Phone Books
• Books (notebooks, novels, hard or soft textbooks; residents are encouraged to donate items in good condition.) 
• Office Paper
• Post-It Notes™
• Gift Wrap
• Paper Bags
• Chipboard Boxes Such as Gift Boxes, Tissue Boxes, and Cereal Boxes
• Corrugated Cardboard Boxes including Frozen Food Boxes
• Glass Bottles and Jars
• Aluminum Cans, Foil, and Trays
• Tin or Steel Cans, Including Empty Aerosol Cans and Paint Cans
• Plastic Containers numbered #1 through #7 (except #6)
• Plastic 6-Pack Rings
• Milk Cartons and Drink Boxes
• Shredded Paper (in clear plastic bags only)

Clear plastic bags of shredded paper must contain only paper. Cards or other plasticized material contaminates the product.

Collection Guidelines

Place recycling containers on the side of the driveway opposite from garbage collection cans and yardwaste. 

Mixed paper may be placed in a separate bin or paper bag.  Do not tie the paper into bundles, or place recycling in plastic bags, The exception to this is when disposing of shredded paper which must be disposed of in clear plastic bags.  Please flatten large cardboard boxes and place them under your recycling bin.

All containers should be rinsed out, but labels do not need to be removed. Place all mixed recyclable containers separate from paper and place heavy items such as glass on top of lightweight items to avoid them from being scattered onto city streets.

Please remember:

• Styrofoam products are not included in Naperville's curbside recycling program. Packing peanuts can be recycled at some local mailing or shipping establishments. Visit the Plastic Loose Fill Council Web site to find participating stores.  Dart Container Corporation in North Aurora operates a polystyrene foam (styrofoam) drop-off recycling site for foam cups and containers, foam egg cartons, meat trays, and most packaging foam: molded forms and shapes. They do not accept packing peanuts. Visit Dart Container Corporation and click on the Recycling Specifications tab for more information. (630) 896-4631
• Plastic bags may be recycled at some local grocery stores.
• Use the Household Hazardous Wastedrop-off site for recycling oil-based and alkyd paint, household chemicals, fluorescent bulbs, pesticides and automotive fluids.