Peoria’s recycling rules require residents to use single-stream recycling with provided 95-gallon carts collected every other week. All recyclable materials must be clean, empty, and placed loose in the cart without plastic bags, with collection happening before 6 AM on designated schedule days.
Essential Peoria Recycling Rules and Requirements
Understanding Peoria’s recycling rules starts with knowing the city’s single-stream system managed by GFL Environment. This streamlined approach means residents don’t separate materials – all acceptable recyclables go into one 95-gallon wheeled cart. The system processes over 50,000 tons of recyclable materials annually, making Peoria one of Central Illinois’ most efficient recycling programs.
To participate in Peoria’s recycling program, residents must request their official cart by calling GFL Environment at 309-688-0760 or signing up online through the city portal. The carts are provided at no cost and remain property of GFL Environment. Residents needing additional capacity can request a second 95-gallon cart without extra fees, ensuring households of all sizes can participate effectively in the recycling program.
Complete List of Acceptable Recyclable Materials in Peoria
Peoria’s recycling program accepts a comprehensive range of materials through their single-stream system. The key requirement for all items is that they must be completely empty and rinsed clean of food residue. Contaminated materials can reject entire truck loads, impacting service costs for all residents. Here are the specific categories and examples of what Peoria residents can recycle:
| Item Type | Examples | Special Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Paper Products | Newspapers, magazines, office paper, mail | Shredded paper must go in clear plastic bags |
| Cardboard | Cereal boxes, shipping boxes, pizza boxes | Must be clean and dry |
| Plastic Containers | Bottles, jugs, food containers with numbers 1-7 | Remove caps and lids, rinse clean |
| Glass Containers | Bottles and jars | Remove lids, rinse clean |
| Metal Cans | Aluminum cans, steel food cans | Rinse out food residue |
| Cartons | Milk cartons, juice boxes, soup cartons | Rinse and remove straws |
Prohibited Items That Damage Peoria’s Recycling System
Understanding what cannot be recycled prevents costly contamination and equipment damage at Peoria’s materials recovery facility (MRF). Plastic bags represent the number one contaminant in Peoria’s system, causing machinery shutdowns and worker safety hazards. When plastic bags tangle in sorting equipment, the entire processing line must stop for manual removal, reducing efficiency and increasing operational costs.
Additional prohibited items include medical waste like needles and syringes, household hazardous waste including paint and chemicals, organic yard waste such as leaves and grass clippings, and electronic waste like computers and televisions. These materials require specialized disposal methods and should never be placed in standard recycling carts. Residents can return plastic shopping bags to designated collection bins at most grocery stores and retail locations.
Peoria Recycling Collection Schedule and Placement Guidelines
Peoria operates a bi-weekly recycling collection system with two alternating schedules (Schedule A and Schedule B) serving different neighborhoods throughout the city. Residents can determine their specific collection day and schedule by entering their address into the city’s interactive Collection Schedule Map. This system ensures efficient route management while providing regular recycling service to all participating households.
Proper Cart Placement Procedures for Guaranteed Pickup
Correct cart placement ensures reliable collection and prevents missed pickups that can leave recyclables sitting for two additional weeks. Carts must be positioned at the curb or alley edge where regular trash collection occurs, with the front wheels facing the street for easy mechanical lifting. The 6 AM deadline allows collection crews to complete routes efficiently, though residents may place carts out as early as 3 PM the previous evening for convenience.
Maintaining proper spacing prevents collection delays and equipment damage. Recycling carts require a minimum three-foot clearance from trash carts, mailboxes, vehicles, and snow piles. After collection, city ordinances require cart retrieval within 24 hours, with storage limited to garages or alongside homes – never in front yards or backyards where they create visual pollution and code violations.
| Recycling Day Rules | Details |
|---|---|
| Set Out Time | Before 6 AM on collection day (or after 3 PM day before) |
| Cart Position | Front facing street, 3 feet from other carts |
| Collection Frequency | Every other week (Schedule A or B) |
| Cart Retrieval | Within 24 hours after pickup |
| Storage Location | Garage or alongside house (not front/back) |
Special Recycling Rules for Different Areas Near Peoria
If you live close to Peoria but not exactly in the city, your recycling rules might be different. East Peoria has its own recycling program with similar rules but different pickup days. Peoria Heights also has special rules about bundling items and weight limits. Each area near Peoria has its own waste management company and rules.
What Happens When You Don’t Follow the Rules
When people don’t follow Peoria’s recycling rules, it causes problems for everyone. Dirty containers or wrong items contaminate the whole load of recycling. When this happens, the entire truck load might get thrown away instead of recycled. This makes trash costs go up for everyone in the city.
The sorting facility workers have to work quickly to remove wrong items from the recycling. When plastic bags get stuck in machines, they have to stop everything to fix it. This makes recycling more expensive and less efficient. Following the rules helps keep costs down and protects worker safety.
How Peoria’s Recycling Helps the Environment
When you follow Peoria’s recycling rules correctly, you help protect the environment in many ways. Recycling reduces the amount of trash that goes to landfills. It also means companies don’t have to use as many new materials from the earth to make products.
The materials from your recycling cart get sent to special facilities where they’re cleaned and turned into new products. Old newspapers become new paper towels. Plastic bottles become new containers or even clothing. Glass jars become new glass bottles. This cycle helps save energy and reduces pollution.
Getting Help With Large Items and Special Waste
Your regular recycling cart can’t handle everything you might want to get rid of. For bigger items or special materials, you have other options in the Peoria area. The city offers bulk pickup services for large furniture and appliances, but you need to make an appointment.
For major cleanouts or renovation projects, you might need a professional junk removal service to handle items that don’t fit in regular recycling or trash pickup. Some projects generate so much waste that organizing a community cleanup day becomes the best solution for the whole neighborhood.
Need Help With Large Cleanup Projects?
Call Zap Dumpsters for reliable waste management solutions in Peoria!
Tel. (309) 650-8954Electronic Waste and Hazardous Materials in Peoria
Electronics and hazardous materials need special handling and can’t go in your regular recycling cart. Old computers, TVs, and phones contain materials that can be harmful if not disposed of properly. Peoria County is working on a permanent facility for household hazardous waste that should open soon.
Until that facility opens, you can take electronics to special collection events or designated drop-off locations. Paint, chemicals, batteries, and other hazardous materials should never go in regular trash or recycling. Check with Peoria County for current options for disposing of these materials safely.
Future Changes to Peoria’s Recycling System
Peoria’s waste management system is changing as the county landfill recently closed in 2025. A new transfer station is planned to open in 2026, which may bring new recycling options and rules. GFL Environment, the company that handles Peoria’s recycling, is also planning to add a convenience center for better recycling services.
These changes might mean new opportunities for recycling items that currently aren’t accepted. The new facilities could also make it easier to dispose of hazardous materials and electronics properly. Keep watching for updates from the city about these improvements to recycling services.
| Common Recycling Mistakes | Correct Way |
|---|---|
| Putting items in plastic bags | Put items loose in cart, take bags to store collection |
| Not rinsing containers | Rinse out all food and liquid residue |
| Including pizza boxes with grease | Only clean cardboard, tear off greasy parts |
| Mixing in electronics | Take electronics to special collection events |
| Adding yard waste | Use separate yard waste collection or composting |
Conclusion
Following Peoria’s recycling rules is easy once you understand the basics. Remember that all items must be clean and empty, everything goes in one cart, and pickup happens every other week. Avoid putting plastic bags, electronics, hazardous materials, and yard waste in your recycling cart. When you follow these simple rules, you help make Peoria cleaner and protect the environment for everyone.
For more information about recycling rules and schedules, visit the City of Peoria’s official recycling page or call GFL Environment at 309-688-0760. They can help you get started with recycling or answer questions about what items are accepted.
Peoria’s Recycling Rules FAQs
Can I recycle pizza boxes in Peoria?
You can recycle pizza boxes in Peoria only if they are clean and don’t have grease or food stuck to them. If the bottom of the box is greasy, tear off the clean top part and recycle that while throwing away the greasy bottom.
What happens if I put the wrong items in my recycling cart?
Wrong items in recycling carts contaminate the entire load and can cause the whole truck of recyclables to be thrown away instead of processed. This increases costs for everyone and defeats the purpose of recycling.
Do I need to remove labels from containers before recycling?
You don’t need to remove labels from most containers when recycling in Peoria. The important thing is to make sure containers are empty and rinsed clean of all food or liquid residue before putting them in your cart.
