Public Works and Engineering » Refuse & Recycling » Curbside composting

Curbside composting


Click here and complete a service request to sign up or change your cart size!

No more brown bags and stickers for yard waste, including all food scraps and organics.

With the goal of decreasing the amount of organic waste sent to landfills, the Village of River Forest and Lakeshore Recycling Systems (LRS) offer a yard waste and food scrap compost program to residents.

How the Program Works

The program is offered on a voluntary, subscription basis. The subscription price varies based on cart size, and the program auto-renews until cancelled. Residents who sign up will receive a cart, along with an under-sink collection bucket. See the table below for cart sizes and pricing.

The program now allows for two households to share one cart and split the monthly cost of the cart. To sign up, residents can fill out the Bin Sharing information under Composting on the Village's Service Request Form. Once both households have completed the form, the subscription fee will be divided between the neighbors. 

Residents who sign-up before the 20th of the month will receive their compost container before the end of the month. Compost collection will begin the following month.

Collection Plan

Collection of organics is scheduled  on each Tuesday in the Spring/Summer/Autumn months and every other Tuesday December through March. Both yard waste and food scraps may be placed in the organics cart. For 2024-2025, the winter compost collection dates will be 12/3, 12/17, 12/31, 1/14, 1/28, 2/11, 2/25, 3/11, and 3/25. Weekly collection will resume on 4/1/25. 

To participate in the program, please complete the form below or call 708-366-8500.  Please indicate which size cart you would like. For reference, the 65 gallon cart is comparable in volume to two bags or containers of yard waste. New sign-ups and requests to change cart sizes must be received by the 20th of the proceeding month to ensure the new cart is delivered at the start of the month.

Monthly Service Rates - Curbside Composting Collection

Dates 32-35 Gal. 64-65 Gal. 95-96 Gal.
May 1, 2024 to April 30, 2025 $13.39 $15.45 $17.51
May 1, 2025 to April 30, 2026 $13.79 $15.91 $18.04
May 1, 2026 to April 30, 2027 $14.21 $16.39 $18.58

Click here and complete a service request to sign up or change your cart size!