Public Works and Development Services » Refuse & Recycling » Yard waste and brush

Yard waste and brush

Residents may set out yard waste (which commonly includes grass, leaves, and shrubbery cuttings) and bundles of brush/branches for collection. Specially printed River Forest Universal Solid Waste Tags, which can be purchased at the Village Hall and at area retailers, must be affixed to paper yard waste bags and bundles of brush prior to collection. Program details are as follows:

  • Yard waste must be set out for collection curbside no earlier than 6:00pm the night before collection (Monday) and no later than 7:00am on collection day (Tuesday).
  • Yard waste will be collected on Tuesdays at curbside (in the parkway immediately behind the curb). Yard waste should not be placed in the street. Exception: All yard waste generated at residential locations receiving alley service will be collected at the edge of the alley in a clearly visible location - not located behind gates, fences, or other structures at the time of collection.
  • Properly prepared paper yard waste bags shall not exceed 32 gallons in capacity or 50 pounds in weight. Brush/branches may be set out in bundles - individual branches are not to exceed 4 feet in length or 4 inches in diameter, and each bundle is not to exceed 50 pounds in weight.
  • The yard waste collection season begins the first Tuesday after April 1st and runs through the first Tuesday in December.
  • Please note that yard waste collection is on Wednesday following the Memorial Day, 4th of July, and Labor Day holidays. 

Residents should also review the Village's curbside composting program for an alternative way of disposing of compostable yard waste.