Public Works Department

2023 Spring Yard Waste Collection

The City of Champaign’s 2023 Spring Yard Waste Collection has been scheduled.  The Orange Zone and the Blue Zone will each have one collection in April and one collection in May.

  • All residences in the Orange Zone should put materials out by 6 a.m. on Monday, April 10, and Monday, May 8, 2023.
  • All residences in the Blue Zone should put materials out by 6 a.m. on Monday, April 17, and Monday, May 15, 2023.

Please note that your materials will be picked up sometime during the week, there is no set day for collection in your zone.  Some residences may be collected early on the Monday, while others may not be collected until Friday.

To find your collection zone, visit Champaign’s Yard Waste Collection Interactive Map and enter your address.  Collection is available to all residential properties within the City limits.  Crews will begin picking up materials on Monday of the scheduled week and work through the zone on consecutive days until all materials are collected.  If your materials were not collected, make sure the items met Yard Waste Pickup Guidelines shown below.  City crews will place a doorhanger or affix bright green stickers to your bags to indicate why items were not collected.

General Information

The City of Champaign sponsors two seasonal yard waste collections during the year (one in spring and one in fall) and a Holiday tree collection for all residential properties in the City. The fall yard waste collection provides residents with four collection opportunities, while the spring yard waste collection provides two collection opportunities.  Please refer to the City’s Policy for Yard Waste and Holiday Tree Collection for detailed information.

Future Collections

To receive information about future yard waste collections, please sign up now to receive notifications:

Sign up for Yard Waste Collection Updates

Yard Waste Pickup Guidelines

  • The collection is available to all residential properties within the Champaign City limits.
  • Materials must be in 30-gallon paper yard waste bags.  NO PLASTIC BAGS OR CONTAINERS.
  • Bags should be placed within 10 feet of the curbside, and 5 feet away from obstacles like mailboxes, trees, telephone poles, and fire hydrants.
  • If bags are placed too close to obstacles, the bags will be left until the next scheduled pickup week. 
  • Bags should be placed by 6 a.m. on your scheduled day to ensure pickup.  It is recommended to set the bags out the night before your pickup date.
  • Only bags containing leaves, grass clippings, and plant materials will be collected.  Bags with any other materials, such as rocks, glass, potted plants, mulch, or pet waste will not be collected.
  • Twigs and branches may be bundled with non-metallic twine or placed in paper yard waste bags.  Branches cannot be larger than 2 inches in diameter and 3 1/2 feet long. Bundles cannot be larger than 18 inches in diameter.

  • Please seal your bags as much as possible to prevent loose leaves from escaping. Avoid using duct tape to seal your bags.
  • Do not put your bags out more than a week in advance; especially if rain or snow is being forecast.
  • Bags placed too close to obstacles will be left until the next scheduled pickup week.
  • Additional items may be taken to the Landscape Recycling Center, for a fee. More information can be found at www.landscaperecyclingcenter.org.

Helpful bag placement

The Yard Waste Program is primarily intended for the pick up of your bagged leaves.

Household trash and items will not be picked up; these items include:

  • excessive dirt
  • mulch
  • broken glass
  • rocks
  • discarded pumpkins and vegetation
  • potted plants
  • pet waste

Additionally, please be sure your bags are not filled beyond the “capacity” line indicated on the side of the bag. Also, bags should not weigh more than 40 lbs. Failure to follow these guidelines may result in your yard waste bags not being collected.

Things to Avoid

Bags need to be placed at least five feet away from obstacles such as trees, mailboxes, light poles, fire hydrants, etc.

Bags placed too close to obstacles will be left until the following schedule collection week.

Did you know that fall leaves can add valuable nutrients to your lawn and garden? Keep this in mind before spending needless hours bagging your leaves. You may actually be hurting your lawn by removing too much of their natural nutrients.

“Raking and collecting leaves every autumn is a tradition without scientific basis. Research has proven that mowing leaves into your lawn can improve its vigor.”

See information on Last Season’s Leaf Shedding

The links below provide helpful information regarding mulching yard waste and leaves:

Burning leaves in the City of Champaign is prohibited at all times.  Please see Chapter 15, Section 20 of the Municipal Code.

For questions about yard waste collection:

Public Works Department
702 Edgebrook Drive
Champaign, IL 61820
Phone: 217-403-4700
Public Works Hotline: 217-403-8852

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