To keep our facility, employees, and community safe — and to stay compliant with EPA and Illinois EPA regulations — the following materials are NOT accepted at our transfer station. Please review before bringing your load.
Most household and construction debris is welcome at Cottage Grove Street Transfer Station. However, certain materials are strictly prohibited due to safety, environmental, and legal restrictions. Loads containing any of the items below will be rejected at the scale — please make sure your load is clean before arriving. If you're unsure about a specific material, call us at 1-708-833-8892 before you load up.
Organized by category. If your load contains any of these items, please arrange for proper disposal through the resources listed below.
Toxic, corrosive, reactive, or infectious materials that require specialized disposal.
Fire risk — cannot be processed safely at a transfer station.
Liquids contaminate other waste and create runoff hazards.
Handled separately by municipal yard-waste programs.
Loads are inspected at the scale.
If any prohibited item is found in your load, the entire load may be rejected and you will be asked to remove it and dispose of it through proper channels. Mixed loads cost time and money — please double-check before you bring it in.
For prohibited materials, here are commonly available proper disposal resources for the Chicagoland and Northwest Indiana area.
Most Illinois and Indiana counties hold periodic HHW collection events for paints, chemicals, batteries, and small hazmat. Check your county's solid waste department website.
Most AutoZone, O'Reilly, Advance Auto, and Walmart locations accept used motor oil and car batteries for free recycling.
Bring empty propane tanks to a Blue Rhino, AmeriGas, or hardware store exchange. Most accept old tanks even if you don't refill.
Use a licensed medical waste hauler or pharmacy take-back program. Never put sharps or medications in regular trash.
Asbestos requires a licensed abatement contractor for safe removal and disposal. Do NOT bring suspected asbestos to our facility.
Most cities offer municipal yard-waste pickup in spring/fall, or composting drop-off year-round. Contact your city's public works dept.
If you're unsure whether a material is accepted, call us before you load up. We're happy to answer questions and save you a wasted trip.