Trash & Recycling
Groot Recycling and Waste Services, Inc., is currently under contract with the Village of Morton Grove to provide garbage collection services. Please review general information about the program as shown below and in the Groot brochure, effective from May 1, 2020.
Unlimited Standard Refuse Service: Service includes the collection of unlimited household garbage. Additional refuse beyond the 35, 65, or 95-gallon cart may be placed in containers not exceeding 32 gallons. One bulk item (non-appliance, less than 50 lbs.) will be collected each week at no additional charge. Additional items will be collected for a fee. Refuse and recycling are required to be out by 6:00 a.m. on collection day. Contact Groot to replace any broken or damaged refuse or recycling carts by phone at 847-734-6400.
Special Collection
Bulk and Oversize Item Disposal
Service includes collection of one (1) bulk item (not appliances or items over 50 lbs.) per week at no additional cost. For additional bulk items, residents should call Groot to schedule a pick-up in advance for a fee for each/item pick-up (see Fee Schedule).
Bulk items include: boxes, barrels, crates, furniture, and similar items that do not fit into a proper container and can be safely collected/lifted by one driver without assistance. Exceptions include items which are banned from direct disposal into a landfill. (Appliances, tires, car batteries, televisions and other electronic waste).
Residents must call Groot to schedule a special pick-up for oversized items or any single large or extra heavy item. An example of an oversized item is a piano or any item that requires two or more people to safely lift. There will be an additional cost for oversized items. Call Groot at 847-734-6400 for additional details.
White Goods Collection Service
Groot Industries Inc. will collect White Goods as defined by the Illinois Environmental Protection Act for a cost billed to the resident.
White goods such as: refrigerators, freezers, ovens, washers, air conditioners, humidifiers, dehumidifiers, dryers, water heaters, water softeners, dishwashers, stoves, ranges, furnaces, etc. requires a special pick-up and separate disposal is required by the State of Illinois. Items will be picked up for a fee per appliance (see Fee Schedule). Residents must call Groot at 847-734-6400 to schedule a pick-up in advance.
Construction/Demolition Debris
All material must be cut to no more than 4 feet in length and no larger than 2 feet in diameter. For the safety of the collector, all debris must be bagged or bundled and free of nails and sharp objects not exceeding 45 pounds. Carpet must be cut up in four foot lengths not exceeding 45 pounds per roll. One (1) cubic yard will be taken at no charge per collection day, each additional cubic yard will be picked up for a fee per cubic yard (see Fee Schedule).
Special Pick-Ups
Special pick-ups for items not included in weekly collection may be scheduled for an additional charge by calling Groot 847-734-6400. A Groot supervisor can perform an estimate of the collection in advance upon request.
What Solid Waste Items Are Not Collected
Illinois law prohibits the disposal of certain waste in landfills. In addition, other items should be disposed of by other methods. Please observe these regulations, or your trash will not be collected. Please visit www.swancc.org for more information on how to dispose of these items. The following items are banned from landfills:
- Automobile Tires
- Automobile Batteries
- Explosive, Toxic, Hazardous & Volatile Waste
- Flammable Waste
- Gasoline, Motor Oil, Anti-Freeze
- Large Automobile Parts & Wheels
- Acids & Poisons
- Swimming Pool Chemicals
- CFL Bulbs, Florescent Bulbs
- Electronic Waste
Carts
Residents will use their current carts for refuse and recycling. The two carts need to be placed four feet apart with the handles facing the house on collection day. Lost, damaged or stolen containers can be replaced by Groot by calling 800-244-1977. Additional refuse carts may be rented for an annual fee. (see Fee Schedule) Please call Groot for more information.
Refuse and recycling carts may be changed out for a different cart size free of charge through June 30, 2020 and during the month of January each year. Multiple requests from the same single family residence will incur a switch-out fee. (see Fee Schedule)
Fee Schedule & Service Interruption
Solid Waste Fee Schedule
| Additional Service Type | 2026 Current Rate (Jan 1 – Dec 31) |
2027 Rates effective (Jan 1 – Dec 31) |
Unit | Need to contact Groot in advance |
| Single-Family Residential Refuse & Recycling | $23.10 | $23.64 | Bi-monthly | No |
| Multi-family | $16.66 | $17.04 | Bi-monthly | |
| Landscape Waste Sticker | $2.60 | $2.66 | Per Sticker | No |
| Landscape Waste Bag/Bundle Subscription | $137.90 | $141.07 | Annual | Yes |
| Landscape/Food Scrap 65 Gallon Cart Subscription | $160.89 | $164.59 | Annual | Yes |
| Landscape/Food Scrap 95 Gallon Cart Subscription | $183.86 | $188.09 | Annual | Yes |
| White Goods Pick-up | $51.71 | $52.90 | Each/Pick-Up | Yes |
| Bulk Items Pick-up in Excess of 50 lbs. | $34.48 | $35.27 | Each/Pick-Up | Yes |
| E-Waste Items Collection Limit six (6) devices per unit fee | $40.22 | $41.15 | Each/Pick-Up | Yes |
| Billing Fee | $1.61 | $1.65 | Each | Yes |
Residents who are on vacation may suspend service in advance for one (1) to four (4) consecutive months each year. Contact Village Hall 847-965-4100 to apply.
Solid Waste FAQ's
The Village solid waste hauler “Groot Industries Inc.” – picks up the weekly waste and drops the collected material at the Solid Waste Agency of Northern Cook County (SWANCC) transfer station at 3 Providence Way, Glenview. From the transfer station the waste is re-loaded into semi-trailers and driven to the Winnebago Landfill (near Rockford, Illinois) for final disposal.
The Village solid waste hauler “Groot Industries Inc.” – picks up the weekly waste and drops the collected material at the Solid Waste Agency of Northern Cook County (SWANCC) transfer station at 3 Providence Way, Glenview. From the transfer station the waste is re-loaded into semi-trailers and driven to the Winnebago Landfill (near Rockford, Illinois) for final disposal. The following presentation was delivered at the September 28, 2020 Village of Morton Grove Board meeting.
Solid Waste Agency of Northern Cook County (SWANCC)
The recycling process begins on your trash pick-up day. All Recycling materials are picked up by Groot weekly. The Groot Recycling Truck delivers the mixed recycling materials to the Groot, Elk Grove, IL Recycling Facility. At the Recycling Facility, the truck is first weighed. The mixed materials are then dumped onto an area called a Tipped Floor and loaded onto a conveyor belt. Next the mixed recycling material goes directly to a presort room were workers sort out plastic bags, Styrofoam and other non-recyclable materials. Cardboard is the first material to be sorted through a screening machine. Glass is next and is broken into small pieces. The crushed glass goes through screens that fall onto a separate conveyor. The small glass pieces are sold to companies like Owns Coring in Indiana that separate by color and reuse the glass to produce new glass products. Paper is next and is considered a Fiber. Workers again sort out non paper materials. Metals are separated in the process by magnets. At the end of each sorting process, bales of Paper, Card Board, Plastics and Aluminum are created. The bales are loaded onto tractor trailer trucks and sold to companies that will recycle them into new products to be reused again:
- Recycled paper is sold to mills in Wisconsin
- Recycled plastics is sold to mills throughout the Midwest
- Recycled metals are sold to local scrap yards around the Chicago area.
- Most recycled aluminum is sold directly to Reynolds Aluminum.
For further information, please view a generic video on recycling.
Groot picks up the landscape/food scraps and takes them to their Elk Grove facility and re-loads them for disposal at Midwest Organics in Bristol, Illinois