A folding chair holds a parking spot cleared of snow on Feb. 12, 2011 in Chicago. (Quinn Dombrowski / Flickr)

In a sign that spring is on the way, the Chicago Department of Streets and Sanitation on Monday will begin removing items used to (unofficially) reserve parking spots during winter.

(mali maeder / pexels)

On average, people in the U.S. generate 220 pounds of plastic waste each year, even though much of those materials could be recycled. Here’s the lowdown on the types of plastic that can and can’t be recycled. 

Many Illinois residents are unaware of a 1990 state law making it illegal to mix lawn waste with household garbage. WBEZ reporter Monica Eng has the dirt on Chicago’s yard waste disposal program.

Before and after photos show an incidence of illegal dumping in Chicago. (Courtesy of Chicago Department of Streets and Sanitation)

Fifteen new high-resolution security cameras will target those who illegally dump old furniture, tires and other waste across the city.

Chicagoans dump more than 800,000 tons of garbage into their bins every year, but once city garbage trucks leave the alley, most of us have no idea where it all goes. We follow the trail.

(Department of Streets and Sanitation)

The city’s neighborhood cleaning program kicked off this year with additional graffiti-removal crews and new chemical-blasting trucks.

(Brian Johnson and Dane Kantner / Flickr)

Chicago will depend on residents to help enforce the city’s updated recycling ordinance – at least initially. The changes, which took effect Jan. 1, mark the first update to the city’s recycling rules in 20 years.

After four consecutive years of reigning as the top city for bedbugs, Chicago drops to the No. 3 spot, according to a recent study by pest control company Orkin. 

(Steven Depolo / Flickr)

As the holiday season winds down, it’s about time to take care of that Christmas tree that has begun to decay in your living room.

New York and Boston have also experimented with dry ice as a rodent control technique. (Dry ice: Shawn Henning / Rat: National Park Service)

Mayor Rahm Emanuel and the Department of Streets and Sanitation on Tuesday announced a pilot program that uses dry ice to curb rodent infestations.

The mayor announced Thursday the city's Bureau of Forestry would plant 3,000 new trees this year. (Streets and Sanitation Department)

Amid public outcry over police oversight, rising crime and uncertainty surrounding the cash-strapped Chicago Public Schools, Mayor Rahm Emanuel had some good news for city residents on Thursday.

Rat complaints are on the rise, according to city data. Find out what Mayor Rahm Emanuel and Ald. Carlos Ramirez-Rosa (35th Ward) are doing to address the issue.

New Website Explains What Can and Can’t be Recycled

Starting Jan. 1, items placed in the city’s blue recycling carts must be loose. That means no plastic bags. Learn more about Chicago's rules for recycling.

This week’s visit from the Polar Vortex was more than snowy and bone-chillingly cold; it was expensive as well. Read an article.

Chicago's Department of Streets and Sanitation says that requests for rat control services are down 15 percent this year.