Iowa City residents that receive curbside services can place yard waste and food waste in the same container at the curb to be picked up and transported to the Iowa City Landfill's compost facility, where it is made into compost.
On this web page, learn more about Iowa City's curbside composting and curbside cart options, other composting options in our community, and how to reduce food waste.
Curbside composting is available to Iowa City residents living in single-family homes up to 4-unit apartment buildings ($2/month on utility bill).
Yard waste such as grass, leaves, and garden residue can be bagged in any paper yard waste bag, placed in a personal 20-35 gallon upright container (weight limit of 50 pounds), or placed in an official City of Iowa City 95-gallon (weight limit of 200 pounds) or 25-gallon (weight limit of 50 pounds) cart. Open burning of yard waste and other refuse is prohibited in Iowa City at all times.
Food waste such as coffee grounds, egg shells, meat bones, fruit and vegetable peels, and pizza boxes can all be composted. View the Organics: Yard Waste and Food Waste handout for more information. Food and yard waste can be combined in the same container.
Food waste can be placed in:
an upright container, 20-35 gallons in size (weight limit of 50 pounds); or
an official City of Iowa City organics cart:.95-gallon cart (weight limit of 250 pounds) and the 25-gallon cart (weight limit of 50 pounds)
Do not place food waste in paper yard waste bags. To reduce mess, you may place food waste in newspaper or certified-compostable bags (labeled ASTM D6400 or certified-compostable) before placing food waste in curbside containers.
Curbside Customer Best Practices
Do not overfill carts. City ordinance states the lids must be closed.
Place carts at curb by 7 AM on your curbside day
Keep at least 3-feet clear zone around each cart
Face arrows on cart lids to street
Return carts to your storage area at end of curbside day
Do not paint/write on carts
Do not remove carts from home
Put carts at curb only when full
Holiday Curbside Collection Schedule
July 4th (Saturday, July 4, 2020): curbside collections of trash, recycling, and organics, on the Friday before and Monday after July 4th, will operate normally
Labor Day (Monday, September 7, 2020): curbside collections of trash, recycling, and organics will operate normally
Woody Yard Waste
Curbside customers may place fallen tree limbs, branches, brush and woody yard waste at the curb for pick-up on their normal garbage day only if it meets the following specifications:
Wood waste and brush must be four inches in diameter or less.
Must be securely tied in bundles that are no bigger around than 18 inches and no more than 48 inches in length.
Bundles must also weigh less than 50 pounds.
Any brush not meeting the specifications listed above will be left at the curb.
Garlic Mustard
Garlic Mustard is accepted at the Iowa City Landfill's Compost Facility. If you are a curbside customer, please place it in your yard waste bag or container to be picked up at the curb for composting. Johnson County residents can also drop Garlic Mustard and other yard waste at the Compost Facility at no cost.
We are able to accept Garlic Mustard in our facility because our compost reaches a high enough temperature. We do not recommend adding Garlic Mustard and other invasive species to a backyard compost pile as this does not get to a high enough temperature.
Pet Waste
Pet waste, while organic, is not accepted in curbside composting or at the Iowa City Compost Facility. Please place this in the regular trash.
Organics Curbside Carts
Curbside customers in Iowa City can receive either a 95-gallon or 25-gallon cart for organics (food waste and yard waste) curbside collection. Yard waste and food waste can be added to the same container for pickup.
Iowa City curbside customers that would like a 2-gallon kitchen food scraps container can pick one up at the City Hall Cashier office in Iowa City City Hall (410 E. Washington St.) during regular business hours, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
These containers are not to be put at the curb. This container is for kitchen collection only. Materials collected can be emptied into your organics curbside container.
To help keep this container clean, use newspaper, or ASTM D6400 or U.S. Composting Council certified-compostable bags to contain the food scraps.
Several options exist for residents wanting to compost at home. Residents can start a backyard compost pile, or for an indoor option, composting with worms is possible. Resources and more information for both of these methods are below.
Did you know that over 25 percent of what goes into the Iowa City Landfill is food waste? That’s approximately 34,000 tons of food each year, just in Johnson County.
When food waste ends up in the landfill, it produces a harmful greenhouse gas called methane that is over 20 times stronger than carbon dioxide. This can impact local air quality and climate change. Composting is a better alternative to landfilling, but it is best not to waste food in the first place.
When we throw away food, we also waste all the water, energy, and natural resources used to produce, package, and transport food from farm to plate. In addition, wasted food means wasted money.
Table to Table is a local non-profit organization that rescues edible food and delivers it to organizations in Iowa City that can use it. Learn more about the organization and how to volunteer by visiting, www.table2table.org.
For information on self-hauling organics, food and yard waste, to the Iowa City Landfill and Recycling Center, visit our Landfill and Recycling Centers page.
