Curbside recycling is available to Iowa City residents living in single-family homes up to 4-unit residential buildings ($8.50/month on utility bill). Multi-family residences that are 5-unit and larger are not served by curbside collection, but recycling services are required to be provided.

Curbside recycling is single stream in Iowa City, meaning residents do not need to sort materials. All accepted materials can be placed in the same cart. The City provides 65-gallon blue-top recycling carts to curbside customers.

What materials can you recycle at the curb?

Recycle these items in the blue-top cart:

• Cardboard
  • Examples: corrugated cardboard
  • Flatten and size each piece to a maximum of two by two feet. 
• Paper
  • Examples: newspaper, magazines, chipboard (such as cracker or cereal boxes), junk mail, softcover books, waxy cartons, clean pizza boxes (no food residue), and mixed paper
• Metal cans and foil
  • Examples: metal drink and food cans, aluminum pie pans, aluminum foil (aluminum foil in 2-inch ball minimum)
  • Items should be empty and rinsed.
• Plastic bottles, jugs, jars, and round tubs
  • Examples: drink bottles, detergent bottles, medicine bottles, yogurt cups, food jars (such as for mayonnaise and peanut butter), round food tubs (such as for sour cream and butter).
  • Items should be empty and rinsed.
  • Leave caps on!

Do not recycle these items: 

• Plastic bags and packaging
• Glass: recycle at drop-off recycling locations
• Styrofoam
• Clamshell plastic containers
• Plant pots
• Bulky plastic items (such as lawn chairs or garbage cans)
• Shredded paper: recycle at drop-off recycling locations, or compost
• Hardcover books: recycle at Iowa City Landfill and Recycling Center
• Hazardous material: take to Hazardous Material Collection Facility
• Batteries: take to battery drop-off
• Electronics and appliances: recycle at the Iowa City Landfill and Recycling Center
• Motor oil and fertilizer bottles 
• Gift wrapping paper
• Other items not listed on the accepted items list for curbside recycling

Not sure an item can be recycled? Do not recycle it!

Curbside composting for yard waste, food waste, and other organic material is available to Iowa City residents living in single-family homes up to 4-unit residential buildings ($3.50/month on utility bill). The City provides 95-gallon or 25-gallon yellow-top composting carts to curbside customers.

What materials can you compost at the curb?

Compost these items in the yellow-top cart:

• Food waste
  • Examples: coffee grounds, eggshells, bread and grain products, meat and bones, seafood and shells, non-liquid dairy products, fruits and vegetables
    • Food and yard waste can be combined in your yellow-top composting cart.
      • 95-gallon cart (weight limit of 250 pounds), or
      • 25-gallon cart (weight limit of 50 pounds)
    • Do not place food in free-standing paper yard waste bags. To reduce mess, you may place food in newspaper, paper bags, or certified-compostable bags (labeled ASTM D6400 or certified-compostable) before placing in the cart.
• Yard waste
  • Examples: grass, leaves, garden residue, and woody yard waste
    • Yard waste can be placed in your yellow-top composting cart.
    • Paper yard waste bags (any brand allowed; weight limit of 50 pounds) or bundles (specification requirements below) with a $2 City yard waste sticker attached per bag or bundle are allowed at the curb. Stickers are available at the City Hall Revenue Office and participating retailers, including both Iowa City Ace Hardware locations, the Hy-Vee stores in Iowa City and Coralville, and the Fareway store on Westwinds Drive in Iowa City.
      • Tree limbs or woody yard waste specification requirements:
        • Individual pieces (in bundle or container):
          • 4 inches maximum diameter
          • 48 inches maximum length
        • Bundles:
          • 18 inches maximum diameter
          • 48 inches maximum length
          • 50 pounds weight limit per bundle
          • Securely tie each bundle with natural twine or string (no plastic varieties allowed).
      • Any brush not meeting these specifications will be left at the curb.

• Other organic material
  • Garlic mustard
  • Holiday trees (natural, unflocked trees only; remove all decorations)
  • Pumpkins and gourds (remove any candles or lights from inside your pumpkins)
  • Shredded paper
  • Paper towels or napkins
  • Pizza boxes
  • Coffee filters

Do not compost these items: 

• Pet waste and diapers
• Plastic
  • Plastic bags (including soil or mulch bags)
  • Food packaging
  • Styrofoam
• Cigarette butts and ashes
• Foil- or plastic-coated paper dishware (plates, bowls or cups)
• Infected plant material (such as black knot fungus): Bag and place in trash.
• Liquids
• Plant pots (including plastic, terracotta, or other materials)
• Garden netting or liners
• Glass or metal
• Hazardous material
• Sod
• Dirt or sand
• Rocks
• Tree root balls
• Painted, treated or stained wood (including particle board)
• Dead animals or carcasses

Not sure an item can be composted? Do not compost it!

Clean, non-contaminated material is turned into clean, high-quality compost. Material contaminated with the above listed items makes low-quality compost and will not be picked up.

Yellow-top Composting Carts

Sign up for a cart. 

Curbside customers can receive 25-gallon or 95-gallon carts for curbside composting collection by completing the Cart Request Form. Yard waste and food waste can be added to the same cart for pickup. The first cart is included in the monthly service fee.

Residents are allowed additional carts at a cost of $3.50 per month per cart to cover the cost of the cart and service. Carts will be delivered based on availability and wait times vary. Contact Resource Management at 319-356-5151 for more information.

If a customer determines that an additional cart they had ordered is no longer needed, a pickup can be scheduled for January of the following year. The monthly cart fee will continue to be charged until that time.

Yard Waste Stickers

A $2 yard waste sticker is required for each paper bag or bundle of yard waste placed at the curb for collection using Iowa City curbside collection services.

Stickers are available at the City Hall Revenue Office and participating retailers, including both Iowa City Ace Hardware locations, the Hy-Vee stores in Iowa City and Coralville, and the Fareway store on Westwinds Drive in Iowa City. 

Residents are encouraged to use the City-issued yellow-top composting cart to minimize the need for stickers and reduce the physical strain of lifting bags and bundles, improving safety and efficiency for collection crews.

Each household is eligible for one cart, included in the monthly $3.50 composting service fee. Additional carts are available for an extra monthly charge.

Wintertime Composting Tips

Curbside composting collection continues throughout the winter season.

Tips to reduce organic material from freezing to your curbside cart:

• Line your cart with cardboard or newspaper before placing wet yard waste or food waste in cart.
•  Place food waste in freezer to preserve material. You can place frozen food waste in cart for your curbside collection day, or keep it frozen until temperatures warm up.
• Place food waste in paper bags or ASTM D6400-certified compostable bags before placing in cart.
• Wait to put your cart at the curb until 7 a.m. on your curbside collection day (if cart is regularly stored indoors).

If you keep your cart outdoors and regularly add food waste (or yard waste such as wet leaves) to it, the material may freeze to the cart. This can cause the materials to stick to the cart during curbside pickup. Material will thaw and loosen when temperatures warm up again.

Curbside garbage collection is available to Iowa City residents living in single-family homes up to 4-unit residential buildings ($14/month on utility bill). The City provides 65-gallon green-top garbage carts to curbside customers.

Additional garbage bags require a City of Iowa City garbage sticker per bag (view "Additional Garbage Bag Stickers" tab below). Bulky items, like electronics and appliances, must be scheduled for pickup (view "Bulky Item Collection" tab below). Any items left at the curb without scheduling will be subject to additional fees with 24 hours notice. 

A few areas in Iowa City are serviced by a smaller truck and will not be issued a City cart due to the garbage having to be manually-lifted. For those areas, residents may use up to two 35-gallon garbage containers for weekly pickup.

What materials can you place in the garbage? 

While the City of Iowa City encourages residents to reduce, reuse, recycle, and compost as much as possible, some materials cannot be used again. Garbage collected via this program is transported to the Iowa City Landfill to be properly landfilled by certified, trained operators.

At the Iowa City Landfill, the following materials are not allowed to be landfilled and must be diverted through recycling or composting programs: cardboard, yard waste, batteries, appliances, tires, TV/computer monitors, and oil. 

Place these items in the green-top garbage cart: 

• Food or product packaging that cannot be recycled or composted
• Styrofoam 
• Empty motor oil, fertilizer, or chemical bottles
• Gift wrapping paper
• Pet waste and diapers
• Bulky plastic items

Do not place these items in the garbage: 

• Hot ashes 
• Batteries
• Cardboard 
• Yard waste
• Oil 
• Electronics or appliances 
• Tires
• Hazardous material
• Pressurized containers, such as propane or helium tanks
• Explosives
• Medical waste, such as sharps or syringes

Sign up for a bulky item pickup.  

Bulky item curbside collection is available to Iowa City residents living in single-family homes up to 4-unit residential buildings. To schedule a bulky item curbside collection, please call Resource Management at 319-356-5151 or complete the Bulky Pickup Online Form.

To complete the form, you will need the 7-digit account number and 6-digit customer number from your utility bill. If you need your account information, please call 319-356-5066.

Call or sign up online at least two days in advance of your regular collection day to schedule a pickup. 

The following items are accepted via bulky item pickup: 

• Large bulky items (maximum length of 7 feet): items that cannot be broken down to fit in standard garbage cart or bag
  • Examples: chair, couch, mattress
  • Fees: $20 for the first item; $10 for each additional item per pickup
• Electronics
  • Examples: computers, televisions, printers
  • Fees:
    • Electronics that do not have CRT screens/monitors (such as printers, CPUs, VCRs) are $20 for the first item; $10 for each additional item.
    • Televisions and computer monitors: $20 each. These are not allowed in the garbage and must be recycled.
  • Electronics can also be taken to the Iowa City Landfill and Recycling Center (3900 Hebl Ave. SW, Iowa City) to be properly recycled.
• Appliances
  • Examples: refrigerators, stoves, dishwashers, air conditioners, microwaves, water heaters
    • Fee: $20 each
  • Appliances are not allowed in the garbage and must be recycled. 
  • Appliances can also be taken to the Iowa City Landfill and Recycling Center (3900 Hebl Ave. SW, Iowa City) to be properly recycled.
• Tires
  • Fees: $3.75 per tire not on rim; $7.50 per tire on rim
  • Tires are not allowed in the garbage and must be recycled.
  • Tires can also be taken to the Iowa City Landfill and Recycling Center (3900 Hebl Ave. SW, Iowa City) to be properly recycled.

Once pickup is scheduled, any of the above items will be collected on your regular collection day. Have items at curb by 7 a.m. to ensure pickup. Fees for collection will be added to your monthly utility bill. Additional fees could be charged if items are abandoned at the curb, or if items have not been scheduled for collection.

The following items are not accepted via bulky item pickup: 

• Hot ashes 
• Batteries
• Cardboard 
• Yard waste
• Oil 
• Hazardous material, including paint
• Pressurized containers, such as propane or helium tanks
• Explosives
• Medical waste, such as sharps or syringes
• Automotive parts
• Riding lawnmowers or ATVs 
• Pianos
• Items longer than 7 feet
  • Basketball hoops must be broken down into pieces that are a maximum length of 7 feet. 

Call Resource Management at 319-356-5151 with questions.

Curbside customers may purchase City of Iowa City garbage/trash stickers for pickup of additional bags that do not fit in your cart. Additional stickered bags should be placed next to your cart by 7 a.m. on your collection day. 

For collection, please make sure:

• Each additional bag has a City of Iowa City garbage sticker attached
• Each additional bag is no larger than 35 gallons and weighs no more than 50 pounds

Stickers ($2.50 each) can be purchased at:

• Iowa City Hy-Vee stores at customer service counter
• Iowa City Ace Hardware stores (Mall Drive and North Dodge Street locations)
• City Hall Cashier, 410 E. Washington Street

Do not overfill carts. Lids must be closed in order for staff to collect the materials, per the City's Solid Waste Rules and Regulations.

A $2 yard waste sticker is required for each paper bag or bundle of yard waste placed at the curb for collection using Iowa City curbside collection services.

Stickers are available at the City Hall Revenue Office and participating retailers, including both Iowa City Ace Hardware locations, the Hy-Vee stores in Iowa City and Coralville, and the Fareway store on Westwinds Drive in Iowa City. 

Residents are encouraged to use the City-issued yellow-top composting cart to minimize the need for stickers and reduce the physical strain of lifting bags and bundles, improving safety and efficiency for collection crews.

Each household is eligible for one cart, included in the monthly $3.50 composting service fee. Additional carts are available for an extra monthly charge.

Follow these guidelines to ensure safe, efficient curbside collection.

• Place carts on a solid surface for pickup, such as the end of your driveway, or when snow is present, a cleared area of flat ground. Do not place carts on top of snowbanks.
• Do not overfill carts. City ordinance states the lids must be closed.
• Bag all trash in the green-top garbage cart. 
• Keep all recycling materials loose in the blue-top recycling cart. 
• Food and yard waste can be mixed together in the yellow-top composting cart.
• Place carts at curb by 7 a.m. on your curbside day.
• Keep at least 3-feet clear zone around each cart.
• Face the arrows on cart lids toward the street.
• Return carts to your storage area at the end of your curbside service day.
• Do not paint or write on carts.
• Do not remove the carts from home.
• Place carts at the curb only when full.
• Only place accepted items in each cart.

For information on self-hauling garbage, recycling, and composting to the Iowa City Landfill and Recycling Center, visit the Landfill web page.

Landfill services are available to residents and businesses within Johnson County, and within the city limits of Kalona and Riverside. Materials from outside of this service area are not accepted.