Trash & Recycling in Council Bluffs, IA (2026)
8 verified trash & recycling rules for Council Bluffs, Iowa, sourced directly from the municipal code and official government pages.
Verified from official government sources
Pickup Rules & Schedules
Council Bluffs requires trash carts and bags to be set at curbside immediately in front of the residence, within five feet of the curb, out no earlier than 7:00 p.m. the night before collection and pulled back in by midnight of collection day, under the placement rules in CBMC 4.12.060.
Council Bluffs Curbside Trash Placement Rules
Some RestrictionsCouncil Bluffs Municipal Code § 4.12.060
Each residential customer shall place properly prepared residential solid waste for collection at curbside immediately in front of his or her residence. ... Properly prepared residential solid waste must be placed within five feet of the curb on a paved street, or within five feet of the traveled portion on an unpaved street. ... In no event, shall the customer allow bags, carts or containers t...
Bulk Item Disposal
In the City of Council Bluffs, bulky waste such as furniture, appliances, carpets and other oversized household items only goes out by appointment with the city's contract hauler, not on the regular weekly cart route. Each residential address gets two bulky-waste pickups and two appliance pickups per calendar year, and whatever is set out on a given collection day cannot exceed four feet by eight feet by four feet in volume.
Council Bluffs Bulky Waste and Appliance Pickup Limits
Some RestrictionsCouncil Bluffs Municipal Code § 4.12.060
Bulky wastes, as defined herein, will be collected only upon prior arrangement made by the residential customer with the city's contract agent. ... There shall be a limit of two bulky waste and two appliance collections per year per residential address. ... The volume of bulky waste material collected shall not exceed four feet by eight feet by four feet on any given collection day.
Recycling Requirements
Council Bluffs requires recyclables to be clean and kept separate from garbage, and only designated materials count: glass food containers, aluminum and steel cans, #1 through #5 plastics, and uncontaminated newspaper, glossy paper and cardboard under CBMC 4.12.010 and 4.12.061.
Council Bluffs Recyclable Material Separation Rules
Some RestrictionsCouncil Bluffs Municipal Code §§ 4.12.010, 4.12.061
Recyclable materials: ... Waste that is designated by the city as part of a special collection for processing for reuse, including but not limited to food container glass, aluminum, steel (tin) cans, #1 through #5 plastics, uncontaminated newspapers and glossy paper (magazines) and cardboard shall be considered uncontaminated if they have not been exposed to substances or conditions rendering t...
Illegal Dumping
Burying or otherwise disposing of solid waste anywhere in the City of Council Bluffs other than an approved landfill is unlawful under CBMC 4.12.030. That includes letting someone else bury your waste illegally or letting your own property be used as an unlicensed dump, with violations enforced as a criminal offense or a municipal infraction.
Council Bluffs Illegal Dumping and Burying Ban
Significant RestrictionsCouncil Bluffs Municipal Code §§ 4.12.030, 4.12.130
No person, firm or corporation shall bury solid waste within the city except in an approved landfill; nor shall any person, firm or corporation allow his, her, or its solid waste to be disposed of by another by burying in other than an approved landfill; nor shall any person, firm or corporation use or allow his, her, or its property, or property under his, her, or its control, to be used for s...
Yard Waste Collection
Council Bluffs residents get regular weekly yard waste pickup and two unlimited six-week windows, spring and fall, when any amount of yard waste can go to the curb. Beyond that, or outside those windows, extra bags need a paid bag tag and loose material must be bagged or bundled by the rules in CBMC Chapter 4.12.
Council Bluffs Yard Waste Collection Rules
Some RestrictionsCouncil Bluffs Municipal Code §§ 4.12.010, 4.12.060, 4.12.061
Bag tag: A one-time use sticker purchased for the collection of trash and yard waste above the 96-gallon weekly limit, fee as set forth in CBMC 2.08.040. Such sticker shall be placed on the bag in a conspicuous area readily viewable to collectors. Bu ... ndle: ... Trees, shrubs and brush trimmings securely tied together forming an easily handled package not exceeding four feet in length, two fe...
Dumpster Rules
In the City of Council Bluffs, placing a dumpster, roll-off container or construction materials in the public right-of-way counts as a 'regulated activity' under Council Bluffs Municipal Code § 10.20.020, so it requires a right-of-way permit from the public works department before it can be set out. The applicant must also carry proof of insurance and a bond under § 10.20.040 before the permit is issued.
Dumpster in Right-of-Way Needs a Permit, Council Bluffs
Some RestrictionsCouncil Bluffs Municipal Code § 10.20.020
As used in this chapter, the term "regulated activity" shall include, but not be limited to the following: Cut, remove, alter, obstruct, or construct any curbing, alley, driveway approach, sidewalk, vehicular access, street or roadway; Excavate any hole or trench; Make any sanitary sewer or storm sewer connection or repair; Place any drainage tube; Place any obstruction such as a dumpster or ma...
Collection Schedule
Every residence fronting a street or alley on the city's solid waste route in Council Bluffs must use city collection, placing waste out weekly under CBMC 4.12.050, and each address is capped at one 96-gallon cart under CBMC 4.12.060 unless extra tags or carts are purchased.
Council Bluffs Mandatory Weekly Trash Collection
Significant RestrictionsCouncil Bluffs Municipal Code §§ 4.12.050, 4.12.060
Every person, firm or corporation owning, occupying, controlling or renting a residential premises which fronts upon or abuts a public street or alley upon which the city's contract agent maintains a solid waste collection route, and wherein residential solid waste is generated or accumulates, shall cause such solid waste to be placed for collection, either by the city or by the city's contract...
Recycling Rules
Council Bluffs collects recyclables curbside every other week under CBMC 4.12.060, and each residence is limited to one 96-gallon cart of recycling per pickup; going over that limit means buying extra bag tags or leasing another cart from the city's contracted hauler.
Council Bluffs Curbside Recycling Collection Rules
Some RestrictionsCouncil Bluffs Municipal Code §§ 4.12.010, 4.12.060
Curbside recycling: The bi-weekly collection of recyclable materials at curbside by the city's contract agent. ... Residential customers may place recyclable material for bi-weekly collection by the city or city's contract agent. Residential customers shall be limited to one, ninety-six (96) gallon cart for collection, but such customer may only place for collection the residential recycling ac...