Trash & Recycling in Des Moines, IA (2026)
9 verified trash & recycling rules for Des Moines, Iowa, sourced directly from the municipal code and official government pages.
Verified from official government sources
Pickup Rules & Schedules
Des Moines collects trash weekly at least 52 times a year and requires carts set within 18 inches of the curb, three feet from other objects, no more than 12 hours early.
Des Moines Trash Pickup and Placement Rules
Some RestrictionsDes Moines Municipal Code § 98-54
Such collection shall be made on a weekly basis not less than 52 times per annum in accordance with schedules to be developed by the city manager. If such scheduled weekly collection is deferred to a following day to conform to holiday observances or weather conditions, the city will pick up an allowed number of containers as specified in this section from allowed locations as specified in this...
Bin Placement Rules
Des Moines caps curbside cart set-out at 12 hours before and after your collection day, with carts placed at the street edge or alley three feet from anything else.
Des Moines Trash Cart Placement Rules
Some RestrictionsDes Moines Municipal Code § 98-54(3)d
No person shall deposit solid waste or solid waste containers upon the parking or terrace of the street in front of premises more than 12 hours before the date designated for solid waste collection. No person shall allow solid waste containers to remain on the parking or terrace of the street in front of that person's premises for more than 12 hours after the date designated for solid waste col...
Bulk Item Disposal
Des Moines residents must buy a $5 large-item disposal sticker and schedule pickup with Public Works before setting out furniture, mattresses, or other bulky items: unstickered items are simply left at the curb uncollected.
Des Moines Large-Item and Bulk Trash Pickup Rules
Some RestrictionsDes Moines Municipal Code § 98-54(3)h
No person shall place a large item for collection unless such person shall have affixed a large item disposal sticker to said item in a clearly visible location prior to its collection, and shall have scheduled the collection of said large item through the public works department. Large items shall not be placed for collection more than 12 hours prior to the scheduled collection time establishe...
Recycling Requirements
Des Moines runs a voluntary single-stream curbside recycling program: residents who opt in get a city-issued blue wheeled cart for unsorted recyclables, collected bi-weekly under Municipal Code Chapter 98.
Des Moines Curbside Recycling Program
Light RestrictionsDes Moines Municipal Code § 98-114
The city has established a voluntary single stream curbside recycling program, pursuant to which recyclable materials are collected at curbside in blue wheeled carts provided by the city for that purpose. Persons owning or residing in residential premises who elect to participate in the curbside recycling program shall place recyclable materials unsorted in the blue recyclable materials wheeled...
Illegal Dumping
Des Moines bans dumping litter, solid waste, yard debris or other foreign material on streets, sidewalks, rights-of-way and city property under Municipal Code § 98-70, backed by administrative penalties or municipal infraction fines that public works staff and police can issue directly.
Des Moines Illegal Dumping Penalties
Heavy RestrictionsDes Moines Municipal Code § 98-70
No owner shall throw, rake, deposit, place, drop or spill yard debris, as defined in division 1 of this article, litter, solid waste, waste material or other foreign material upon the streets, sidewalks, or other public rights-of-way or city property except as provided in sections 98-58 and 98-115 of this division. In any proceedings charging a violation of this section, proof that the particul...
Yard Waste Collection
Des Moines requires yard debris kept separate from trash and set out in city-approved bags, green-lid carts, or bundles, capped at 40 pounds each.
Des Moines Yard Debris Collection Rules
Some RestrictionsDes Moines Municipal Code § 98-115
yard debris will be collected from residential premises only in bags, containers, boxes, or bundles designated for that purpose... (2)A 64- or 96-gallon solid waste container with a green lid issued by the public works department designating such container for use for collection of yard debris... Such bags, containers, boxes, or bundles, when placed for collection, shall not contain more than 4...
Dumpster Rules
Des Moines bars privately owned dumpsters and trash containers from public street rights-of-way except in alleys, and any dumpster placed on public property needs an areaway permit from the city engineering department.
Des Moines Dumpster Placement Rules
Some RestrictionsDes Moines Municipal Code § 102-608(f), (g)
(f) No privately owned trash container shall be located on a public street right-of-way, other than alleys, except for those containers required to facilitate solid waste collection from residential premises by the city pursuant to sections 98-51 through 98-58, inclusive, of this Code. ... (g) All privately owned newsracks and trash containers on public property shall obtain a valid areaway per...
Collection Schedule
Des Moines picks up residential solid waste weekly, at least 52 times a year, per a schedule the city manager sets; holiday and weather delays roll to the next available collection day.
Des Moines Weekly Trash Collection Schedule
Some RestrictionsDes Moines Municipal Code § 98-54
Such collection shall be made on a weekly basis not less than 52 times per annum in accordance with schedules to be developed by the city manager. If such scheduled weekly collection is deferred to a following day to conform to holiday observances or weather conditions, the city will pick up an allowed number of containers as specified in this section from allowed locations as specified in this...
Recycling Rules
Des Moines runs a voluntary single-stream curbside recycling program: blue wheeled carts get picked up every other week, and mixing trash into the recycling cart is a municipal infraction under Municipal Code § 98-117.
Des Moines Curbside Recycling Rules
Some RestrictionsDes Moines Municipal Code § 98-114
The city has established a voluntary single stream curbside recycling program, pursuant to which recyclable materials are collected at curbside in blue wheeled carts provided by the city for that purpose. Persons owning or residing in residential premises who elect to participate in the curbside recycling program shall place recyclable materials unsorted in the blue recyclable materials wheeled...
Looking for Polk County county-wide rules?
County ordinances apply to unincorporated areas and may supplement Des Moines city rules.
Trash & Recycling in Polk County →