Trash & Recycling in Dubuque, IA (2026)
10 verified trash & recycling rules for Dubuque, Iowa, sourced directly from the municipal code and official government pages.
Verified from official government sources
Pickup Rules & Schedules
In the City of Dubuque, Public Works collects solid waste no more than once a week, always between 6:00 a.m. and 9:00 p.m., on the schedule the City Manager sets under City Code Section 13-6A-7. Section 13-6A-8 sets the placement rules: alley carts go at the property line, and no cart may sit at the curb more than 24 hours before or after the scheduled day.
Dubuque Trash Pickup Schedule Rules
Some RestrictionsDubuque City Code §§ 13-6A-7, 13-6A-8
A. Frequency And Time Of Collection: Collections shall be made not more than once weekly at such time and in such areas of the City as shall be determined and set out in schedules prepared by the City Manager in accordance with the provisions of this article. All collections shall be made between the hours of 6:00 A.M. and 9:00 P.M. ... A. Alleys: ... Where collections are made from alleys, sol...
Bin Placement Rules
Dubuque residents can set carts out no more than 24 hours before pickup and must pull them back within 24 hours after. City Code section 13-6A-8 also requires containers to sit in plain view within two feet of the curb or alley line, with a two-foot clearance around each cart and the lid opening toward the street.
Dubuque Trash Cart Set-Out and Placement Rules
Some RestrictionsDubuque City Code § 13-6A-8
13-6A-8: PLACEMENT OF CONTAINERS FOR COLLECTION: A. Alleys: ... Where collections are made from alleys, solid waste containers shall be placed in one location for each dwelling, in clear view and at the owner's property line abutting the alley and on the days designated. ... ... C. Time Limit For Placement Of Containers On Streets: ... No person shall place solid waste or recycling at the stree...
Bulk Item Disposal
Dubuque will not collect anything bigger than 3 feet by 2 feet or heavier than 40 pounds unless it is scheduled ahead of time as a bulky item pickup. City Code section 13-6A-6 bars setting out oversized items for regular collection, and anything left out unscheduled stays the property owner's responsibility to remove.
Dubuque Bulky Item Pickup Rules
Some RestrictionsDubuque City Code § 13-6A-6
13-6A-6: BULKY ITEM COLLECTION SERVICE: A. No person shall place bulky items that are larger than three feet by two feet (3' x 2') in diameter or weigh over forty (40) pounds out for collection except in accordance with the provisions of this chapter. B. Premises receiving City solid waste collection service are eligible to set out bulky items for collection provided the customer schedules in a...
Recycling Requirements
In the City of Dubuque, Public Works issues one City-owned curbside recycling container to every dwelling under City Code Section 13-6A-4, and a second is available if a household needs more room. Only rigid plastics numbered #1 through #5, paper, cardboard, newspaper and clean metal items like cans, foil and pans count as curbside recyclables.
Dubuque Curbside Recycling Container Rules
Some RestrictionsDubuque City Code § 13-6A-4
A. One City owned curbside recycling container shall be provided by the City to each dwelling for the collection of recyclable materials. If additional recycling capacity is needed, a second container may be issued. ... B. The following types of solid waste are curbside recyclable materials: Rigid plastics with a recycling symbol between #1 – 5, Paper/cardboard/newspaper, and metal material...
Mandatory Organics Recycling
In the City of Dubuque, City Code Section 13-6A-5(A) requires every property to separate all organic waste, including food scraps, from the rest of its solid waste and either compost it on site or set it out in an organic waste collection container. Backyard composters must keep their piles compliant with Title 6, Chapter 4 of the City Code.
Dubuque Mandatory Organic Waste Separation
Some RestrictionsDubuque City Code § 13-6A-5
A. All organic waste shall be separated from all other solid waste and shall be composted on the premises or placed in organic collection containers for collection. ... B. Any premises composting on site shall maintain all compost piles in accordance with Title 6, Chapter 4 of this Code. ... C. Organic waste shall be collected according to the schedule established by the City Manager.
Illegal Dumping
In the City of Dubuque, it's unlawful to throw or dump paper, cards, advertisements, bottles, glass, nails, cans or any other injurious material into a street, alley or public place under Dubuque City Code § 10-1-7. Anyone who drops destructive or injurious material must immediately remove it. Because the section carries no fine of its own, violators face the city's general civil penalty of up to $750 for a first offense and up to $1,000 for repeats.
Dubuque Bans Illegal Dumping On Streets
Some RestrictionsDubuque City Code §§ 10-1-7, 1-4-2
A. Papers, Cards, Advertisements: No person shall, within the corporate limits of the city, throw and deposit or cause to be thrown and deposited, any paper, cards, advertisements, or the like, into any street, alley, or other public place within the city. ... C. Destructive Or Injurious Materials: Any person who drops or permits to be dropped or thrown, upon any street, alley or other public p...
Yard Waste Collection
In the City of Dubuque, yard waste moves through the organic waste collection service in City Code Section 13-6A-5, which takes bundled branches under 5 feet, leaves, grass clippings, weeds, brush and natural Christmas trees at curbside alongside food scraps. Paper yard-waste bags need a single-use sticker, cannot exceed 35 gallons of two-ply weatherized material, and are capped at 40 pounds.
Dubuque Yard Waste and Brush Collection Rules
Some RestrictionsDubuque City Code § 13-6A-5
D. The following materials may be collected curbside: branches and tree limbs - less than 5 feet long (must be bundled), flowers and potted plants (no pots), food scraps - fruit and vegetables, peels, pits, coffee grounds, eggshells, bread and grain products, grass clippings, leaves, plants, weeds, brush, natural Christmas trees, bones, dairy products, meat, poultry, fish, and non-wax coated pa...
Dumpster Rules
In the City of Dubuque, dumpsters and collection bins must sit in a rear or side yard behind a six-to-ten-foot opaque screen, never a front yard, and cannot hold trash that could blow loose. Planning Services checks placement during site plan review.
Dubuque Dumpster Placement and Screening Rules
Some RestrictionsDubuque City Code § 16-13-4-9
A. Exterior trash collection areas shall include collection bins, dumpsters, and similar waste receptacles for the short term storage and collection of trash. Trash shall include garbage, scrap, recyclables, debris and similar materials. ... ... D. Exterior trash collection areas shall be located in rear or side yards only. Exterior trash collection areas shall not encroach into a front yard. T...
Collection Schedule
Every Class I premises in Dubuque, meaning single-family homes and small multi-family buildings, must use the city's mandatory solid waste collection service. City crews collect refuse no more than once a week, only between 6:00 a.m. and 9:00 p.m., on a schedule the City Manager sets and can adjust for holidays.
Dubuque Mandatory Weekly Refuse Collection
Some RestrictionsDubuque City Code §§ 13-6A-2, 13-6A-7
13-6A-2: AVAILABILITY OF COLLECTION SERVICE: ... ... B. Class I Premises: City solid waste collection services shall be mandatory. ... 13-6A-7: ... FREQUENCY, TIME AND AREAS OF COLLECTION: A. Frequency And Time Of Collection: Collections shall be made not more than once weekly at such time and in such areas of the City as shall be determined and set out in schedules prepared by the City Manager...
Recycling Rules
In the City of Dubuque, City Code Section 13-6A-4(C) lets Public Works pull a household's recycling container and stop weekly recycling collection if it stays contaminated with nonrecyclable material after repeated warnings. Section 13-6A-9 also makes every recyclable set out at the curb City property, so only authorized City crews may pick it up.
Dubuque Recycling Contamination and Ownership Rules
Some RestrictionsDubuque City Code §§ 13-6A-4, 13-6A-9
C. When a customer’s recycling container is frequently contaminated with nonrecyclable material and violations persist, the City may remove the container and stop the weekly collection. ... From the time of placement for collection as provided in section 13-6A-8 of this article, all solid waste and recyclable materials and recycling containers which meet the requirements of this chapter placed ...