Dubuque, IA Public Health Rules: Syringe Disposal (2026)

Dubuque does not run a needle-exchange program in its code; instead, City Code Section 13-6A-3, the refuse collection service ordinance enforced by Public Works, handles sharps disposal as part of the weekly cart collection every Class I premises must use. Subsection G exempts only Class II premises from the biomedical waste rule and requires everyone else to keep biomedical waste out of the regular waste stream: sharp objects, specifically hypodermic needles, syringes, and lancets, have to go into a hard plastic or metal container that has a screw-on lid or another lid that is tightly secured, so a collection worker cannot be stuck when the cart is dumped.

Softer biomedical waste, such as soiled bandages, disposable sheets and medical gloves, gets a different treatment: it must be placed in thick disposable plastic bags or double-bagged rather than boxed. The same chapter's general refuse rules apply on top of the sharps-specific one: all other refuse in a City-issued cart must be in tied bags under Section 13-6A-3(F), and anything the City removes for noncompliance becomes the property owner's responsibility to store safely within 24 hours under Section 13-6A-8(D) so it does not create a health or safety hazard.

Because the sharps container requirement sits inside the general refuse collection article rather than a standalone public health chapter, Public Works, not Health Services, is the department that actually enforces it curb-side.