Ames, IA Trash & Recycling: Bulk Item Disposal (2026)

Ames Municipal Code Sec. 10.21 establishes the Arnold O. Chantland Resource Recovery Center, operated by the Public Works Department, as the only authorized place within the City of Ames where garbage, refuse and yard waste, including bulky items, can be disposed of; use is limited to residents of the incorporated city limits and contracted service areas, and the facility can refuse anyone else. Appendix F, the Public Works Fees schedule the City Council adopts by resolution, sets the drop-off charges: a mattress, box spring or couch costs $10 each, a hot tub is $50, motorized white goods such as refrigerators, freezers, washers, dryers, water heaters and furnaces are $30 each, and construction or demolition debris up to a pickup load runs $50.

Televisions and computer monitors are limited to two per household per day, priced at $30 for screens under 40 inches, $40 for larger flat screens and $60 for projection or console sets. Any load that is non-beneficial waste, needs reloading, or requires extended tipping time draws a special handling fee of up to $250 on top of the standard per-vehicle delivery charge, which runs from $5 for a single bag up to $150 per ton for out-of-county loads. The Recovery Center is closed on New Year's Day, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving and Christmas Day, shifting to the next day when a holiday falls on a Sunday.