West Des Moines, IA Trash & Recycling: Bulk Item Disposal (2026)

A 'bulky item' is any solid waste item that does not fit in a City-approved cart, per the definitions in § 4-5-3. Section 4-5-9(B) sets the container rule: disposable bags manufactured for solid waste disposal are acceptable for bulky items, but the bag and its contents cannot exceed fifty pounds. Section 4-5-4(E) sets the placement rule: bulky items, and any solid waste bags beyond what fits in the City cart, must be placed outside the cart and carry a City-approved sticker to be collected at all.

Under § 4-5-4(F), bulky items set out for pickup must sit at the curb or the back of the traveled right-of-way, separated from carts, bundles, and recycling bins by three to six feet, and under § 4-5-4(H) nothing may go to the curb before 5:00 p.m. the day before the scheduled collection day, with everything removed within twenty-four hours after pickup. Baskets, boxes, and other nonconforming containers used for bulky waste are treated as disposable refuse and collected only if they are within the allowable size; oversized or unacceptable containers are simply left uncollected under § 4-5-9(D). Failure to follow these placement and container rules relieves the City of any obligation to collect the item.