Cedar Rapids, IA Trash & Recycling: Collection Schedule (2026)

Section 24.03 requires that accumulated domestic solid waste be collected from every household and business establishment in the city at least once weekly, with all collections happening between 7:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m.; the section calls this weekly collection mandatory in its own text, and Section 24.13 backs that up by billing every dwelling unit for the service whether or not the resident opts out. Under the current rate ordinance, effective for billings beginning July 1, 2025, solid waste and yard waste collection and disposal costs $0.5958 per day, or $18.12 per month, per dwelling unit, and recycling collection and processing costs $0.1710 per day, or $5.20 per month, per dwelling unit; elderly or disabled residents who qualify under Sections 12.37 and 12.39 get both rates cut in half.

The City Water Utility Director bills and collects these charges together with water service under Section 24.17, and unpaid solid waste charges follow the same delinquency and shutoff rules that apply to water bills. Section 24.06 controls where and when residents may set containers out: no earlier than 6:00 p.m. the evening before collection and removed by 7:00 p.m. the day of collection, and the Solid Waste Recycling Department treats a container left out longer as a nuisance it can remove and bill for. If a household's charges go unpaid 30 days after the bill becomes delinquent, the City Clerk can certify the amount to the Linn County Auditor and place a lien on the property under Iowa Code Section 384.84, to be collected the same way as property taxes.