Iowa City, IA Trash & Recycling: Pickup Rules & Schedules (2026)

Iowa City Code Title 16, Chapter 3, Article H (Solid Waste) makes the City of Iowa City the exclusive residential curbside collector for single-family homes and residential premises with up to four (4) dwelling units. Section 16-3H-8 (Collection and Disposal of Solid Waste) authorizes the City to collect residential refuse once per week whenever reasonably possible and prohibits private collection of that stream from qualifying properties. The current City system uses three color-coded wheeled carts collected on the same weekly day: a 65-gallon green-top cart for garbage (default service, ~$14/month on the utility bill); a 65-gallon blue-top cart for single-stream recycling (no resident sorting required - all accepted materials go in one cart); and a yellow-top composting cart for combined food waste and yard waste in either 25-gallon (~50 lb capacity) or 95-gallon (~250 lb capacity) sizes (~$3.50/month on the utility bill). All three carts are picked up on the same scheduled day per the published route map. Set-out rules from the City's Solid Waste Rules and Regulations (referenced in 16-3H-8): place each cart at the curb on the street the residence fronts by 7:00 a.m. on collection day; do not set out before 7:00 a.m. the day before; lids must be fully closed (the automated arm cannot lift an open lid); maintain a 3-foot clear zone around each cart (the truck arm needs it to operate); face the directional arrows on the lid toward the street; return carts to the storage area by the end of collection day. Premises with five or more dwellings (apartment buildings 5+) are not on City curbside - they must contract a private licensed solid-waste collector, AND under 16-3H-9 they must also provide weekly private recycling collection. Holiday schedule: Resource Management posts annual route delays at icgov.org for federal holidays; collection typically slides one day. Lookup your collection day: icgov.org/curbside. Authority: Iowa Code §364.12 (city duty); §364.22 (infractions); Iowa Code Chapter 455B (DNR solid waste); Chapter 455D (recycling/waste reduction).