Most Polk County households use Metro Waste Authority (MWA) curbside service. Set your cart out by 6 a.m. on collection day (or after 5 p.m. the night before). Extra bags and large items need paid stickers.
Metro Waste Authority coordinates curbside garbage, recycling, and yard-waste collection across the greater Des Moines area, including Polk County cities. MWA advises having your cart out by 6 a.m. because some haulers start before sunrise, or setting it out after 5 p.m. the evening before. Extra garbage beyond your cart needs a $1 Extra Trash Sticker (items under 30 lbs); large items like sofas and mattresses need $5 Large Item Stickers set out on your regular collection day.
Carts not out by collection time may be skipped until the next cycle. Extra or large items without the correct stickers are not collected.
Other ordinances people look up for this city. Green dot = verified primary-source excerpt.
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Polk County allows backyard composting but regulates it through the Health Nuisance Regulation: a compost pile that harbors vermin, produces offensive odors,...
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Polk County has no ordinance for or against artificial turf on residential lots. Installation on unincorporated land is generally unrestricted; cities and HO...
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Polk County has no ordinance banning native or prairie landscaping, and the county promotes native roadside vegetation. The one legal limit: your planting ca...
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Iowa has no state ban on collecting rainwater, and Polk County sets no rain-barrel ordinance. Residents may capture roof runoff in barrels or cisterns; only ...
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Polk County sets no lawn-watering schedule. Central Iowa's water is managed by Central Iowa Water Works / Des Moines Water Works, which can impose voluntary ...
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Iowa Code 317.10 requires every landowner to destroy all noxious weeds on their land as directed by the county board of supervisors. Polk County's Weed Commi...
Side-by-side rule comparisons with other cities in this county.
See how West Des Moines's pickup rules & schedules rules stack up against other locations.
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