Council Bluffs, IA Trash & Recycling: Recycling Rules (2026)

CBMC 4.12.010 defines curbside recycling as the bi-weekly collection of recyclable materials at curbside by the city's contract agent. Under CBMC 4.12.060, residential customers may place recyclable material for that bi-weekly collection, limited to one 96-gallon cart per pickup, and only the recycling actually generated at that residence may be set out, not material hauled in from elsewhere. A customer whose recycling exceeds the 96-gallon limit on a given bi-weekly cycle must purchase an extra bag tag or lease an additional recycling cart from the city's contracted hauler, with both fees set in the schedule of fees at CBMC 2.08.040.

The same general placement rules that govern trash apply to recycling carts: they must go to curbside within five feet of the curb, and empty carts must be pulled back from the right-of-way and front yard setback by midnight of collection day. Recycling carts are assigned to individual property addresses and stay with the property when it is sold, and residents are responsible for the cart's general care and security.