Waterloo, IA Trash & Recycling: Recycling Rules (2026)

Section 4-3-5(F) requires the owner, occupant or agent of every premises in the city to keep recycling materials separated from all other waste streams and to place recyclables only in the container the city specifically provides for that purpose; using any other container for recyclables set out for city pickup is expressly prohibited. Section 4-3-1 defines recycling materials as solid waste the city designates as appropriate for recycling, such as newsprint, magazines, catalogs, cardboard, metal cans and plastic containers, with the exact accepted list set by the public works manager and approved by council resolution, and it defines excluded waste, hazardous materials, garbage, yard waste and other items that are not appropriate for the recycling stream.

Under § 4-3-7(D), it is a violation for a customer in the voluntary recycling program to place excluded waste in the recycling container; if a container is found contaminated at the time of pickup, the crew leaves it and it will not be emptied until the next scheduled collection date after the customer removes the excluded material. Recycling collection can be suspended under § 4-3-5(K) for mechanical failures, significant weather events, a delinquent account, or repeated mixing of excluded materials into recycling, at the discretion of the public works manager.