Curbside recycling is available to Iowa City residents living in single-family homes up to 4-unit apartment buildings ($8.50/month on utility bill). Multi-family residences that are 5-unit and larger are not served by curbside collection, but recycling services are required to be provided.

• Curbside Recycling Guide

To find out which weekday your address receives curbside collection, view the collection map.

Curbside recycling is single stream in Iowa City, meaning residents do not need to sort materials. All accepted materials can be placed in the same cart. The City provides 65-gallon recycling carts (blue lid) to curbside customers. Visit the Composting page to learn about composting carts (yellow lid) for food and yard waste.

Want updates? Sign up to receive curbside notices at icgov.org/subscribe.

Need a bulky item pickup? Schedule a pickup for large furniture, appliances, or tires at icgov.org/bulkyitem. 

What materials can you recycle at the curb?

For a print-friendly version of this information, view the Curbside Recycling Guide. 

Recycle these items:

• Cardboard and paper: corrugated cardboard (flatten and size to maximum of 2 x 2 feet), softcover books, waxy cartons, clean pizza boxes (no food residue), and mixed paper
• Metal cans and foil: aluminum foil in 2-inch ball minimum. Items should be empty & rinsed.
• Plastic bottles and jugs: items should be empty and rinsed. Leave caps on!

Do not recycle these items: 

• Plastic bags, film, and wrap: recycle at participating stores
• Glass: recycle at drop-off recycling locations
• Styrofoam
• Clamshell plastic containers
• Large, bulky plastic items (such as lawn chairs or garbage cans)
• Shredded paper: recycle at drop-off recycling locations, or compost
• Hardcover books: recycle at Iowa City Landfill and Recycling Center
• Hazardous material: take to Hazardous Material Collection Facility
• Batteries: take to Hazardous Material Collection Facility or battery drop-off
• Electronics and appliances: recycle at the Iowa City Landfill and Recycling Center
• Motor oil and fertilizer bottles (due to chemical leaching in the plastic)
• Gift wrapping paper (with metallic, glitter, or plastic coating)
• Food-contaminated recyclable containers: rinse clean of food and then recycle at curbside

Curbside Customer Best Practices 

Follow these guidelines to ensure successful and safe curbside collection.

• Do not overfill carts. City ordinance states the lids must be closed.
• Place carts at the curb by 7 a.m. on your curbside day.
• Keep at least a 3-feet clear zone around each cart.
• Face the arrows on cart lids toward the street.
• Keep all recycling materials loose.
• Place carts on a solid surface for pickup, such as the end of your driveway. When snow is present, place on a cleared area of flat ground. Do not place carts on top of snowbanks.
• Return carts to your storage area at the end of your curbside service day.
• Do not paint or write on carts.
• Do not remove the carts from home.
• Place carts at the curb only when full.
• Only place accepted items in the curbside cart.

Drop-off recycling locations in Iowa City and Coralville are listed below.

Do not recycle these items: 

• Plastic bags, film, and wrap
• Styrofoam
• Clamshell plastic containers
• Motor oil and fertilizer bottles (due to chemical leaching in the plastic)
• Large, bulky plastic items (such as lawn chairs or garbage cans)
• Gift wrapping paper (with metallic, glitter, or plastic coating)
• Large pieces of glass

Not sure if an item can be recycled? Do not recycle it, or contact the Recycling Coordinator to learn more at jwilch@iowa-city.org. 

East Side Recycling Center  

2401 Scott Blvd. SE, 24/7 (except electronic, small appliance, and light bulb recycling)

Recycle these items at no cost: 

• Cardboard: please flatten
• Paper: newspapers, magazines, shredded paper, office paper, junk mail, paperboard, paperback books, waxy cartons, and aseptic packaging
• Glass: clear, brown, green, blue
• Plastics: bottles and jugs
• Metal: metal cans, aluminum pie pans, aluminum foil (in 2-inch ball)
• Wine corks: place corks in the cork recycling bin in Oil Recycling Shed
• Holiday light strands: recycle at ReStore's donation area during open hours
• Light bulbs: recycle CFLs and LEDs at ReStore's donation area during open hours
• Oil: motor and vegetable
  • Bring liquid in sealed, labeled plastic bottles (must be less than 5-gallon size) with secure lids, and leave in the Oil Recycling Shed.
• Antifreeze: bring liquid in sealed, labeled plastic bottles (must be less than 5-gallon size) with secure lids, and leave in the Oil Recycling Shed.
• Motor oil filters: leave in the Oil Recycling Shed

Recycle these items for a fee: 

• Electronics and small appliances: recycle at ReStore's donation area during open hours (click on the "Electronic and Appliance Recycling" tab below for information on fees)

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Sturgis Ferry Park Recycling Center

1700 South Riverside Drive, 24/7

Recycle these items at no cost: 

• Cardboard: please flatten
• Paper: newspapers, magazines, shredded paper, office paper, junk mail, paperboard, paperback books, waxy cartons, and aseptic packaging
• Glass: clear, brown, green, blue
• Plastics: bottles and jugs
• Metal: metal cans, aluminum pie pans, aluminum foil (in 2-inch ball)

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Iowa City Landfill and Recycling Center

3900 Hebl Avenue SW, Open 7 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. Monday - Saturday

Recycle these items at no cost: 

• Cardboard: please flatten
• Paper: newspapers, magazines, shredded paper, office paper, junk mail, paperboard, paperback books, waxy cartons, and aseptic packaging
• Glass: clear, brown, green, blue
• Plastics: bottles and jugs
• Metal: metal cans, aluminum pie pans, aluminum foil (in 2-inch ball)
• Scrap metal: iron, steel, aluminum, brass, copper
• Holiday light strands: recycle via electronics recycling 
• Light bulbs: CFLs, LEDs (fees associated with business recycling)
• Yard and food waste: via Compost Facility (fees associated with business composting)
• Hardcover books (bin located in electronics recycling area)
• Oil: motor and vegetable
  • Bring liquid in sealed, labeled plastic bottles (must be less than 5-gallon size) with secure lids, and leave in the Oil Recycling Shed.
• Motor oil filters: leave in the Oil Recycling Shed

Recycle these items for a fee: 

• Electronics: televisions, computers, cell phones, etc. (click on the "Electronic and Appliance Recycling" tab below for information on fees)
• Small and large appliances: toasters, coffee makers, refrigerators, microwaves, etc. (click on the "Electronic and Appliance Recycling" tab below for information on fees)
• Propane and helium tanks: recycle residential-sized tanks via appliance recycling at the Iowa City Landfill and Recycling Center for $1 per tank
• Tires: $0.15/pound ($3 minimum)
• Roof shingles: clean loads can be recycled for $30/ton  

Coralville Recycling Center

212 1st Street, Coralville

Recycle these items at no cost: 

• Paper and Cardboard: newspapers, magazines, mixed paper, office paper, junk mail, paperboard, paperback books, corrugated cardboard
• Plastics: bottles and jugs
• Metal: metal cans, aluminum pie pans, aluminum foil (in 1-inch ball)
• Glass: clear, brown, green, blue

Visit the City of Coralville website for more information.

Other Drop-off Recycling Locations

• Hazardous material: Visit the Hazardous Material page for a complete list of accepted items. 
• Light bulbs: Visit the Hazardous Material page for a complete list of locations.
• Batteries: Visit the Hazardous Material page for a complete list of locations.
• Glass: Click on the "Glass Recycling" tab below for a complete list of locations. 

Don't throw away holiday lights, recycle them!

As residents begin decorating for the holiday season, remember that holiday light strands can be recycled at seasonal drop-off locations in the Iowa City and Coralville area at no cost. Note: holiday light strands should not be placed in regular recycling. 

Recycle burnt-out holiday lights at the following locations. 

Iowa City Locations (available Monday, Nov. 25, 2024, through Sunday, Jan. 5, 2025)

• East Side Recycling Center (via Oil Recycling Shed or ReStore Donations) (2401 Scott Blvd. SE)
  • Hours of operation:
    • Oil Recycling Shed: 24/7 access
    • ReStore Donations: Wednesday to Saturday from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. 
• Iowa City Landfill and Recycling Center via electronic recycling program (3900 Hebl Ave. SW)
  • Hours of operation: Monday to Saturday from 7 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. 
• Iowa City City Hall via bin located outside of main entrance (410 E Washington St.)
  • Hours of operation: 24/7 access

Coralville Locations (available now through Sunday, Jan. 5, 2025)

• Coralville Hy-Vee #1 (1914 8th St.)
  • Hours of operation: www.hy-vee.com/stores/detail.aspx?s=37   
• Coralville Hy-Vee #2 (3285 Crosspark Rd.)
  • Hours of operation: www.hy-vee.com/stores/detail.aspx?sc=1085   
• Coralville Drop-off Recycling Center (212 1st St.) (note this is new this year)
  • Hours of operation: https://www.coralville.org/197/Recycling  
• Stuff, Etc. (2818 Commerce Dr.)
  • Hours of operation: www.shopstuffetc.com/coralville/   
• Coralville City Hall (1512 7th St.)
  • Hours of operation: Monday to Friday, 7:30 a.m. - 5 p.m.; check holiday hours at www.coralville.org 
• Coralville Recreation Center (1506 8th St.)
  • Hours of operation: www.coralville.org/parksandrec   

For questions about Coralville locations, please contact the Coralville Streets and Solid Waste Department at 319-248-1740 or email solidwaste@coralville.org. 

These collection locations are for holiday light strands only; no plastic bags, garbage, electronics, syringes, batteries, or hazardous material allowed.

Sign up for recycling program and curbside notices at icgov.org/subscribe.  

Several locations in the Iowa City area offer electronic and appliance recycling.

Iowa City Landfill and Recycling Center

3900 Hebl Ave. SW, Iowa City

Open 7 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday to Saturday

Pay at the scalehouse (lane 2) and you will be directed to the self-service recycling area.

Items accepted and fees (cash, checks, and credit cards accepted):

• Computers: $20 each (fee includes components)
• Televisions: $20 each (fee includes components)
• Other electronic items: $3 each; examples include: 
  • Printers, CPUs, VCRs without a CRT screen/monitor, ink/toner cartridges, cell phones, DVD players, electronic cables/cords, cameras, stereos, electronic toys, radios
• Holiday light strands: no cost
• Small appliances: $3 each; examples include: 
  • Vacuum cleaners, alarm clocks, toasters, blenders, coffee makers, lamps, irons, ceiling fans
• Large appliances: $12.50 each; examples include:
  • Microwaves, dishwashers, refrigerators, ovens, washing machines, dryers, dehumidifiers or humidifiers, lawn mowers, grills, exercise equipment, water heaters, freezers, air conditioners, heaters/furnaces
• Propane or helium tanks (residential-sized): $1 each

East Side Recycling Center

2401 Scott Blvd. SE, Iowa City (via Habitat for Humanity ReStore donation area)

Open 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Wednesday to Saturday

Large appliances are not accepted at this location. Recycle these at the Iowa City Landfill and Recycling Center.

Items accepted and fees (cash and checks only):

• Computers: $20 each (fee includes components)
• Televisions: $20 each (fee includes components)
• Other electronic items: $3 each; examples include:
  • Printers, CPUs, VCRs without a CRT screen/monitor, ink/toner cartridges, cell phones, DVD players, electronic cables/cords, cameras, stereos, electronic toys, radios
• Holiday light strands: no cost
• Small appliances: $3 each; examples include:
  • Vacuum cleaners, alarm clocks, toasters, blenders, coffee makers, lamps, irons, ceiling fans

Other Drop-off Locations

• Best Buy (1431 Coral Ridge Ave., Coralville)
• Goodwill Reboot (445 Highway 6 East, Iowa City)
  • Working and non-working computers are accepted and will either be recycled or refurbished and sold in store.
• SmartphonesPLUS (2445 2nd St., Suite 1, Coralville)
  • Cell phones, tablets, computers and other electronics are accepted for recycling.
• Staples (820 S Riverside Dr., Iowa City)

Got empty ink or toner cartridges? Staples and Best Buy both accept these items for recycling.

Glass Recycling Locations

• East Side Recycling Center (2401 Scott Blvd. SE, Iowa City) 
• Sturgis Ferry Park Recycling Center (1700 South Riverside Drive)
• Iowa City Landfill and Recycling Center (3900 Hebl Ave. SW, Iowa City) 
• Robert A. Lee Recreation Center parking lot (220 S. Gilbert St., Iowa City) 
• Coralville Drop-off Recycling Center 
• Upper City Park parking lot (200 Park Road, Iowa City) 
  • Enter at Park Road, across from N. Riverside Drive. Purple glass recycling bin is located in NW corner of parking lot 

Watch this short video to learn about glass recycling in Iowa City. 

What glass can you recycle?

Recycle these items: 

• All colors of glass bottles and jars (such as clear, blue, green, and brown); examples include: 
  • Food and beverage bottles/jars
  • Candle jars
  • Clear drinking vessels
  • Cosmetic jars

Do not recycle these items: 

• Cardboard/paper drink carriers
• Plastic bags
• Window/pane glass
• Laminated glass/windshields
• Porcelain, ceramic, China, leaded glass, milk glass
• Pyrex, Corningware, dishware
• Mirrors
• Light bulbs

Glass recycling tips:

• Rinse food/beverage glass before recycling!
• Labels can stay on bottles and jars.
• Lids are fine to stay on bottles and jars, too. If you prefer to remove them, here’s what to do with those caps/lids:
  • Plastic ones are trash.
  • Metal ones can be recycled.
  • Corks:
    • Natural corks can be recycled via the wine cork bin at East Side Recycling Center (located in the Oil Recycling Shed).
    • Plastic/foam corks are trash.

A friendly reminder that programs require maintenance! If you arrive at one of the locations listed above and you don’t see the purple bin, it may be in route to be emptied, but don’t worry, it will be right back.

Why is this important?

This program expansion is in response to the community identifying a need for easier, more accessible glass recycling options. Glass is not allowed in curbside recycling, as it lessens the quality of glass when added to a single stream recycling mix, making the glass difficult to recycle. By keeping glass separate, we ensure that we have a clean, high-quality product that is easy to recycle. Glass is 100% recyclable forever, which is why we don’t want this valuable material ending up in a landfill.

Softcover Books Only

 Softcover books can be recycled via curbside recycling or at the following locations via the paper recycling containers: 

• South Riverside Recycling Center, 1200 South Riverside Drive
  • Visit the Recycling page for a complete list of accepted items at this location. 
• East Side Recycling Center, 2401 Scott Blvd. SE
  • Visit the East Side Recycling Center page for a complete list of accepted items at this location. 

Hardcover and Softcover Books, DVDs, and Audiobooks

Hardcover books, softcover books, DVDs, and audiobooks on CD can be recycled at the Iowa City Landfill and Recycling Center, 3900 Hebl Ave. SW. Collection bins are located in the electronic recycling garage bay. 

Recycle these items at no cost:

• Fiction and non-fiction paperback or hardcover books
• Cookbooks
• Religious books
• Rare or antique books
• Textbooks
• Travel books
• Computer books
• Audiobooks on CD
• DVDs
• Encyclopedias
• Dictionaries
• Journals
• Damaged or ripped books

Do not recycle these items: 

• Wet or moldy books (garbage)
• VHS or cassette tapes (garbage)
• CDs (garbage)

Materials in good condition will be reused with proceeds directly benefitting the Iowa City Public Library. Materials that are damaged or past use will be properly recycled. 

Cardboard is not allowed to be thrown in the trash and must be recycled. This landfill ban on cardboard is meant to keep a usable, valuable material out of the landfill which saves natural resources and landfill space.

Another reason we do not want cardboard thrown away is related to greenhouse gas emissions. When cardboard or any other organic materials are landfilled, it produces a very powerful greenhouse gas known as methane. Recycling cardboard reduces our local greenhouse gas emissions!

Ways to recycle cardboard in the area:

• Drop-off Locations: If you do not have recycling where you live or have large amounts of cardboard, click on the "Drop-off Recycling Locations" tab above to learn more about drop-off options for cardboard recycling. 
• Residential Curbside Recycling: If you have access to a curbside recycling program where you live, you can recycle cardboard via that program. Iowa City curbside customers can recycle flattened cardboard with pieces sized to a maximum of 2 x 2 feet.

• Apartment Recycling: All apartment buildings in Iowa City are required to offer on-site recycling to tenants. If you live in an apartment building, click on the "Apartment and Business Recycling" tab below to learn more. 

Some plastics are designed in ways that make them difficult to recycle. Even recyclable plastics have a limited number of times they can be recycled before their quality degrades, and they can no longer be recycled. This is different than aluminum or glass that can be recycled again and again forever.

The best solution is to reduce use of disposable plastics and to look for sustainable, reusable alternatives. A few alternative examples that reduce plastic use and waste include: 

• Laundry detergent sheets or powder
• Dish detergent powder
• Soap, shampoo, and conditioner bars
• Toothpaste tablets
• Bamboo, glass, or metal drinking straws (reusable)
• Beeswax food wrap (reusable)
• Bamboo or metal cutlery sets (reusable)
• Wool dryer balls (reusable)

What plastic items can you recycle via City programs?

Because plastic items have complicated, varying chemistries, it is important to only place accepted, recyclable plastic items in your residential curbside recycling cart or at drop-off recycling locations to reduce recycling contamination.

Recycle these plastic items: 

• Bottles and jugs:
  • Milk jugs
  • Water, juice, or soda bottles
  • Laundry detergent jugs
  • Sour cream, cottage cheese, and butter tubs
  • Peanut butter jars
  • Lotion, soap, or shampoo bottles
  • Medicine or vitamin bottles
  • Yogurt cups or tubs

Leave caps on bottles and jugs, remove any pump nozzles, and rinse items clean before recycling.

Do not recycle these plastic items: 

• Bags, film, or wrappers
  • Note: Certain types of plastic bags are accepted for recycling at local participating stores. 
• Styrofoam
• Clamshell containers
• Fertilizer, motor oil, or hazardous material bottles
• Large, bulky items (such as laundry baskets or lawn chairs)
• Plastic-coated gift wrapping paper 
• Sauce cups, coffee cup lids, drinking straws, and silverware
• Pump nozzles (such as from lotion or shampoo bottles)
• Syringes and sharps
• VHS tapes, CDs, and cassette tapes
• Yard signs
• Cigarettes
• Other plastic pieces that do not fit into any of the categories of the accepted items list above 

Light bulb recycling is available to residents and businesses within Johnson County, Kalona, and Riverside. 

Incandescent Light Bulbs

Incandescent light bulbs can be thrown away in the regular garbage.

Compact Fluorescent Light (CFL) and LED Bulbs

Residents:

Properly dispose of CFL and LED bulbs at the following locations: 

Locations accept bulbs at no cost. Tube recycling is not available at all locations, or there may be a charge. Contact partner locations for more information on items accepted and open hours.

• Iowa City Landfill and Recycling Center (3900 Hebl Ave. SW, Iowa City)      
  • No cost CFL/LED tube and bulb recycling are available during regular business hours, 7 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday to Saturday.
  • Light fixtures without PBCs are $3 each to recycle.
  • Light fixtures with PBCs are $12.50 each to recycle.
• ReStore (2401 Scott Blvd. SE, Iowa City)
• Ace Hardware (1558 Mall Dr., Iowa City)
• Ace Hardware (600 N. Dodge St., Iowa City)
• Tiffin City Hall (300 Railroad St.)
• Riverside City Hall (61 Greene St.)
• Lone Tree City Hall (123 Devoe St.)
• North Liberty City Hall (360 N Main St.)
• Lowe's Home Improvement (2701 2nd St, Coralville)
  • Call 319-545-8300 for more information, as this program is not managed by the City of Iowa City.

Businesses:  

Businesses can properly dispose of CFLs and LEDs for a fee at the Iowa City Landfill and Recycling Center.

Commercial light bulb recycling fees:

• CFL or LED bulbs: 54 cents/bulb
• Tubes 4-foot and under: 54 cents/bulb
• Tubes 4-foot and over: 72 cents/bulb
• Light fixtures without PBCs are $3 each to recycle.
• Light fixtures with PBCs are $12.50 each to recycle.

CFLs contain a small amount of mercury and LEDs contain a small amount of lead. Special handling is required to safely remove the mercury and lead.

• How to Clean Up a Broken CFL Bulb

Bring motor or vegetable oil in sealed, labeled plastic bottles (must be less than 5-gallon size) with secure lids, and leave in the Oil Recycling Sheds at either location: 

• East Side Recycling Center (2401 Scott Blvd. SE, Iowa City), available 24/7
• Iowa City Landfill and Recycling Center (3900 Hebl Avenue SW, Iowa City), available during open hours only from Monday to Saturday, 7 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Motor oil filters can also be recycled at both locations. This service is available at no cost to Johnson County, Kalona and Riverside residents only. Materials from outside of this service area are not accepted. 

Apartment Recycling

If you live in an apartment in Iowa City and are unsure how to use your recycling program, follow the steps below.

1. Check the label on the recycling container/dumpster or call your landlord to identify which company hauls your apartment’s recycling materials.
2. Find the company below that hauls your apartment’s recycling materials. These resources should explain what can and cannot be recycled in your recycling container.
   • ABC Disposal Systems, Inc.
   • Republic Services (formerly Allied Waste Service)
   • Hawkeye Waste (call 319-351-5932 for more information)
   • Johnson County Refuse
   • Waste Management

Live in an apartment building with no recycling or need to report an issue?

Report this as "Housing: Recycling Issues" on the ICgovXpress page and provide your apartment's address and recycling status.

Business Recycling

The private hauling companies listed above under the "Apartment Recycling" section are options for businesses wanting to recycle on site.