DO recycle
www.sustainabledubuque.org
Please have your yellow bin(s) set out at curbside by 6 a.m. The bins and any bundled materials may not weigh
over 40 lbs. each. No plastic bags accepted -- please recycle them at many local cooperating retailers. To request
an additional bin, one with wheels for special needs, a basket for apartment recycling, or further information on what
can and cannot be recycled, please call the Public Works Department at 563.589.4250 or visit the website at www.
cityofdubuque.org. For local drop off recycling opportunities, visit www.DMASWA.org.
Tissue roll cores
Shredded paper strips
Paperback and hardback books
Newspapers, magazines, catalogs
Clean pizza boxes, pop and beer boxes
Envelopes, junk mail, paper bags
White, colored and fax paper
Corrugated cardboard - flattened, less than 40 lbs. if bundled, less than 3 ft. long, staples okay
ONLY
All items for recycling must weigh less
than 40 lbs., be reasonably clean, and
be less than 3 feet in length.
Cereal boxes
Carbonless forms
Paper egg cartons
Shampoo, lotion, and soap bottles
Margarine and ice cream tubs
Yogurt cups and clean plastic flower pots
Milk, juice, and cooking oil jugs
Pop and water bottles, plastic cups
Bleach and detergent containers
Household cleaning containers
Pop, juice and beer aluminum cans
Rinsed tin/steel food cans (labels ok)
Aluminum foil, pie pans and trays
Metal jar lids in flattened cans
Pots and pans, stainless steel
Copper, brass, and aluminum
Empty aerosol cans
Newly emptied, clean latex paint cans
Shoe boxes
Gray chipboard
Phone books
DON’T recycle
Milk and juice paperboard cartons
Food-encrusted pizza boxes
Cereal box liners, feed/seed bags
Photographs, foil greeting cards
Tissue paper, foil gift wrap
Soiled paper plates, cups and napkins
Syringes, needles, sharps and knives
Plastic without a recycling symbol
Plastic with a #6 or #7 symbol
Plastic bags and film wrap
Styrofoam, toys, laundry baskets
Glass
Disposable diapers
Plastic egg cartons
Tyvek envelopes
Oil filters and batteries
Anti-freeze and motor oil containers
Pesticide and chemical containers
Orange prescription pill bottles
All black or microwave containers
Slick-coated frozen food boxes
REFUSE COLLECTION
How much trash can I set out each week?
Your monthly solid waste base fee pays for one weekly 35-gallon bag or can. Green single-use stickers are required on extra 35-gallon cans, bags or smaller items.
Weight of a standard individual container and contents must not exceed 40 pounds. Non-complying containers and set outs will be tagged by crews and left uncollected.
What are the costs?
Green stickers ($1.50 each) are available on sheets of five at area grocery, discount, and hardware stores. Call Utility Billing at (563) 589-4144 to subscribe to an additional
35-gallon can for $8.00 per month or to “upgrade” to an oversize can (36 to 50 gallon), replacing your base container, for an additional $5.00 per month. Monthly tipper
cart subscription charges: 64 gallon (224 pounds max) at $20.65, 96 gallon (324 pounds max) at $29.00.
How am I to set out my trash?
Trash must be set out to the curb or alley line by 6:00 A.M. on the scheduled collection day. Containers must not be set out more than 24 hours prior to the collection
day or left out more than 24 hours after the collection day. Containers at a group/common setout point shared with neighbors must be marked with the address and
apartment number. Cans must be heavy- duty, waterproof, with a lid, and manufactured for trash. Heavy-duty plastic bags manufactured for garbage are acceptable if
tied and not torn open. Medical sharps will not be collected unless placed in a small, hard, lidded, plastic or metal container marked “SHARPS.” Electronics have been
banned from landfill disposal and will no longer be collected as refuse; they must now be recycled (not in curbside recycling) or donated. Electronics are
such items as televisions, monitors, computers, DVD/VCR players and cell phones. For information on recycling your electronics, visit www.DMASWA.org.
YARD WASTE / ORGANICS
What is yard waste / organics?
Yard waste, or more appropriately called yard debris, includes grass clippings, leaves, pinecones, pine needles, fallen fruit, nuts, brush, garden
plants and culls, tree trimmings, bark, sod, flowers, potted plants (no pots), pumpkins, straw bales, corn stalks, and Christmas trees. Food
scraps and compostable paper are now also acceptable. Yard waste/debris is NOT animal waste, rocks, or building materials.
Am I required to use paper yard waste bags for my yard waste/debris?
No. You may set your yard waste out in a rigid solid waste container (up to 35 gallons) and either attach an annual decal or loop a yellow
single-use yard waste sticker ($1.30) through the handle. Yard waste in plastic bags will not be collected.
Do I need a yard waste sticker on my 35-gallon can or paper yard waste bag?
Yes. A yard waste can, without an annual decal (currently $35.00), requires an attached yellow yard waste sticker looped through the handle.
Paper yard waste bags also require attached yellow stickers. Containers over 40 pounds will not be serviced.
LARGE ITEM COLLECTION
How can I dispose of bulky and excessive miscellaneous items?
Call the Public Works Department at (563) 589-4250 to schedule a large item collection. Collections are normally done on your regular solid
waste collection day, except for appliances which are done on Mondays. All items must be set out to the curb or alley line by 6:00 A.M.
on the day of collection, but not more than 24 hours prior to collection.
What are the charges?
The minimum fee is $10.00 and allows you to set out bulky items or an excessive volume of miscellaneous items equal to approximately 10-12 bags or cans.
Additional volume is charged in $12.50 increments. If you would like a collection on an off-route day, there will be an additional charge of $10.00. Appliance
disposal costs $10.00 each. Automobile tires cost $4.00 each off rim, and $6.00 each on rim. Fees are charged to the customer’s utility billing account. In
situations where the landlord pays the utilities, tenants may pre-pay at City Hall - Utility Billing.
What are considered appliances?
Appliances include: Microwaves, stoves, refrigerators, freezers, hot water heaters, trash compactors, washers, dryers, dehumidifiers, ovens, dishwashers, air
conditioners, garbage disposals, trash compactors, water softeners, furnaces, and miscellaneous refrigeration and electrical equipment with specialized switches.
What is prohibited in Large Item Collection?
Prohibited items include: stockpiled daily garbage, yard waste, rocks, bricks, concrete, building and construction materials, lumber, ceiling
tiles, shingles, fencing, explosives, propane and other cylinders, fire extinguishers, batteries, asbestos, liquids, paint, motor oil, chemicals,
televisions, computer equipment, DVD/VCR players and miscellaneous electronics.
UPDATED JULY 2016
563.589.4250
www.cityofdubuque.org