Collection Requirements
There are a few things you can do to help our crews collect your garbage, recycling and yard waste quickly and efficiently.
All containers must be out at 7 a.m. to ensure collection.
- If you have the space, line the containers up parallel to the street.
- Keep containers at street level. Placing containers on high curbs or snow banks creates a safety hazard for our crew members as they reach to pull the heavy containers down.
- Containers should not be set out before 6 p.m. on the evening prior to collection, and should be retrieved again by 7 p.m. on collection day.
Garbage Tips
- Use the City issued GARBY cart
- The lid on your GARBY cart must be able to close for collection. Crews will not collect overfilled carts.
- Place $1.50 Sticker on extra bags. There is a 40 lbs limit on extra garbage bags. (A good comparison is a large bag of dog food or cat litter.)
- See our Bulky Item collection service for objects that do not fit in your garbage can.
Recycling Tips
- Do NOT place glass in CURBY carts. Color and clear glass go in a 2-5 gallon bucket set beside the CURBY cart.
- No Plastic Bags or Styrofoam in CURBY. Plastic bags may be returned to your local grocery store and styrofoam must be thrown away.
- Weight limit for the CURBY cart is 220 pounds.
- Place the cart with arrows pointing toward the street.
Yard Waste Tips
- Leave 3 feet between YARDY and other objects (other containers, telephone poles, street signs). This allows our fully-automated truck to pick up the YARDY cart without damaging other property.
- Place the cart with arrows pointing toward the street.
- The lid should be fully closed.
Collection Schedule
Garbage, recycling, and yard waste crews reach 41,400 homes in Cedar Rapids each week. In order to provide service to everyone, the City is divided into 5 sections.
All containers need to be set out by 7:00 a.m. to ensure collection.
If you have questions about which day your garbage is picked up, please call our office at 319-286-5897.
You can also view a map to see when to expect our crew members.
Holidays
When holidays fall during the week, it may postpone your collection. View our calendar and see if an upcoming holiday will change your collection.
- New Year's Day 2023 — Sunday, Jan. 1, 2023 | No delay due to the holiday falling on a weekend this year.
- Memorial Day — Monday, May 29, 2023 | No collection. One-day delay all week.
- Labor Day — Monday, Sept. 4, 2023 | No collection. One-day delay all week.
- Thanksgiving Day — Thursday, Nov. 23, 2023 | No collection. One-day delay for remainder of week.
- Christmas Day — Monday, Dec. 25, 2023 | No collection. One-day delay all week.
- New Year's Day 2024 — Monday, Jan. 1, 2024 | No collection. One-day delay all week.
- Martin Luther King Jr. Day — Monday, Jan. 16, 2023*
- Presidents' Day — Monday, Feb. 20, 2023*
- Good Friday — Friday, April 7, 2023
- Independence Day — Tuesday, July 4, 2023
- Veterans Day — Saturday, Nov. 11, 2023
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