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Trash & Recycling Collection

The City of Waterloo has contracted with Reliable Sanitation to provide curbside trash pickup and curbside recycling weekly. Trash pickup is on Mondays and recycling pickup is on Thursdays, each respective week.  The current contract states the only observed holidays are Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Day and New Year's Day, in which trash/recycling will be picked up the next day.

Reliable Sanitation

RELIABLE Logos With Truck

Collection Guidelines

Reliable Sanitation is contracted to collect not more than two (2) thirty (30) gallon containers of garbage or trash per individual or entity billed by the City for refuse collection.

The term garbage shall be construed as meaning: tin cans, bottles, glass, papers, rags, ashes, and other waste discard that is generated from a normal household or business of that type.

Trash/recycling containers should be placed curbside by 6:00 a.m.

Unacceptable Items

  • No landscape materials including brush branches, leaves yard cuttings or tree limbs
  • No dead animals, animal excretion, sewage or residue from the construction of building demolition or construction.
  • No tires, batteries, oil, paint, or medical waste.

Recyclables Accepted  -  **RINSE RECYCLABLES THOROUGHLY**

  • Paper: newspaper & inserts, magazines, shopping catalogs, junk mail, office paper, wrapping paper, telephone books, books (hard covers must be removed, soft covered acceptable), etc.
  • Glass Jars & Bottles: do not include glass in the recycling totes. Please take glass to the Monroe County Recycling Center at 901 Illinois Ave.
  • Aluminum/Tin/Steel Cans: soup & vegetable cans, beer & soda cans, aerosol cans (no scrap metal)
  • Corrugated Cardboard: please break down boxes. We also accept single-ply cardboard (cereal boxes, soda/beer cartons)

Reliable Sanitation will not be accepting large cardboard boxes greater than 3’ X 3’ that are placed outside of recycling totes.  Cardboard boxes must be broken down and placed inside of recycling tote or large boxes may be taken down to the recycling center free of charge.

  • Plastics: household plastic containers marked with the recycling logo #1 through #5 or #7 ONLY -  milk jugs, 2 liter soda bottles, juice & detergent containers, etc. (No plastic grocery bags)

Common contaminants that are NOT acceptable:

  • Styrofoam
  • Light bulbs, mirror glass, ceramic
  • Styrofoam egg cartons
  • Plastic grocery bags
  • Newspaper wrappers
  • Paper cups, plates & plastic utensils
  • Black plastic microwavable containers
  • Motor oil cans & paint cans
  • Construction materials
  • Wax covered cardboard containers (i.e. orange juice cartons, fruit boxes, etc.)
  • Clothes & hangers
  • Bubble wrap
  • Diapers, toilet paper
  • Garden hoses
  • Extension cords
  • Wood
  • Scrap Metal
  • Plastic toys & furniture
Recycling Program Updated 2.2023