Residential Curbside Recycling is Coming; Help Pick Cart Color
Published on February 26, 2026
AMES, Iowa – A Residential Curbside Recycling program was presented to the Ames City Council this week and will be voted on at the Council’s regularly scheduled meeting on Tuesday, March 10. If approved, the new curbside recycling program will provide a 96-gallon wheeled recycling bin for all single-family and multi-family housing of four units or less.
The program would provide recycling pick-up every-other-week, and all recycling, including paper, cardboard, glass, metal, and screw-top plastics, would be placed in one recycling bin. The cost of $7.75 per month would be added to each customer’s City of Ames utility bill. The bins would arrive at residences in June, and the program would start July 1.
“We are proud of our waste-to-energy history, but the system is no longer sustainable. It’s time to look at other solutions for handling municipal solid waste,” said Public Works Director Justin Clausen. “Residential curbside recycling is new to Ames but has been used successfully in other communities for years. This program will give another life to recyclable materials and reduce the amount of garbage sent to the landfill. Waste reduction is the key, and we all need to be exploring ways to reduce the amount of garbage we produce.”
Curbside recycling is one component in a larger project to move away from the City’s current waste-to-energy system, a process that burns garbage to produce electricity that began in 1975. The new system will focus on diverting recyclable materials from garbage and processing the remaining trash for landfilling. Landfilling trash comes with a fee based on weight. Maximizing recycling opportunities contributes to cost-efficiencies and an improved environmental impact.
The new curbside recycling program does not replace or impact private trash hauling services. Those will continue as usual under existing contracts and structures. If a resident currently contracts for recycling with a private trash hauler, the City’s recycling program will replace that service. Current Aspen Waste recycling customers will automatically have recycling charges removed. Other recycling customers should contact their haulers to ensure they are not charged for recycling service after July 1.
Recycling Cart Color Survey!
As part of the new residential curbside recycling program, residents are asked to share their thoughts on the new recycling bin color. Six color options are available, and residents are asked to rank their favorite choices by taking the survey at www.CityOfAmes.org/Recycling through Friday, March 13. Based on the feedback, one color will be selected for the nearly 14,000 bins that will be deployed throughout the community. The website also includes additional information about the program and contact information.
Anyone with comments or questions about the new program can contact Sustainability Coordinator Nolan Sagan at 515.239.5227 or email at sustainability@cityofames.org.
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