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Items Collected & Sorting Recyclables
How to Sort (Curbside)
Separate the items below in separate sacks. Items not properly separated will be left at the curb.Items Accepted (Curbside & Drop-Off Center)
| Acceptable |
|---|
| Corrugated cardboard |
Mandatory Corrugated Cardboard Recycling
Corrugated cardboard is recyclable and is not allowed in your trash. The Iowa City Landfill instituted a corrugated cardboard ban for the entire landfill service area, which includes Coralville.
The cardboard ban diverts about 4,000 tons of cardboard from the landfill each year.
What if I put corrugated cardboard in the trash?
Coralville customers who place recyclable corrugated cardboard in their garbage will receive a notice and their trash cart will not be emptied.
What about pizza boxes?
Cardboard that has food on it cannot be recycled and goes in the trash. Pizza boxes that are clean and do not have food residue may be recycled.
If pizza boxes are messy, tear off the top of the box to recycle the clean part. Then place the greasy part of the pizza box in the trash.
How to Recycle Corrugated Cardboard
- Flatten into sections no larger than 2’ x 3’ and place them under your curbside recycling bin
- Flatten cardboard and take it to the Coralville Drop-Off Recycling Center (950 Hughes St., open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week) or any recycling drop-off location in Johnson County. View area recycling sites
What if I live in an apartment or condo?
Contact your property manager or home owners/condo owners association regarding recycling services. Coralville offers curbside recycling and trash collection for single family and duplex housing only. If you do not have on-site recycling collection, you may take corrugated cardboard to the Coralville Drop-Off Recycling Center or other recycling drop-off locations in Johnson County.
Contact your property manager or home owners/condo owners association regarding recycling services. Coralville offers curbside recycling and trash collection for single family and duplex housing only. If you do not have on-site recycling collection, you may take corrugated cardboard to the Coralville Drop-Off Recycling Center or other recycling drop-off locations in Johnson County.
| Acceptable |
|---|
| Cardboard egg cartons |
| Chipboard (cereal boxes, etc. should be flattened and liners removed) |
| Envelopes (plastic windows allowed) |
| File folders |
| Greeting cards (no glitter or metallic designs) |
| Junk mail |
| Magazines & catalogs |
| Newspapers, including ads |
| Paper |
| Paper towel tubes |
| Phone books (soft cover) and paperback books |
| Acceptable |
|---|
| Plastics #1-5 and 7 |
| Juice bottles |
| Milk jugs |
| Plastic bottles and lides |
| Soda/pop bottles |
| NO PLASTIC BAGS |
Note: Rinse; labels may remain on. Crush to save space.
| Acceptable |
|---|
| Aluminum pans/pie pans |
| Aluminum foil (clean and crumpled into two inch ball) |
| Food cans (such as soup and tuna cans) |
Note: Remove labels and rinse. Remove ends and crush to save space (ends may be placed in the crushed can).
Not Accepted (Curbside & Drop-Off Center)
Glass
- Glass is not accepted as a result of a declining market for glass collected. Unlike other recyclable materials which cities can sell, we must pay to recycle glass. Since the recycling program is supported by solid waste fees and revenue from the sale of recycled items, items collected that are not marketable increase program costs.
- Glass may be recycled at additional recycling sites, including Republic Services Recycling, East Side Recycling Center, Hy-Vee (North Dodge), and Iowa City Landfill and Recycle Center.
- Coralville recycling does not accept plastic bags, plastic film, and Styrofoam. Plastic bags/film are generally made of HDPE (# 2 plastic) or LDP (# 4 plastic).
- Products like plastic bags/film tend to get tangled up at recycling processing plants and slow down or damage the processing equipment. Generally, recycling processing plants do not want or accept plastic bags /film due to possible damage to their equipment.
- Recycle plastic bags at participating area retailers
- Gift wrap paper, hardcover books, napkins, tissues, non-biodegradable paper cups/plates, photos, packing paper, styrofoam (including foam egg cartons), packing peanuts, or toys are not accepted.
- Place these in your garbage.