FAQs

• No sorting of recyclables
• Everything goes into one cart with wheels
• More plastics get recycled—and fewer go to the landfill

You can recycle all the things you used to recycle—and then some!

The easiest way to recycle is to look at the photos on the lid of your cart. If it’s pictured, it goes in! Only recyclables belong in your cart. No trash, please!

Some residents have asked if it’s still OK to recycle plastics “by the numbers” — and the answer is yes. In your new cart, you can recycle#1-#7 plastics. No Styrofoam, please, and no plastic bags of any kind.

In your new cart you also may recycle milk and juice containers (gable-top cartons) and canisters for nuts and chips (such as Pringles).

A couple more hints: Your containers should be empty and rinsed, and your paper items should be clean and dry. (No cheesy pizza boxes, please! But your clean pizza boxes are OK.)

All cardboard must be contained completely within the cart for recycling. Don’t place cardboard next to your cart — it cannot be collected that way! Your cart is roomy enough to accommodate large pieces of cardboard; however, if you have a quantity that won’t fit, you’re welcome to drop if off any any of our drop-off recycling locations.

You can contact your city’s public works department to request a smaller garbage cart for a fee. To contact Davenport Public Works, call (563) 326-7732. To contact Bettendorf Public Works, call (563) 344-4088.

Your public works department handles all cart requests.

But before you make a request for a smaller recycling cart, it’s a good idea to consider a few things first.

• The two recycling cart sizes are 65- and 95-gallons. The 65-gallon cart is very similar to the larger cart. Its footprint is just two inches smaller in one direction, and it’s a bit shorter.
• Remember that all recyclables must be contained in your cart, lid closed, for collection. Cardboard, too. The 95-gallon cart might be handy when you have lots of recycling, such as at the holidays.
• Your solid waste fee is based on the size of your garbage cart, not your recycling cart. Whether you use a 95- or 65-gallon recycling cart, your fee will be the same. Might as well us the bigger cart!
• Not filling your cart? Chances are good you could be recycling more items. Look at the lid of your cart to make sure you’re not tossing something into the trash that belongs in your recycling cart!

Still think you need a different size recycling cart? You can place your request with Davenport Public Works by calling (563) 326-7732; or Bettendorf Public Works by e-mailing pubworks@bettendorf.org or calling (563) 344-4088.

The easiest way to recycle is to look at the photos on the lid of your cart. If it’s pictured, it goes in! Only recyclables belong in your cart. No trash, please!

Some residents have asked if they can recycle plastics “by the numbers” — and the answer is yes. In your new cart, you can recycle#1-#7 plastics. No Styrofoam, please, and no plastic bags of any kind (even if they have a number on them).

In your new cart you also may recycle milk and juice containers (gable-top cartons) and canisters for nuts and chips (such as Pringles).

A couple more hints: Your containers should be empty and rinsed, and your paper items should be clean and dry. (No cheesy pizza boxes, please! But your clean pizza boxes are OK.)

All cardboard must be contained completely within the cart for recycling. Don’t place cardboard next to your cart — it cannot be collected that way! Your cart is roomy enough to accommodate large pieces of cardboard; however, if you have a quantity that won’t fit, you’re welcome to drop if off any any of our drop-off recycling locations.

Go All In recycling collection started on August 1, 2016.

Your city will pick up recycling every other week and continue to transport your recyclables to the Scott Area Recycling Center in Davenport, which has undergone major changes to accommodate the new materials that you’ll be recycling.

The Recycling Center is owned and operated by Waste Commission of Scott County, an inter-governmental organization formed in 1972 to provide residents with economical, environmentally responsible options for solid waste. Commission programs are funded by user fees paid at our facilities, and not through tax dollars. Your taxes will not increase because of the change to single-stream recycling.

Currently residents pay city fees for waste and recycling collection. These fees have increased modestly over the years, mirroring general cost-of-living. Switching to Go All In is allowing this pattern to continue. In fact, if we didn’t change the way we recycle, costs would have had to increase. Going all in is the way to go!

Yes. Since 2004 Waste Commission of Scott County and its partners have conducted extensive research into single-stream recycling and how it will benefit residents over the long term. Over the last 10 years, single-stream equipment and technology have improved significantly. Automated collection has proven to be more cost-efficient and safer. Also, we were conservative and cautious as we developed single-stream recycling plans, building in several safeguards that will ensure a long-lived program with far-reaching environmental benefits and manageable costs for residents.

The new program is already making a difference! In the first month, Davenport and Bettendorf residents recycled more than twice as much material as before.

Visit the My Town section for information.