2025 Charles City Spring Cleanup begins Saturday, April 19, with dropoff options

By Bob Steenson, bsteenson@charlescitypress.com

Charles City again this year invites residents to drop off their no-longer-needed items in the dumpsters at the Shaw Avenue Dump Site for the annual Spring Cleanup.

The free drop-off, near the water resource reclamation facility off of Clark Street, will be available from Saturday, April 19, through Saturday, April 26, from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on weekends and from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. on weekdays.

City Administrator Steve Diers said the change from a citywide pickup service to a drop-off service has seemed to go well the last couple of years since it changed from curbside collections.

“From what we’ve seen it’s been working great,” he said. People can bring the equivalent of a whole pickup bed full of materials to drop off, and they’ve even added the ability to drop off up to four passenger car tires per household.

People who don’t have the ability to transport their items can call City Hall to be put on a pickup list.

Members of the Charles City Rotary Club and Lions Club, working with volunteer high school students, will pick up items and transport them to the dump site for those who can’t, Diers said.

Once a person is on the list and a pickup date is assigned, all the person has to do is put the items out the night before to be picked up the next day, he said.

The City Hall number to schedule a pickup is 641-257-6300.

Each residence is allowed one load such as a pickup truck full to be dropped off at the dump site, and city officials emphasized the service is for community residents only. People will be stationed at the drop-off site and proof of residence such as a utility bill stub or similar proof will be required.

There will be separate dumpsters for garbage, metals and cardboard, and people are asked to separate what they are dropping off into the appropriate bins.

Bulky item curbside pickup will still be available, but a fee will again be charged and the pickups must be scheduled in advance by calling LJP/Jendro Sanitation at 641-228-3525 to schedule a time and arrange payment before the pickup takes place.

Examples of fees listed by the city for curbside pickup include $15 per yard of carpeting; $20 for a grill (but no propane tanks); $25 for large furniture such as mattress, box spring, recliner, table, dresser or regular sofa; $40 for a sleeper sofa.

LPJ Jendro will also have dumpster rentals available during the week for various prices and sizes.

Examples of items that cannot be dropped off at the drop site include major household appliances; batteries; shingles, tar paper or other construction debris; landscape waste; hazardous waste; and medical waste.

A more complete list of what is and isn’t allowed is available on the Charles City website, www.cityofcharlescity.org, under the “News & Announcements” tab near the middle of the home page.

The website also contains information regarding options to get rid of or to recycle items that won’t be accepted at the drop-off site.