Appliance recycling to get easier in Cedar Rapids metro

A privately operated appliance recycling center has been added to recycling options in the Cedar Rapids metro area.

Midwest Recovery will accept drop-offs of most appliances without charge at its new recycling center at 930 27th Ave. SW.

The company will demanufacture appliances and many consumer electronics, sending most of the recoverable materials to Alter Scrap Processing in Cedar Rapids, according to Jim Fuller, operations manager for Midwest Recovery. It also will accept scrap metal, used push mowers and Freon gas.

Midwest Recovery is a family-owned business based in Des Moines, with another location in Bondurant. It also accepts rooftop air conditioners and industrial refrigerators and freezers.

Fuller said Midwest Recovery charges a fee to accept tube-type television sets and computer monitors because they contain toxic materials that require special disposal. Fees range from about $7 to $27 per unit, depending on screen size.

It also charges a fee to accept small liquid propane tanks.

The company adds value to the recycling process by safely removing EPA-regulated materials such as Freon, mercury and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) from appliances so that they can be safely and legally recycled. Fuller expects the center staff to grow to about 10, and employees will have required certifications in demanufacturing.

The staff is also be trained in data destruction methods to prevent sensitive information from being recovered from hard drives of photocopiers and computers.

Midwest Recovery saw a good expansion opportunity in the Cedar Rapids metro area because of the population and business mix, Fuller said. The company recycled more than 70 semi-truckloads of flood-damaged appliances from the Cedar Rapids area after the June 2008 flood.

The Cedar Rapids/Linn County Solid Waste Agency is glad to have Midwest Recovery in the market, said   Joe Horaney, its communications director.

"Absolutely - it's a great benefit," Horaney said. "The more options people have to recycle big items, the better."

Midwest Recovery's pricing structure appears designed to complement that of the solid waste agency, which does not charge to accept TVs and computer monitors from Linn County residents but does charge $9 to accept major appliances such as washers, dryers, refrigerators and water heaters.

The solid waste agency made a strategic decision to subsidize recycling of tube-type televisions and computer monitors because of environmental issues posed by improper disposal, Horaney said.

Midwest Recovery is operating in space leased from the Dummermuth and Hill families in the former Universal Gym factory, according to Jim Angstmann of Skogman Realty, who represented Midwest Recovery. It has a shared loading dock where customers can ring for assistance and drop off their appliances.

The recycling center will occupy 10,000 square feet of the 106,000-square-foot building, according to Skogman's Scott Olson, who represented the owners. The space was last used as a temporary maintenance facility by the Cedar Rapids School District's transportation department, and has acted over the years as a kind of incubator for growing businesses, according to co-owner Steven Dummermuth.

Midwest Recovery expects to begin demanufacturing appliances on-site within the coming weeks, Fuller said, but is already able to accept appliances. It will operate 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Mondays through Fridays, but will not have Saturday hours because it would conflict with the company's work in community cleanups.

The business dates back to 2007, when Charles and David Williams of Des Moines began recycling most appliances free. The company plans to get involved with community cleanups in the Corridor as it has in many other Iowa communities where it has collected used appliances.