116 3rd St SE
Cedar Rapids, Iowa 52401
Linn County landfill will reach capacity 8 years earlier than original projection
The landfill in Marion is projected to be full by 2036
Jul. 12, 2024 5:30 am, Updated: Jul. 12, 2024 7:39 am
MARION — Increased waste from natural disasters and population growth will push the Linn County landfill to its capacity eight years sooner than originally projected.
The current landfill, located in Marion at 1954 County Home Rd., will cease operations on June 30, 2044, according to an agreement between the Cedar Rapids Linn County Solid Waste Agency and the City of Marion. However, updated projections show the landfill will reach its capacity sooner than that — in 2036.
Joe Horaney, communications director for the Solid Waste Agency, said there are no plans to build a new landfill in Linn County.
While the Linn County landfill — the second-largest in Iowa — likely will be full by 2036, Horaney said the site will remain open until 2044 and could act as a transfer site for waste.
“The other landfills (in Iowa) still have capacity at their locations, anywhere from 30 to some have 100 years of airspace left,” Horaney said. The waste produced by Linn County landfill users “would be transferred to either a landfill that has the space to take the material or to a mixed waste processing facility.”
The landfill categorizes garbage as landfill waste (general garbage), special waste, industrial waste, construction and demolition debris, and shingles. Although the agency does not have a category to specifically track waste from natural disasters, the landfill sees a significant uptick in waste after one hits.
For example, Horaney said in fiscal year 2021, when a powerful derecho damaged homes and businesses and downed trees throughout Linn County, the landfill took in 381,927 tons of waste. This was up from 211,749 tons of waste in fiscal year 2020 — an 80 percent increase.
Roy Hesemann, treasurer of the Cedar Rapids Linn County Solid Waste Agency Board and utilities director for the City of Cedar Rapids, said the 2036 deadline is a “flash in time away.”
In addition to transferring waste, Hesemann said the agency is looking into expanding its existing location, anaerobic digestion of organic waste, utilizing advanced technology, and likely a “combination of all of them.”
“While these programs help extend the life of the landfill, inevitably alternative methods of disposal will be necessary,” he said.
Residents encouraged to reuse, recycle
Hesemann said Cedar Rapids’ communications team and the Solid Waste Agency collaborated to create educational campaigns and news releases to spread awareness about the landfill. They encourage residents to consider how much waste they’re sending to the landfill.
One of those campaigns can be seen in a video on YouTube.
“Our landfill is almost full and set to close by 2036. That means costs are going up for the services you rely on,” the YouTube video states. “You can slow that closure by cutting your household waste now. Reusing, recycling and composting can all help us create a more sustainable future here at home.”
Horaney said the public messaging has been successful.
In fiscal year 2024, the agency took in 184,661 tons of waste, which was 14,070 tons fewer than fiscal year 2023. In 2019, before the 2020 derecho, the agency collected 202,304 tons of waste.
That’s even as population has grown. Linn County’s population increased 9 percent between 2010 and 2020, according to data from the United States Census Bureau.
Tipping fees will increase annually
In response to landfill use, the agency has been increasing the cost it charges to dump waste. The tipping fee in 2010 was $38 per ton. It rose to $40 per ton in 2017, and in 2022 it went up to $42 per ton.
This month, the fee rose to $48, up from $45. Horaney said the fee will increase incrementally each fiscal year going forward.
Tyler Olson, chair of the Solid Waste Agency’s board of directors and an at-large Cedar Rapids City Council member, said the board, which is made up of representatives from Marion, Linn County and Cedar Rapids, has spent the “better part” of two years evaluating options for post-closure and post-2044 operations.
“The agency continues to focus on its diversion efforts to keep as much as possible out of the landfill and discuss siting and operating transfer stations and composting facilities,” Olson said. “The agency's goal is to provide people and businesses throughout Linn County with the most cost-effective, environmentally-sound disposal option no matter what scenario comes to pass.”
In recent years, the agency launched Forward 2044, a process intended to determine the best future solution for the landfill.
Forward 2044 is looking to build a regional solution to manage food, yard and brush waste in a more cost-effective way. Shifting to a transport station also is one piece of the Forward 2044 plan.
Olson added that operating the current landfill to its full DNR capacity is the lowest cost and most environmentally sound solution.
“This is on the horizon, but our board is aware of it and looking for a long-term solution, not just figuring out what’s going to happen up until 2044 but looking beyond that,” Horaney said.
Which cities use the Linn County landfill?
Alburnett, Bertram, Cedar Rapids, Center Point, Central City, Coggon, Ely, Fairfax, Hiawatha, Lisbon, Marion, Mount Vernon, Palo, Prairieburg, Robins, Springville and Walker
Olivia Cohen covers energy and environment for The Gazette and is a corps member with Report for America, a national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on under-covered issues.
Comments: (319) 398-8370; olivia.cohen@thegazette.com
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