Area programs turn used license plates into money for local charities

Iowa drivers go through a lot of license plates.

Every month, Johnson County Treasurer Thomas Kriz's office collects hundreds of used license plates, filling dozens of boxes.

That's a lot of metal that could end up in the landfill, or in the hands of criminals who use discarded plates in thefts, Kriz said. Instead, a partnership between the county and volunteers at the Iowa City Federation of Labor turns the used license plates into money for local non-profits.

The group meets periodically to sort the collected plates and transport them to scrap metal company Marion Iron, where they are shredded and recycled. Scrap metal prices change frequently, but Kriz said each plate typically brings in 10 to 12 cents.

Over the last 15 years, the program has raised about $35,000, all of which has gone to groups like the Domestic Violence Intervention Program, the Crisis Center of Johnson County and the United Way.

'That's a lot of aluminum,” Kriz said. 'It's a good partnership, and it's also doing the right thing. It's a win-win.”

Linn County has a similar program, in partnership with Hawkeye Labor, the American Federation of Labor-Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO) Cedar Rapids chapter.

Each county in Iowa handles used license plates differently. Some send the plates back to the state and others recycle the plates themselves and keep the money for their office.

'We chose to try to do something different,” Kriz said.

Former Iowa City of Federation of Labor President Patrick Hughes started the Johnson County program. He died in August, but the group is carrying on his efforts. In April, the Johnson County Board of Supervisors approved a resolution of appreciation for Hughes and the Iowa City Federation of Labor's work on the program.

'We're a labor organization, and we've always been ones to try to get involved in the community,” said Iowa City Federation of Labor Vice President Royce Peterson. 'We're environmentally conscious, and we like to help local charities.”

To process the plates, union volunteers run giant magnets over the boxes to separate aluminum from other metals so they can be sold.

The last few years have seen more plates come in than in the past, Kriz said, for a couple of reasons. The state of Iowa is in the middle of a decadelong process of replacing old plates, which has added to their intake. The other reason is the simple addition of a drop box for used plates, which labor union volunteers built two years ago and placed in front of the Johnson County Administration Office, 913 S. Dubuque St., Iowa City.

'We wanted to make it even easier for people. We just want to make it so simple there's no reason not to do it,” Kriz said.

He said the box has been a success. When they empty it out, they find plates from all 99 Iowa counties, especially after University of Iowa home football weekends bring in travelers.