Results released from Linn County waste sort study

A cardboard ban has been effective, but work remains in keeping wood, food waste and other recyclables out of the landfill, according to a new waste sort study by the Cedar Rapids/Linn County Solid Waste Agency.

The waste sort – the fourth in two decades and the first since 2005 – was conducted during one week in October at the agency's site 2 landfill, 1954 County Home Rd., Marion.

Tipping fees paid for the $40,000 study by R.W. Beck of Minneapolis.

“The big thing that stuck out to us was the amount of wood waste,” said Joe Horaney, communications director for the agency. “The numbers went up.”

Results showed that wood waste comprised 21 percent of the waste stream at the landfill, the largest proportion of debris. That's in spite of a new biomass wood recovery program that charges a tipping fee of $15 per ton, compared to $38 per ton for the landfill tipping fee.

Marie DeVries, planner and contract administrator for the agency, said experts can only speculate why the wood waste percentage is increasing.

“We're assuming it's flood-related, but it's not flood material,” she said, noting that demolition debris

from the 2008 flood is going to the site 1 landfill, 2250 A St. SW. “A lot of reconstruction is still going on.”

Wood for the biomass recovery program is only accepted at the A Street site, near Czech Village in Cedar Rapids.

Boards, cabinets, pallets, flooring and other wood dropped off for the program is ground and sold to a Wisconsin firm that burns wood for fuel. Clean wood is ground for compost.

The sort study showed just over 20 percent of the waste stream was organics, such as food waste, disposable diapers and textiles.

Horaney noted that the agency has a drop box for clothing and other agencies accept used clothing.

Compostable food waste, such as fruit and vegetable peelings and paper plates, napkins and paper towels, can be placed in Cedar Rapids Yardy carts for composting, rather than sent to the landfill.

The percentage of other materials in the waste stream included: paper, 18 percent; plastics, 12 percent; metals, 6 percent and glass, nearly 2 percent.

Yard waste comprised less than 1 percent of the total.

Sorters found nearly 2 percent of the waste stream was recyclable cardboard, a drop from 7 percent in 1996, when the first study was conducted in advance of the cardboard ban.

DeVries noted that pizza boxes remain one of the top items people ask about. She said those can be recycled if they are scraped of all food.

“People do want to do the right thing,” she said.

Overall, from the 2005 to 2010 studies, percentages increased in metals, food and wood waste, rubber and durables, such as mattresses and small appliances.

Decreases were shown in paper, plastics, glass, yard waste, textiles, household hazardous materials and inorganic waste.

One success area is the recent change that allows residents to drop off televisions and computer monitors for free.

The agency covers the cost of having Midwest Electronic Recovery of Walford pick up the items for demanufacturing.

Computer monitors and TV's did not even register a blip in the waste sort.

Horaney noted for comparison that 332 monitors, computers and TVs were dropped off in September 2009, compared to 1,443 in September 2010, after the no-fee policy went into effect.

“Keeping out the big things will prolong the life of the landfill,” he said.