Joe Horaney, deputy director of the Cedar Rapids Linn County Solid Waste Agency, visited the Monday, May 11 Lisbon City Council meeting to discuss changes coming to the Cedar Rapids Linn County Waste Agency that could directly impact Mount Vernon and Lisbon residents.

Horaney began by sharing program updates, including that the compost facility currently has compost available to Linn County residents.

“Residents can come in and take as much as they want, anytime we do have a supply,” Horaney said. “We also have wood chips that are available too to no charge to residents. We do charge landscapers and businesses, but no charge for Linn County residents.”

Landfill Changes to Come

Horaney also went on to discuss an issue that the Cedar Rapids Linn County Solid Waste Agency is facing: the landfill is running out of room.

According to Horaney, 70% of the trash that the landfill receives is commercial/industrial waste, meaning that it comes from places like ADM, Cargill, General Mills, Quaker Oats, schools, hospitals, churches, and nearly any business that has a dumpster behind it. However, construction has become a large contributor to the landfill’s limited space as well.

“We’ve been averaging around 181,000 to 182,000 [tons] the last three years, but it looks like this year, and moving forward, we’re going to see that uptick closer back to about 200,000 tons,” Horaney said.

This is largely due to the construction of AI data centers that are moving into the area. According to Horaney, there is a lot of material coming from the construction of these data centers, and there does not seem to be an end in sight.

“We are running out of space, and part of this has spurred a decision that could change the solid waste agency,” Horaney said.

According to Horaney, the city of Marion has a settlement agreement with the Cedar Rapids Linn County Solid Waste Agency in which it is stated that the landfill must have an 1,800-foot setback from their southern border. The DNR, however, lists that there only needs to be a 50-foot setback.

In recent years, the Cedar Rapids Linn County Solid Waste Agency has discussed amending the settlement agreement with the city of Marion. When the topic was first brought up, the answer was no; however, there is a new city administrator and different members in the city council, all of which are willing to discuss amending the settlement agreement.

Horaney said, “They know that when we’re out of landfill space, it’s going to cost more for everyone to get rid of their garbage […] They’ve discussed potentially allowing an expansion that led to the formation of a working group to talk about governance, and [the city of] Marion has said for them to consider expansion, they want to see our board structure changed.”

Instead of the current six Cedar Rapids members, two Linn County supervisors, and one member from the city of Marion on the Cedar rapids Linn County Waste Agency board, they would like to see the board expanded to 14 members: six from the city of Cedar Rapids, one large industry member appointed by the city of Cedar Rapids, three from the city of Marion, three from Linn County, and one appointee member from a smaller community within the county.

If the board were to change, as the city of Marion has requested, Marion would get a host fee for allowing the Waste Agency to expand, in which they would receive a portion of every tonnage that comes in. If the Marion City Council votes yes, then potential changes could be coming.

Currently, the landfill is expected to fill up by 2038 or 2039, but if the city of Marion decides to allow the amendment of the settlement agreement, that timeframe could extend to 2044.

The Cedar Rapids Linn County Solid Waste Agency board decided that they will not be siting a new landfill in Linn County, as there are too many procedural hurdles and there are no parcels of land left in the inland country that are available to use, according to Horaney.

In the meantime, the landfill will remain open with a plan to utilize the transfer station, in which recyclables operations are currently being run, with the Cedar Rapids Linn County Solid Waste Agency acting as a middleman. When the landfill does fill up, the current plan in place is to carry out all operations at the transfer station, maintaining their role as the middleman.

Annual Fee Updates

Horaney also shared that the landfill tipping fee will be increasing for the new fiscal year on July 1. Currently, the tipping fee is $50 per ton, but it will be increasing to $53 per ton. Minimum fees, however, will remain the same for residents.

“If you’re in a pickup truck or a full-sized van: $22 flat fee. If you’re in a SUV, minivan, or crossover, that’s $15. And then regular cars are a $12 flat fee,” Horaney said.

Additionally, other costs such as the yard waste fees and the fees that landscapers are charged, both of which will be increasing to $35 per ton. Although, other fees will remain the same, including TVs and monitors regardless of size and weight, tires, and white goods.

Recycling services will also be remaining the same, such as scrap metal drop-off; household hazardous materials such as old paints, chemical stains, and cleaners; co-mingled recyclables, including paper, plastic, and all recyclables mixed together; clothing; books; and cardboard. CDs, VHS tapes, and DVDs have also been included to the list.

To make things easier, the Cedar Rapids Linn County Solid Waste Agency has begun a battery drop-off box pilot program in which, according to Horaney, people can fill provided bags up with batteries, and then when the box becomes full, the City would seal up the box and send it off to the Cedar Rapids Linn County Solid Waste Agency.

The council did not make a decision about adopting a battery drop-off box at the May 11 meeting, but Mount Vernon currently has one in the Mount Vernon City Hall lobby.

There are other services that the Cedar Rapids Linn County Solid Waste Agency is utilizing to make things more efficient, such as partnering with Willis Dady and Central Furniture Rescue.

Willis Dady is part of the mattress diversion program that the Waste Agency provides, in which Linn County residents can take their old mattresses there instead of to the landfill. If a resident were to take their mattress to the landfill, there would be a $20 charge; however, it is free to take the mattress to Willis Dady, in which the mattresses are de-manufactured and any recyclable material from the mattress is recycled.

The Cedar Rapids Linn County Waste Agency has partnered with Central Furniture Rescue to “divert material that people bring in that they’re going to throw away in the residential dumpsters [at the landfill],” according to Horaney. Instead, the Waste Agency collects items like old couches, chairs, tables, and more, and Central Furniture Rescue picks up the items every two weeks to sell to people who are in need of affordable furniture.