Iowa dumped $100M worth of recyclables in 2022, new study finds
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Iowans trashed nearly $100 million worth of recyclable or compostable materials in 2022, according to a new report from the Iowa Department of Natural Resources.
Why it matters: Tossing reusable or redeemable items like pop cans wastes an opportunity to extend landfill life, reduce environmental impacts, create jobs and generate commodity revenue.
Catch up quick: The Iowa Landfill Material Analysis helps assess landfill management in the state.
- The new study replicates and expands a 2017 analysis.
What they found: Roughly 40% of the nearly 3.5 million tons of materials sent to Iowa landfills in 2022 could have been diverted through existing compost and recycling programs.
- Another 30% was "potentially recoverable," meaning it could have been donated or reused.
Zoom in: If the recyclable or compostable materials had been diverted, nearly 1.5 million tons of landfill space would have been saved.
- That's enough to create over 19,000 jobs in recycling and reusing materials, cut carbon emissions by about 2.4 million tons and generate millions in revenues from recycled materials, according to the latest report.
The intrigue: The percentage of materials that could have been recovered was nearly the same as in the 2017 study. However, the estimated revenue from recoverable materials increased by nearly 60%, from $60.3 million to over $95 million.
Context: The total amount of Iowa's current recycling is unknown, mainly because facilities are not required to submit data to the state.
- A separate 2023 study estimates that over 125,000 tons of materials are recycled annually, or just over 78 pounds per person statewide.
- That's more than twice the amount reported in 2017, though the number of recycling facilities that participated in the survey increased from 45 in 2017 to 77 last year.
The big picture: While recycling and composting in the U.S. have increased in recent decades, recyclable or compostable materials going to landfills still increased as of 2018, per the most recent data published by the EPA.
- Even states with "green" reputations continue to struggle with stubbornly low recycling rates.
Related story: Iowa's bottle returns have tanked