Successes and Challenges of Recycling

Each year, the average American discards 1,800 pounds of garbage. Despite nationwide recycling efforts, 68% of that waste is still dumped in landfills, burned in incinerators, or exported overseas. Recycling diverts waste from landfills. It can also reduce climate-changing gas emissions.

Emily Grier, Community Relations Coordinator for Metro Waste Authority (MWA), says MWA recycles 31,000 tons of waste annually from Urbandale and 16 other communities. "MWA also offers multiple drop-off sites for hazardous materials and electronics that further contribute to our recycling efforts."

Food waste is rarely recycled and constitutes 24% of landfill materials nationwide. When organics decompose, they emit methane, a 28 times more potent greenhouse gas than carbon dioxide. To combat this, MWA uses a methane capture facility to generate enough electricity to heat 10,000 homes annually.

MWA's recycling administrator, Dan Haag, says MWA's composting program has also been highly successful, accepting 43,000 tons of yard waste in 2024. Haag says the process reduces waste going to landfills and allows MWA to make a high-quality product that residents can purchase.

Another highly recyclable item is aluminum. According to the International Aluminum Institute, recycling aluminum uses 95% less energy than producing new materials from bauxite ore. Haag says recycling companies highly value items like aluminum. "We often have a bidding war on aluminum."

In contrast, recycling plastic can be challenging. For instance, area residents can recycle plastic bags by returning them to local grocery stores. MWA collects those bags but currently lacks a nearby recycler, so they remain in storage until a buyer can be found.

Nina-Francesa Farc has been researching how plastics can be recycled effectively for the Minnesota-based Project Drawdown, a nonprofit research organization identifying and promoting practical climate change solutions for the planet.

Farc says plastics can be contaminated by food or other non-recyclable items and must be discarded instead of recycled. She says plastic recyclers must also consider how much additional greenhouse gases are created by transporting and eventually producing new plastic items.

According to Farc, "Plastics can be recycled a limited number of times until they become unusable. Plastics can be recycled, but caution must be taken so it doesn't increase greenhouse gases." She emphasizes the importance of reducing the use of single-use plastics and other disposable items as much as possible if we genuinely want to affect climate change.

For a list of items that can be recycled, check out MWA's recycling guide at https://www.mwatoday.com/waste-recycling/recycling-disposal-guide/

Also, check out https://www.recyclenow.com/how-to-recycle/how-to-reduce-waste for ways you can personally reduce waste.

Wayne Bruns is an Urbandale resident and a volunteer with Sustainable Urbandale. This article was previously published in Urbandale Living: https://www.iowalivingmagazines.com/urbandale-archives