What is Metro Waste Authority?
Metro Waste Authority (MWA) is an independent government agency comprised of 16 member communities, one county and six planning members. Established in 1969, MWA was designated to manage the landfill for the Polk County area after state law required all Iowa communities to properly dispose of their solid waste in a sanitary landfill.
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What does MWA do?
MWA operates many facilities and programs recognized for excellence at the state and national levels. These facilities include the Metro Park East Landfill, the Metro Compost Center, the Metro Transfer Station, the Regional Collection Center and the Metro Recycling Center.
MWA also operates various waste reduction and recycling programs including the Curb It! recycling program. MWA's Curb It! program is the most comprehensive curbside recycling program in the state, providing services to almost 120,000 households. Other programs managed by MWA include the Residential Scrap Tire Program, the Sharps Program and a Special Waste Assistance Program for commercial/industrial businesses.
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How long has MWA been in business?
For 40 years, MWA's Board of Directors and staff have been committed to operating a waste management system serving approximately 400,000 residents.
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Why haven't you picked up my garbage?
MWA manages the landfill for Central Iowa and provides recycling programs for businesses and residents, but we do not collect trash or recycling.
Des Moines residents need to call Des Moines Public Works at 283-4950. Suburban residents need to call their garbage hauler.
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Why haven't you picked up my recycling?
MWA manages the landfill for central Iowa and provides recycling programs for businesses and residents, but we do not collect trash or recycling.
Des Moines residents need to call Des Moines Public Works at 515-283-4950. Suburban residents should contact Waste Management at 515-265-5267.
If you are part of the
Curb It! for Business program, you are responsible for placing your carts on the curb on the regular residential collection day. Please follow these
cart placement guidelines to ensure your recycling gets picked up.
Starting July 1, 2009 you will no longer be able to set out your green bin for recycling and should begin using the new green carts.
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What can be recycled in the new cart?
The same items that you currently put in your bins: necked bottles, margarine and yogurt containers, cardboard, mixed paper, newspaper, aluminum cans, wire hangers, aerosol cans and all colors of glass jars and containers.
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Do I need to sort my recyclables in the cart like I did in the bin?
No, you will not have to sort your recyclables anymore. Recyclables will still be sorted, but instead of you doing it, it will be done by a state-of-the-art processing facility. Recyclables picked up curbside will be delivered to a Material Recovery Facility (MRF) operated by Mid America Recycling. There, mechanical and manual methods will be used to separate the materials and to remove anything that is not recyclable. Some types of technology used are magnets, “Eddy” current separators, air classifiers, trammels and screens.
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Why is the collection of recyclables being switched from weekly to every other week?
Fewer trips of collection trucks down city roads have cost-saving and environmental benefits.
· Reduces wear and tear on roads; your community will save money on road repair.
· Uses less fuel. Your community will be doing its part to reduce greenhouse gases that are causing climate change. Fuel costs will also be reduced, which is one reason this program can be provided as economically as the current curbside collection program.
And, recyclables can be safely stored for several weeks. They do not break down, so they do not cause odor problems or present human health hazards like garbage.
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What landfills are located in Central Iowa?
The attached pdf includes names, phone numbers and maps to landfill and transfer stations available in Central Iowa for your waste disposal. You may also contact us at 244-0021 with questions.
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Where do I take plastic bags to be recycled?
Plastic bags can be taken to Wal-Mart stores, some Hy-Vee stores or to Weyerhaeuser Recycling at 2800 Dixon in Des Moines.
They are not currently accepted in Curb It! because of the littering problem they cause and because it's not cost-effective to collect them right now.
When it becomes cost-effective to recycle other materials such as plastic bags, MWA will add them to the Curb It! program.
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If a product has the three arrows symbol on it, doesn’t that mean it’s recyclable?
No. The three arrows symbol is not an indication that an item can be recycled. The recycling symbol is unregulated, meaning that no authority controls who places the symbol on what product, be it recyclable or not.
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I do not have a cart. How can I get one?
In Des Moines, call the Public Works Department’s 24-hour Customer Service Center at 283-4950 to request one. All other communities in the metro area, call 24-GREEN to request a cart.
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What does the number inside the three arrows symbol mean?
The plastics industry uses the numbers as a coding system to identify resin types. It is not meant to indicate recyclability. Of course, good recyclers are trained to look for the recycling symbol and the number, so it leads to confusion. Unfortunately you cannot use the symbol to determine whether or not a material is recyclable. Instead, follow Curb It! guidelines, not the labeling on the product. Technically, almost everything manufactured could be recyclable if there were a reliable end-buyer for the material. Therefore, for a material to be recyclable there has to be a demand for it on the market and a sufficient value to the resin to cover the cost of transportation to the market.
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If I can recycle a #1 or #2 bottle, why can’t I recycle everything with a #1 or #2?
The number on the bottom identifies only the type of plastic resin. It tells you nothing about how the product was made. Different manufacturing processes are used to make plastic bottles, tubs, soccer balls, and flower pots, etc. and these manufacturing processes give the plastics different properties such as melting points. At the same temperature, different types of #1 or #2 plastics may have a different consistency (think of soup versus pudding). Also, If all types of #1 or #2 plastics are mixed for recycling, when re-manufactured some types may melt while others burn. It is not simply the number that determines whether the plastic is recyclable, but rather Curb It! guidelines.
Plastics Guide
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Can I recycle frozen food containers and ice cream cartons?
No. Frozen food containers (such as frozen TV dinner boxes, etc.) are sprayed with a plastic coating that protects the contents against freezer burn. Paperboard is recycled by mixing it with water in a giant blender to create a pulp. But fiber sprayed with a plastic polymer won’t pulp up, and instead it becomes a contaminant that needs to be fished out and thrown away.
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How do I start a recycling program at my office/business?
There are many different businesses and offices; ranging from what type of business that is taking place to the size of the office itself. So starting a recycling program is not a cookie-cutter situation for everyone. Please click here for information on how to start a recycling program for your business.
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Construction and Demoltion Recycling
Metro Waste Authority supports source separation when it comes to construction and demolition recycling. Please separate valuable recyclable materials and from the rest of the materials so a processor can recycle them. Here is a complete guide on Construction and Demolition Best Practices that the IDNR and the Iowa Waste Exchange has put together.
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Where do I go to get MWA's compost and how much is it?
For purchases of a single load of eight or more cubic yards of compost, you may call MWA at 244-0021 between the hours of 8 a.m. - 4:30 p.m., Monday - Friday. The cost is $12 per cubic yard with a minimum $96 purchase.
For purchases under eight cubic yards, contact one of MWA's contracted retail outlets:
Beeler Trucking: (515) 468-0815
Dennis Lind Landscaping (515) 681-9303
Dutch Meadows: (641) 628-4450
Gold Valley Hardscapes (515) 328-3162
Green Acres Garden Center: (515) 961-5889
Hallett Materials: (515) 987-8544
Iowa Landscaping Supply: (515) 262-2367
Iowa Outdoor Products (515) 277-6242
Morgan Oaks: (515) 967-6766
Mulch Mart: (515) 978-6852
Wright Outdoor Solutions (515) 987-0800
For more information on availability, pricing, hours, location, and delivery, please call the retail outlets directly.
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How do I recycle electronics waste?
Businesses are not allowed by law to dispose of color cathode ray tubes (monitors) in landfills. Residents are not required to recycle e-waste, but MWA strongly encourages them to recycle through the e-waste program at its Regional Collection Center for Household Hazardous Waste in Bondurant. Since residents are not regulated they have the option to dispose of e-waste with their regular trash.
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How do I dispose of paint?
Dried latex paint can be disposed of in trash containers (remove lids from empty paint cans). Latex paint is non-hazardous and can be dried by mixing with kitty litter, saw dust, or shredded newspaper.
Full or partial cans of latex paint can be taken to the Regional Collection Center for Household Hazardous Waste (RCC) in Bondurant, and disposed of for a charge of $5 per five gallon container or $1 each for smaller containers.
Stains and oil based paints are hazardous and can be disposed of at the RCC at no charge.
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How do I dispose of Styrofoam, packing peanuts, bubble wrap, etc?
These items are not currently accepted in Curb It! because of the littering problem and because it's not cost-effective to collect them right now.
Contact packaging stores in the area - many of them will take some or all of these items for reuse. All of these items can be disposed of with regular trash.
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