SMM – Vison for Iowa Extended
The Environmental Protection Commission approved extending the contract with SCS Engineers, to continue investigating SMM as an alternative materials management system for the State of Iowa.
Actions to be undertaken with SMM stakeholders and DNR staff include:
- Perform life cycle analyses on up to four materials representing current management strategies and perform up to three alternative management strategy analyses.
- Research and summarize methods used by states and other entities to receive recycling processing data from targeted facilities.
- Identify strategies to regularly receive important recycling program data from identified facilities and/or programs and develop actionable recommendations to establish a reporting system.
- Develop work plans based on the results of the Statewide Food Waste Prevention and Management Plan and the Iowa Recycling Facility Study.
- Develop planning level implementation cost estimates for up to three selected strategies, and
- Develop final work plans, facilitate meetings with identified stakeholders and SMM subcommittees, and conduct project update meeting agendas and summaries.
Landfill Material Analysis
Study investigated landfilled materials that could have been recovered for recycling, reuse, composting, and remanufacturing. The analysis includes material recoverability and impacts to greenhouse gas emissions, job creation and economic impact had these materials been diverted from the landfill.
Landfill Material Analysis Report
Iowa Recycling Facility Report
This study documents tons of traditional recyclables managed in Iowa and the flow of these materials throughout the state. The State of Iowa (State) does not permit or license Iowa recycling facilities and these facilities are not required to provide operational data (i.e. materials accepted, tons processed). This voluntary survey of Iowa recycling facilities attempts to provide needed recycling data for planning purposes.
Iowa Recycling Facility Report
2022 Deposit Container Recovery Rate Report
This report provides the methodology and calculated recovery rate of the state’s beverage container deposit law, also known as the “bottle bill.” This study continues DNR’s history of calculating the recovery rate of the deposit program in the state in order to assess its efficacy. The process for calculating a recovery rate in Iowa is unique because the State of Iowa does not require beverage distributors to report either sales or redemption data, making a straightforward calculation impossible.
2022 Recover Rate Report for Deposit Beverage Containers
Food Waste Prevention and Management Plan
The plan will be a resource for reducing food waste and increasing beneficial management of food waste for higher and better uses. Work to be undertaken includes:
- estimating food waste generation and related impacts;
- inventorying and assessing existing Iowa food waste management facilities;
- identifying type and location of new food waste management infrastructure opportunities;
- assessing commercial food waste reduction opportunities;
- assessing end markets for managed food waste;
- researching food waste prevention and management systems of other states; and
- preparing a statewide food waste prevention and management plan.