Residential Curbside Recycling History

Why Ames Is Changing Its Approach to Waste Management

For more than 50 years, Ames has been a national leader in waste management.

In the 1970s, the City launched the Arnold O. Chantland Resource Recovery Plant, the first municipally operated waste-to-energy system in the United States. The system was designed to reduce the amount of waste sent to landfills by recovering metals and converting a portion of garbage into fuel used to generate electricity.

Over the decades, the system processed thousands of tons of waste annually, helped preserve valuable Iowa farmland from landfill use, and generated enough electricity to power thousands of homes.

Today, however, the conditions that made the system successful have changed.

A System Built for a Different Time

When the waste-to-energy system was developed, garbage contained far more paper and organic material than it does today. Over time, the waste stream shifted significantly toward plastics and other synthetic materials.

At the same time, the Ames Power Plant evolved. Originally designed to burn coal, the plant was converted to cleaner-burning natural gas in 2016.

The combination of modern waste and natural gas has created challenges that did not exist when the system was first built. Burning refuse-derived fuel (RDF) alongside natural gas causes increased corrosion of boiler tubes, leading to more frequent maintenance, higher repair costs, and longer periods when the system cannot operate as intended.

When that happens, garbage cannot be processed for energy recovery and must instead be transported directly to the Boone County Landfill.

An Increasingly Expensive Challenge

The operational challenges are only part of the story.

The current system requires the Ames Power Plant to remain available to burn refuse-derived fuel. That limits the City's flexibility in today's energy market.

Utilities now routinely buy and sell electricity based on market conditions. There are times when purchasing power from other providers is more economical than generating it locally. However, because the City must maintain the ability to process garbage, those opportunities can be limited.

When the Power Plant experiences unexpected outages or maintenance issues, Ames is also forced to purchase electricity while simultaneously finding another destination for its waste.

The result is a system that has become:

• Less reliable
• More costly to maintain
• Less operationally flexible
• More challenging to sustain long-term

The Landfill Reality

For years, waste that could not be processed through the waste-to-energy system was sent to the Boone County Landfill.

As those volumes increased, the landfill made it clear that the practice was significantly shortening its lifespan. Ames needed a long-term solution for disposing of the community's waste.

The question became not whether change was necessary, but what that change should look like.

Evaluating the Options

The City explored several alternatives, including replacing the existing waste-to-energy system with a modernized version.

A consultant study completed in the early 2020s estimated that constructing a replacement facility would cost approximately $115 million.

Given the magnitude of that investment, the City Council considered other approaches that could provide long-term environmental and financial sustainability at a more reasonable cost.

A New Direction: The Resource Recovery and Recycling Campus

In May 2024, the City Council directed staff to move forward with the Resource Recovery and Recycling Campus (R3C), a new facility expected to open in spring 2027.

Under this model:

• Waste will continue to be received and processed in Ames.
• Residual garbage will be transported to the Carroll County Landfill.
• Recyclable materials will be transported to a facility for recycling - not landfilling.
• The community will gradually transition toward a more traditional recycling system with the singular goal of increasing recycling and decreasing landfilling.

This approach reflects the reality that recycling and waste diversion are now among the most effective tools available for reducing landfill use and managing costs.

Why Recycling Is an Important Part of the Solution

Sending waste to a landfill is becoming increasingly expensive. 

Because Carroll County is located farther from Ames than current disposal locations, transportation costs will be a significant factor moving forward. Those costs are expected to increase tipping fees over time.

Recycling helps offset those expenses in several ways. When recyclable materials are removed from the waste stream:

• Less material must be transported to a landfill.
• Landfill disposal costs are reduced.
• State landfill fees can be lowered.
• Valuable materials remain in circulation rather than being buried.

In fact, sending a ton of recyclables to a materials recovery facility is less expensive than transporting and burying that same ton in a landfill.

Launching Curbside Recycling

For generations, Ames residents have been accustomed to placing nearly everything in the garbage.

Introducing curbside recycling represents one of the most significant changes to the community's waste management system in decades.

The rollout involves:

• Delivering nearly 14,000 recycling carts
• Establishing new collection routes
• Educating residents about what can and cannot be recycled
• Building long-term recycling habits throughout the community

Like any major community initiative, success will take time.

Just the Beginning!

The City's first focus is single-family homes and multi-family homes of four units or less.

Residential recycling programs tend to be the easiest to implement because the waste stream is relatively consistent from household to household. Communities across the country have demonstrated that curbside recycling can work effectively when residents have a clear, convenient system.

Recycling in large apartment buildings and commercial properties presents additional challenges, including:

• Space constraints
• Dumpster requirements
• Parking impacts
• Higher contamination rates
• Unique waste streams from different businesses

For these reasons, the City is beginning with the residential curbside program while continuing to work toward serving the entire community.

Looking Ahead

The launch of curbside recycling is only the first phase.

The City plans to work with larger multifamily properties through pilot projects, continue evaluating commercial recycling opportunities, and expand diversion efforts as the new Resource Recovery and Recycling Campus comes online.

Ames has spent decades managing waste through an innovative system that served the community well. As circumstances change, the City's approach must evolve as well. Individual decision-making and behavior change can also impact the amount of waste produced. Reducing the amount of garbage produced is a key component to reducing the amount of municipal solid waste that ends up in a landfill.

Residential curbside recycling is the first step in that transition and should help preserve landfill space, manage costs, and create a more sustainable waste management system for future generations.