Iowa County Landfill reminds residents of cleanup program

Plastic bags can take 500 to 1,000 years to decompose. Aluminum cans can take 200 years to decompose. Glass bottles can take one to 2 million years to decompose. Everyday items littering ditches and waterways today will impact the environment for hundreds to millions of years in the future, according to Keep Iowa Beautiful. Litter is also an eyesore that can impact perceptions of safety and investment potential in a community.

The Iowa County Landfill is supporting efforts to keep ditches and waterways free of litter with a litter cleanup program for residents, organizations, and businesses in Iowa County. If a group is planning a litter cleanup event, the landfill can provide gloves, bags, and safety vests needed for the event. Since the program started in 2022, the landfill has provided supplies for three events with a total of 126 participants that collected 1,320 pounds of litter.

The landfill participates in Iowa’s Solid Waste Environmental Management System (EMS) program, which focuses on active stewardship in six environmental areas including water quality. Not only is litter unsightly, it also directly impacts water quality. Through the EMS program, the landfill has a goal to increase participation in its litter clean up program by 25 percent in 2023.

If you want to help clean up litter in Iowa County and help the landfill meet its goal, call the landfill at 319-828-4943 or visit their website at http://www.iowacountylandfill.com/litter-clean-up-program.