Supporters of recycling are trying to make it more convenient for more Iowans. Mark Warren, with the Iowa Department of Natural Resources, says people are more likely to recycle glass, paper, plastics and metal if they have curbside recycling. Around 655 Iowa cities or towns offer access to curbside service.
Warren says that doesn’t mean everyone is taking advantage of curbside pickup. "What could be going on is that some towns don’t contract for one hauling service, but there’ll be a number of haulers within the town that residents can choose from and some of those haulers offer curbside if the customer is willing to pay for it," explains Warren. Another 531 Iowa towns offer drop-off locations for recycling.
Warren says the drop-off site is usually located at the county landfill, a local grocery store or gas station. Warren says it would be ideal to have curbside pickup state-wide, but it’s not likely to happen anytime soon.
"These programs are expensive," Warren says, "sometimes it’s deemed by the local communities that a drop-off site is better economically for them, or they don’t have haulers in the area that offer curbside." Iowa law requires that every city provide access to a recycling program.