Does your business recycle? If not, are you aware that recycling could save you money and sweeten your bottom line?
These and other questions are asked in the West Central Iowa Solid Waste Management Association’s surveys of recycling behaviors and beliefs. The surveys are a critical component of the Association’s effort to “Reinvigorate Recycling!” in our region. "The Association wants to learn what their customers need to be better recyclers" said Mary Wittry, Regional Contact for the Association.
Residents can go to https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/FR5F6S9 to take the survey and business owners can go to https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/B89H7B6 to complete the survey. This is an innovation for the Association, which realizes that more residents and businesses are taking advantage of the ease and efficiency of e-communications. Paper surveys are also available at the solid waste offices in each county, at City Halls, and Chambers of Commerce’s.
There are separate surveys for residents and for businesses. “We know that residents and businesses have different priorities and requirements when it comes to recycling issues” noted Wittry, “and we want to make sure that we know the needs of both types of customers.”
The Association has seen recycling fall off in recent years; the regional waste reduction (recycling) percentage has dropped below 25%. This is an important benchmark because the State of Iowa imposes a landfill fee surcharge when recycling goals are not met. That additional cost is passed back to individual customers in higher garbage bills.
“Reinvigorate Recycling!” is partially funded through a grant from the Iowa Department of Natural Resources. The grant noted that the work of the Association will be valuable to other areas of Iowa to understand the attitudes of all Iowa residents and businesses toward recycling and to serve as a model for other cities and counties.
The West Central Iowa Solid Waste Management Association provides solid waste planning and management activities in Carroll, Crawford, Guthrie, Shelby and Calhoun counties, and several cities in other counties. The recycling facility in Carroll processes and markets 5,300 tons per year of recyclable commodities from residents and businesses in the region. Ms. Wittry can be reached at 712-792-5001 or mwittry@carrollcountylandfill.com