Iowa landfill adds household hazardous waste ‘swap shop’

In Marshalltown, Iowa, officials used an Iowa Department of Natural Resources grant to create a “Swap Shop” where residents can recycle and reuse hazardous household materials, the Times Republican reports.

Located at the Marshall County Landfill, the Swap Shop is housed in a shed with shelving, a cart and a scale and is situated next to the facility’s household hazardous waste building.

“People can come in and shop it for free and take things that they need,” Marshall County Landfill Recycling Education Coordinator Jennifer Clemann says.

These types of materials had previously been sent down to the Metro Waste Authority in Des Moines, Clemann says. Clemann adds the scale is a helpful tool for tracking how much people are bringing in and to demonstrate how much waste is getting diverted from Metro Waste.

Residents often don’t know what they’re supposed to do with hazardous materials they no longer want, Clemann explains, and typically express surprise when learning they can bring them to the landfill for free. This includes items such as stains, varnishes, paint thinners, aerosol cans, countertop sprays, disinfectants, bleach and a variety of automotive fluids.

“It’s stuff that somebody else can probably use, but they just don’t need to have an overstock,” Clemann says.

Clemann says the landfill staff will continue to seek out new grants and initiatives in the areas of organics waste management, household waste materials collection, water quality improvement, greenhouse gas reduction, recycling services and environmental education.