Our City Cedar Falls

Aug 23

[ARCHIVED] Cedar Falls Recycling Center Makes a Difference

The original item was published from August 23, 2019 2:09 PM to August 28, 2019 10:36 AM



The Cedar Falls Recycling Center, located at 1524 State Street, is a drop-off center and a large part of what makes our community green. Created almost 20 years ago to help provide a long-lasting and efficient solution for the city, learn more about how this center helps our community reduce waste. 

What is a drop-off recycling center?
A drop-off recycling center is exactly how it sounds! Residents can stop by the site to return their recyclable items. Workers sort these goods and package them into mill grade bales. A drop-off center is different than a single-stream recycling program, where recyclables are mixed into a collection truck instead of being sorted by the depositor into separate commodities. This system allows us to decrease the risk of contamination and reduces carbon emission from trucks that would have had to collect the recyclables curbside. 

Why do mill grade bales make a difference?
Cedar Falls is one of the few municipalities in the state to bales its recyclables for market. This allows us to minimize contamination and keep the program sustainable for the city.

How can I learn more?
Cedar Falls teams up with the Black Hawk County Solid Waste Management Commission to help provide education to the community about what they can do to reduce waste. Schedule a tour or participate in a wide variety of youth and adult programs by contacting the Waste Trac Education team at (319) 266-8722 or 
visit wastetrac.org/programs-tours/