Narrative

By: Garrett Jepsen & Benjamin Humphrey

Literature Review
Studies have found that having both a curbside and drop off recycling system
significantly increases the amount of materials recycled than if they were implemented
individually (Jenkings et al., 2000; Sidique et al. 2010). It is not clear however if having a
mandatory recycling program or certain pickup costs increases recycling rates as two studies
came to separate conclusions (Jenkings et al., 2000; Sidique et al. 2010). Willingness to pay for
curbside recycling however can vary based on various demographics, education level, incomes
levels, and the different potential fee levels (David M. Aadland and Arthur J. Caplan, 2000).
There are two primary methods of collecting recyclables, sorted and single stream. The method
of single stream collection is becoming more and more popular because its easier for civilians
and less costly to pick then sorted systems. However at the same time less materials get recycled
due to the mixing of materials which makes processing more costly and risk contamination of
certain materials with others. (NPR) There is however an intermediate form called dual stream
where there are two separations: one for paper/cardboard materials; the other for plastic, metal,
and glass containers. This reduces the contamination issue, produces higher quality materials,
and lowers processing costs (Understanding Single vs. Dual Stream Recycling).

Interview Details
University of Northern Iowa
Questions asked: 1) What is UNIs current recycling system? 2) How well has it been working?
3) Is there a burden caused by it? 4) Are there any plans for making recycling more utilized and
efficient on campus? 5) If the city of Cedar Falls were to implement a curbside pickup program,
would this make recycling easier for campus?
Responses: Recycling has mostly been paper for the last 20 years which is available in most
buildings, UNI later started cardboard and can recycling in some buildings. UNI started
recycling of more materials 4 years ago but they had to be sorted. Unseparated recycling began
last year but only available in some buildings. Recycling is collected and hauled to Black Hawk
Waste Disposal in Waterloo. Due to lack of consistency across campus, the efficacy of UNIs
recycling system is unknown. There are plans to eventually have a consistent system across
campus but one-time costs are holding this back. Currently expansion to more buildings is slow.
A consistent campus wide system would likely save money in the long run as garbage costs $46
per ton to drop off while recycling costs $15 per ton to drop off. There doesnt appear to be a
significant burden caused by the current system. A city curbside system may be beneficial if
Cedar Falls were to have their own transfer station so drop-off trips would not be so distant.

Business owners
Questions asked: 1) What are your current recycling practices as a business? 2) If you currently
recycle; a) Does it pose an added burden to your workday or is it not an issue? b) Would a
curbside pickup program be something that would be beneficial? 3) If you do not currently
recycle; a) Why do you not recycle? b)Would a curbside pickup program be enough to get you to
recycle?
Responses: Most businesses interviewed didnt even have a dumpster for their own trash so they
either have to take it home or to the landfill. Only two individuals recycled and one of those has
a dumpster. Most were interested in the idea of a curbside pickup program but were worried
about feasibility.
Apartment Complexes
Questions asked: 1) Does the apartment complex have a place for residents to put their
recyclables in? 2) If yes, is this an added burden for the apartment complex financially or in any
other way? 3) If not; a) How do residents dispose of their recyclables? b)Would curbside be
feasible?
Responses: Apartment complexes interviewed include Hillside Courts, Gold Falls Villa,
University Mills, Thunder Ridge Apartments, and College Square Apartments. Only one
apartment complex has a drop off location on their premises for recycling materials and said
there wasnt a significant burden caused by it. for other apartments, tenants take their materials to
drop off locations. Some apartments that dont have recycling would be interested in a curbside
program but others have some feasibility concerns with it. For one of these it was a concern
about space for a recycling bin as they have little room for their garbage bin already, another was
concerned about private property issues.
Tenants
Questions asked: 1) Do you recycle? 2) If yes; a) Is this an added burden in anyway? b) How do
you go about recycling and where to you take it? 3) If no; a) Why dont you recycle? b) If there
were a bin to drop off your recyclables at your apartment, would you be more likely to recycle?
Responses: Tenants interviewed do little if any recycling due to no place close by to take them
and not having little to no space to store them. However if the apartment complex had a drop off
site, these individuals would be interested in using them.
Residential Home Owners
Questions asked: 1) Do you currently recycle? 2) If yes; a) Do you feel the drop-off points are
adequate? b) Does recycling cause any burden in any way? c) Would a curbside recycling
program make things easier? 3) If no; a) Why dont you recycle? b) If the city of Cedar Falls
were to implement a curbside recycling program, would that get you to begin recycling?

Responses: Most homeowners interviewed say they recycle. Most find drop off locations
adequate but there are factors that are inconvenient such as storage at home, transporting, times
drop offs are open, and distance involved. If there were a curbside program many would be
interested but a potential fee could be an issue. One person who doesnt recycle said they would
start recycling if there were curbside pickup but were skeptical on the potential fee.
City of Cedar Falls
Questions asked: 1) What kind of recycling system does the city have? 2) Do you see curbside
recycling being feasible for the city? 3) If yes, what are some barrier that may be preventing it
from happening? 4) If no, what are some reasons why its not feasible? 5) What kind of
incentives might encourage the city to implement curbside recycling? 6) Are there other
alternatives the city may consider outside of the current system?
Responses: Current system consists of a drop off location run by the city, a private run pickup
system is run by Recycle Rite. City doesnt see a feasible alternative to current system due to
competition with private groups, cost, pollution from pickup trucks, and the nearest place to take
materials for processing is in Cedar Rapids.

Recycling Prices
Prices will vary month to month but the prices below are based on April 2015 commodity prices
for recyclable materials.
Glass cost varies depending on color
Brown: $16-27
Clear: $24-37
Green: $0-15
Mixed: -$45-15
Average: $11.13 per ton
Aluminum Cans: $1105-1225
Average: $1165 per ton
Plastic Bottles vary depending on the type
Clear & Light blue PET: $180-239
Colored PET: $60-75
HDPE natural: $523-598
HDPE mixed color: $224-239

Mixed: $105-164
Average: $125.33
Paper varies depending on the type
Mixed: $36-67
Cardboard: $85-103
Newspapers and pamphlets: $67-75
Office waste: $189-195
Magazines: $82-90
White letter: $246-269
Average: $240.70

Recycle stats and revenue based on Kearney NE model

Looking at the various commodities of recyclable materials we were able to break down
the volume of waste to varying levels, per person as well as per household in the United States.
Paper Cans

Plastic Glass

Per Person:

325 lb 18 lb 201 lb 73 lb

Per Household:

845 lb 49 lb 545 lb 197 lb

From there we took the population of Cedar Falls, Iowa (Based on the 2013 numbers)
which was 40566 (not including the University of Northern Iowa student population). I was then
able to determine the rough estimate on the total weight of recyclable waste that was generated
by the city throughout a year.
Paper: 13,183,950 lb per year

Plastic: 8,153,766 lb per year

Cans: 730,188 lb per year

Glass: 2,961,318 lb per year

Using the average buying price on recyclable materials we were able to determine the
estimated year revenue from the materials. Working under the assumption of 100% of the waste
generated would be collected and recycled.
Paper yearly revenue: $826,172.23
Cans yearly revenue: $425,334.51
Plastic yearly revenue: $981,305.74
Glass yearly revenue: $16,479.73
Total yearly revenue: $2,249,292.21

Unfortunately this does not take into account the method of collection. Most, if not all
curbside programs are forced by sheer necessity to adopt the single-stream method of collection.
Single-stream pickup refers to the collection of non separated materials. This method, while
easier to do pick up is not without its negatives. There is a larger percentage of materials lost in
the process, as opposed to keeping materials separated. On the low end its estimated 25% of
materials become unrecyclable and must be taken to the landfill in the end, and on the high end
as much as 40% is estimated to be lost. Taking these numbers into account the yearly revenue is
much lower, but could still be considered profitable to the city.
Paper yearly revenue after losses in materials: $495,703.34-$619,629.17
Cans yearly revenue after losses in materials: $255,200.71- $319,000.88
Plastic yearly revenue after loss in materials: $588783.44- $735,979.31
Glass yearly revenue after losses in materials: $9887.84- $12359.80
Total yearly revenue after losses in materials: $1,349,575.33- $1,686,969.16
After looking at these numbers it was time to determine the yearly maintenance costs that
the city could be expected to incur. After analyzing the responses from the city comparisons we
choose Kearney, NE to use as a base for estimating the costs to the city of Cedar Falls. Using
their roughly $500,000 yearly maintenance cost I was able to determine the cost per citizen was
$15.54 per year. Then multiplying that number by the population of Cedar Falls leading to the
estimated yearly maintenance fee to the city of Cedar Falls.
Cost to Cedar Falls under this model: $630,395.64
Total yearly revenue after maintenance costs (Kearney model*): $719,179.69- $1,056,573.52

Cities for Comparison

Cities were selected to be somewhat similar to cedar Falls in terms of population (30,000
to 50,000), not be in a major metropolitan area, and have a public university. Cities used include
Moline IL, Urbana IL, Dekalb IL, Mankato MN, Moorhead MN, and Kearney NE. All cities
have a curbside and drop off recycling system.
Questions asked: 1) What kind of recycling program does your city have? 2) How does it work?
What materials are recycled? 3) Do materials need to be separated? 4) Is it contracted out? 5) Is
it voluntary or mandatory? 6) How long has it been in existence? 7) Costs for city? 8) Cost for
citizens?
Moline, Illinois is part of the Quad Cities and has a population of 43,483. It is home to
the Western Illinois University-Quad Cities. Molines curbside program is picked up every other
week on a schedule for different parts of the city; there is no need to separate materials.
Recyclable items include plastic, metal cans, cardboard, and paper. The citys recycling system
began in 2008 and is contracted out by Midland Davis. Interestingly Moline is the only one of
the six cities studied here that has a mandatory recycling program. Recycling pick up costs $2.56
a month for citizens; no information could be obtained on costs for the city.

Urbana, Illinois is part of the ChampaignUrbana metropolitan area and has a population
of 41,250. The city is home to the University of Illinois at UrbanaChampaign. Urbanas
curbside program is picked up weekly on a schedule for different parts of the city; there is no
need to separate materials. Recyclable items include paper, cardboard, plastic, aluminum, metal
cans, and glass for pick-ups; batteries and electronics at drop offs. Urbanas recycling program
began in 1986 which was one of the first in Illinois, the system is contracted out with ABC
Recycling. The citys recycling program is voluntary but all citizens still have to pay the
recycling tax which is $33 a year. The city spends about a half million a year to run its recycling
system.
Dekalb, Illinois is an exurb of the Chicago Metropolitan area and has a population of
43,862. The city is home to Northern Illinois University. Deklabs curbside program is picked up
on a schedule for certain areas of the city; there is no separation of materials required except for
batteries. Recyclable items include plastic, paper, cardboard, aluminum, metal cans, glass, and
batteries placed in a separate bag. Dekalbs current recycling program began in 2014 and is
voluntary. It is contracted out with Waste Management.
Mankato, Minnesota is a city of 39,309 and is home to Minnesota State University,
Mankato. Mankatos curbside system is picked up every other week on a schedule for different
parts of the city, there is no separation of materials required. Recyclable items include paper,
cardboard, metal cans, glass, and plastic. Mankatos recycling program has existed for about 20
years and is contracted out with West Central Sanitation. The recycling program is voluntary but
residents still have to have a bin even if they dont use it. Costs for the city depend on the
number of bins picked up, and costs to citizens depends on the size of the bin they want to use.
Moorhead, Minnesota is part of the Fargo-Moorhead Metropolitan area and has a
population of 38,065. The city is home to Minnesota State University Moorhead. Moorheads
curbside system is picked up every other week on a schedule for different parts of the city, it is
the only city studied that require separation of materials but that may change in the future.
Recyclable materials include plastic, glass, metal cans, paper, and cardboard. Moorhead is one of
only two cities in this project where the system is run by the city. The citys recycling program
began in 1991 and is voluntary. Cost for citizens is $10 for a container and $5 a month for pickup
service; there were no estimates on cost for the city available.
Kearney, Nebraska has a population of 30,787 and is home to University of Nebraska at
Kearney. Kearneys curbside program is picked up on a schedule certain days of the month for
different parts of the city; the only item that needs to be separated is paper. Recyclable materials
include paper, cardboard, tin, aluminum, glass, and plastic for curbside; batteries, oil, and cell
phone for drop-off at recycling center. Kearney is the other of two cities in this project where the
system is run by the city. The citys recycling system began in 2005 and is a voluntary program.
Costs for the city include $96 an hour to run collection trucks. There is a fee of $29.50 per month
for commercial cardboard pickup, curbside is free for residents, and there is a $50 fee for extra
collections.

Cedar Falls Options

We have determined the best course of action for Cedar Falls to take if they were to
implement a curbside program would be to introduce a voluntary bi weekly pick up program
using the single stream pickup method. With a $5 monthly fee charged per household. For a
household of 4, this fee would cover the estimated yearly $15 cost per citizen. With the yearly
estimated maintenance fees covered, any recyclables collected and processed would be added
profit for the city, regardless of the fluctuating commodity prices for materials. Partnering with
The University of Northern Iowa, would only help to increase the funds generated from this
service. Cedar Falls could also consider partnering up with Waterloo which already has a
curbside pickup program.

Sources

City of Cedar Falls

City of Moline
City of Urbana
City of Dekalb
City of Mankato
City of Moorhead
City of Kearney
With 'Single-Stream' Recycling, Convenience Comes At A Cost, NPR
http://www.npr.org/2015/03/31/396319000/with-single-stream-recycling-convenience-comes-ata-cost
Understanding Single vs. Dual Stream Recycling http://vangelinc.com/recycling/single-vs-dualstream-recycling
Robin R. Jenkins, Salvador A. Martinez, Karen Palmer, and Michael J. Podolsky. (2000). The
Determinants of Household Recycling: A Material Specific Analysis of Recycling Program
Features and Unit Pricing. Resources for the Future.
Shaufique F. Sidique, Satish V. Joshi, and Frank Lupi. (2010). Factors Influencing the Rate
of Recycling: An Analysis of Minnesota Counties. Resources, Conservation and Recycling, 54,
242249.
David M. Aadland and Arthur J. Caplan. (2000). Household Valuation of Curbside Recycling.
Journal of Environmental Planning and Management, 42(6), 781800.
Black Hawk County Sewage and Waste Management http://www.wastetrac.org/recycle.html
Recycling Prices as of April 2015 http://www.letsrecycle.com/prices/
Common Waste and Materials; USA EPA
http://www.epa.gov/wastes/conserve/materials/index.htm