Linn Co. Waste Agency could pay Marion fee to expand landfill, filling up faster than expected

MARION, Iowa (KCRG) — The Cedar Rapids Linn County Solid Waste Agency could be paying the city of Marion hundreds of thousands of dollars a year to avert its landfill from reaching capacity early.

In a 50-year-plan made in 1994, the landfill was expected to reach capacity in 2044; now, it’s projected to be full eight years ahead of schedule, filling up in 2036.

The landfill is in the northern part of Marion. To prevent reaching capacity, the agency wants to expand the landfill 450 feet south, but that expansion requires approval from the city of Marion.

As part of an agreement to approve the expansion, Marion is asking for a host fee to “ease the direct environmental, infrastructural, and economic burden that an expanded Landfill places on Marion.”

As it stands, the host fee includes a flat annual cost of $250,000. It would also charge $1.75 per ton of residential waste and $2.25 per ton of commercial and industrial waste. That fee would be paid by the Solid Waste Agency.

In 2025, of the 181,910 total tons of trash put in the landfill, 71% was commercial and industrial while 29% was residential.

Joe Horaney, the director of the Solid Waste Agency, says several factors have led to the increase of garbage, including Linn County’s population growth. Census data shows there are about 40,000 more people living in Linn County now than in 2000.

Horaney says disasters have also taken an unexpected toll on the landfill, with events like the 2008 Cedar Rapids Flood and 2020 Derecho creating years’ worth of waste.

“We had already seen a big influx of garbage coming in in 2020, and then August of 2020: What happened? The Derecho,” Horaney said. “The Derecho took two years of landfill space away.”

Horaney says the 2008 Flood created more than 430,000 tons of waste while the Derecho brought in about 200,000 tons.

Diversion efforts like recycling and composting have lightened the load, and Horaney credits them with saving years on the timeline.

“We’ve actually kept a lot of garbage from coming in, and so our tonnage has gone down,” Horaney said.

The landfill will be expanded within the Solid Waste Agency’s property. Under state law, the landfill itself must remain at least 50 feet away from the end of the property line.

If capacity is reached, the agency would open a transfer facility to collect waste and send it elsewhere.

While there have been discussions around opening a new landfill, the agency currently does not find it feasible, citing restrictions with current landownership laws.

The agreements will be discussed in the Marion City Council Tuesday evening; the council will then vote on a final decision on Thursday. The city of Cedar Rapids and the Linn County Board of Supervisors will be holding discussions as well.

Copyright 2026 KCRG. All rights reserved.