Linn County landfill plans stall amidst disagreements over expansion

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (KCRG) — The landfill at the Cedar Rapids Linn County Solid Waste Agency is filling up faster than expected — and once it’s full, Linn County’s trash will have to be hauled elsewhere, doubling the cost per ton. But discussions around what needs to happen before then have stalled.

Because of state law, building a new landfill in Linn County currently isn’t possible. An expansion of the landfill will be needed to increase its lifespan.

In February, the cities of Marion and Cedar Rapids entered into a Memorandum of Understanding, with plans for Marion to grant the landfill a 450-foot expansion via a setback within the Solid Waste Agency’s property.

As part of that plan, Marion would receive a “host fee” of $250,000 a year and money for every ton taken to the landfill. There would also be a new board of leaders across Linn County to address the landfill issue going forward. That host fee is crucial as leaders in Marion expect landfill expansions to cost business.

“Having a landfill in the path of growth for Marion is definitely an impact for Marion,” Marion Mayor Nicolas AbouAssaly said.

That extra 450 feet would allow the landfill to stay open until 2044 — around its original capacity date.

But Tyler Olson, who is both chair of the Waste Agency’s Board of Directors and a member of the Cedar Rapids City Council, says Marion should allow the landfill to use all of its available space for an expansion.

“While there is space at the site to operate the landfill until the mid-2060s. Marion can require the site to close in 2044, twenty-plus years before it is full,” Olson said. “Using all the available space at the existing landfill is the lowest cost solid waste solution for everyone in Linn County and is a small request in exchange for the cash payments and governance changes Marion demands.”

Olson agrees that a new board should be made to allow the entire region to have a say in how the landfill’s future is handled.

“Those changes make sense in conjunction with an agreement to chose the lowest cost option for residents and businesses by using the maximum life allowed by the available space,” Olson said.

Marion Mayor AbouAssaly said the city never intended the 450-foot offer as an opening to negotiate a larger expansion.

“Marion didn’t have to do anything. We could have just let things play out,” AbouAssaly said. “[We wanted to] invite the region to work together under a more collaborative structure that would help determine what comes next.”

As the late 2030s deadline draws closer, that board hasn’t been formed, meaning no official work has been done to outline a solution for the landfill once it reaches capacity.