By the MWA
Effective July 1, 2011, some of the disposal rates, or tipping fees, at Metro Waste Authority’s Metro Park East Landfill and Metro Park West Landfill will increase by $1 per ton.

This is only the fifth time in 15 years that Metro Waste Authority has increased rates; which amounts to a less than 1% per year increase versus the approximate 2.73% CPI (consumer price index) per year average increase during the same 15-year time period.

Metro Waste Authority will use the income generated by the increase to offset capital expenditures associated with future landfill cell development. A “cell” is a term used for an area that is lined and prepared to accept municipal solid waste. The current waste disposal cell will last until 2013 and three new cells will need to be developed over the course of the next eight years at an estimated cost of $24 million. This expense includes the construction, lining, testing, and environmental monitoring of the cells. While Metro Waste Authority is a public agency, it does not receive tax dollars. The projects are “pay as you go”. Metro Waste Authority does not borrow money for any landfill improvement projects. All of its programs and facilities are self-funded through fees paid by those who use them.

“While we are committed to keeping costs to residents stable, this one dollar increase was necessary due to tougher landfill regulations,” said Tom Hadden, Metro Waste Authority’s executive director. “Continuing a user fee system allows those who produce the garbage to pay for its disposal now.”
If the increase is a direct pass-through to residents, the average resident producing 2,000 pounds of trash per year (one ton) would see an increase on their home’s garbage collection rate of a little over 8 cents per month or $1.00 a year.

The per-ton rate changes for residential, commercial and construction and demolition materials are summarized below:
Metro Park East Landfill - (Effective July 1, 2011)

• Commercial $34, $17 minimum
• Residential $34, $17 minimum
• Yard Waste $26, $17 minimum
• Commercial $34, $14 minimum
• Residential $34, $14 minimum
• Construction and Demolition $34, $14 minimum
• Cars $7 per load
• Yard Waste $26, $14 minimum

By the MWA
Effective July 1, 2011, the single use Compost It! Stickers will increase by 5 cents per sticker, raising the price to $1.15 each. These stickers are used on brush bundles or with store-brand (brown paper) yard waste bags by residents of the cities of Altoona, Bondurant, Carlisle, Clive, Des Moines, Grimes, Johnston, Norwalk, Pleasant Hill, Polk City, Urbandale, West Des Moines, and Windsor Heights. The cost of the Compost It! bags remains $1.55 per bag or $7.75 per bundle. The increase is designed to offset increased collection costs of the Compost It! program. Any stickers already purchased by residents prior to July 1 at the $1.10 rate will still be valid for use.

Also effective July 1, 2011, the rate for the annual subscription to the Premium Compost It! cart service will increase by $3 to $103. Any subscriptions purchased prior to July 1 at the $100 rate will be honored for the entirety of the Compost It! season.

The yard waste collected from residents is brought to Metro Waste Authority’s Metro Compost Center where it is turned into a useable soil amendment. The revenue from the sale of this compost also helps offset Metro Waste Authority’s yard waste collection and processing expenses. Designed as a user-fee based program, Compost It! expenses are covered by residents who bag their yard waste. Residents who instead mulch or compost do not subsidize their neighbor’s use of the program. Those expenses not covered by the purchase of the bags and stickers or by compost sales are offset by the user fees collected at the landfill.

All increases were unanimously approved by Metro Waste Authority’s Board of Directors in January 2011.

The Urbandale Parks & Recreation Department is holding a community wide Shred-It Event on Saturday, May 7th.  You can bing your paper documents to the Urbandale Senior Center from 8:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. and we will shred them for you, for FREE.   You can bring up to 3 boxes or 90 lbs. to shred.  This service is sponsored by Shred-It and U-Fit Urbandale.  For more information please contact the Urbandale Parks and Recreation department at (515) 278-3963.

By the MWA
You get them at just about every store. They allow you to carry many items at once. They make good trash can liners but are not accepted in the Curb It! recycling program. What are we?

Plastic shopping bags!

That's right, you guessed it. Those pesky plastic shopping bags have many good alternative uses but recycling them in your Curb It! cart is not one of them. Plastic bags can get tangled around the sorting equipment, break it down and potentially start fires at the processing facility.

Not to worry, there is a way you can still recycle your plastic bags. Simply take them back to the grocery store with you the next time you buy groceries. Even discount and department stores are getting involved. The next time you head into a store look around to see if they have a plastic bag recycling container. You'll be surprised at how many do.

Tip: In order to avoid all of the hassle of having to take back your plastic bags, consider using reusable shopping bags on your next trip to the store.

Just moved and you're up to your eyeballs in cardboard? Or maybe you just purchased new appliances or cabinets and you have monster pieces of cardboard to get rid of? Whatever the challenge, Metro Waste Authority can help you easily recycle all of your cardboard without stashing it in your garage for weeks until it all fits in your Curb It! cart.

The newly redesigned MWA recycling centers are just the answer. Residents can take excess cardboard to any one of the five recycling centers at no charge. Simply breakdown the cardboard box and slide it through the rectangular opening toward the top of green containers. It really is just that easy.

For a recycling center location nearest you, go to www.MWAtoday.com/facilities.

Urbandale Parks & Recreation provides the opportunity for residents to purchase discount tickets to a number of amusement facilities.  Discount tickets are available to Adventureland, Worlds of Fun/Oceans of Fun, Valley Fair, Six Flags, Noah's Ark and the Blank Park Zoo.  Tickets can be purchased at the Parks & Recreation office, located at 3600 86th street, Monday-Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

You can now download best-selling and classic audio books and ebooks from the library's website anytime, anywhere.  You can browse the collection, check out with your library card, and download to your PC, Mac or mobile device.  This new service, powered by OverDrive, is free with your library card.  Check out this new feature online at http://wilbor.lib.overdrive.com.