When trash volumes increased over 10% at Linn County’s landfill last fiscal year, Interim Director of the Cedar Rapids/Linn County Solid Waste Agency Joe Horaney had a strong idea of the source.
“We attributed that big increase to the large data center projects that are underway in Linn County," Horaney said. "They generated a lot of construction and demolition debris, and so we're trying to find ways to divert that material."
The recent arrival of hyperscale data projects in the Cedar Rapids area is pressuring the landfill, which Horaney estimates will reach capacity in 10 to 13 years. With few options for building another facility in the county, the agency is looking to haul the waste elsewhere to extend the lifetime of its current facility.
Horaney said Google and QTS are behind the hyperscale projects in Cedar Rapids, and he expects the pressure from data center development to continue. He noted Google is working to locate another hyperscale project near Palo, also within the landfill’s service area.
“These projects will be on the horizon for years to come,” he said.
Variations in volume
The landfill accepted 203,832 tons of waste in Fiscal Year 2026, which ended June 30. That was an increase from 181,909 the year before.
Horaney said they “hoped” to stick in the low 180,000s.
“Jumping back up into the 200,000-ton range, you know, that does take away our capacity,” he said. “The most valuable thing that we have is our space to handle materials.”
Horaney noted trash volumes fluctuate depending on multiple factors. Following the 2020 derecho, which caused widespread destruction in Cedar Rapids, the landfill took in over 350,000 tons of garbage. Its intake remained elevated for years due to recovery and construction efforts.
Meanwhile, the agency’s investments in diversion have successfully reduced intake. It has a wood compositing facility, and since 1999 has banned cardboard from being mixed with incoming trash. It recently began rejecting loads which contain it. Previously, the landfill doubled its tipping fee for such loads.
Horaney said data center developers have partnered on waste diversion strategies, but challenges remain.
“These are giant projects that have thousands of employees working on the site with multiple languages being spoken,” he said. “So, you know, they're getting direction at the top, and they're working to get the message down to the everybody underneath them.”
One landfill's trash, another's treasure
Waste from the projects could travel across the region by early next year.
The Solid Waste Agency, in partnership with the East Central Iowa Council of Governments is preparing to get quotes from other regional waste agencies for accepting garbage and hopes to select a partner by the end of December.
The agency plans to begin hauling 50,000 tons annually and double that amount in the future.
The Black Hawk County Sanitary Landfill, 50 miles northwest, is one possible destination. The county's Solid Waste Management Commission had initial discussions about accepting waste from the Linn County area in September.
The commission's administrator, John Foster, sees the potential partnership as an opportunity.
“We're already positioning the landfill here in Black Hawk County as a regional facility,” Foster said. “Right now, we have extra capacity, so we can bring in additional waste without bringing on additional staff and equipment."
Increasing trash intake offers increased revenue, allowing the landfill to maintain prices amidst inflationary pressure.
In Cedar Rapids, the situation is likely to have the opposite effect.
“For residents, [there’s the] potential of slightly higher prices," said Horaney. "The cost goes up just from the hauling alone, with fuel prices being so high.”
