John Roosa, Administrator, Boone County Landfill and Recycling, August 19, 2026

On our program today joined by John Rosa landfill administrator recycling coordinator good day have you in good morning here we are happy August yeah we're rolling through mid-August we've already hit our seven inches of rain and now there could be some more but we'll worry about that later in the meantime yeah it's about we talked about last time recycling recycling recycling that's where we're getting to by the way I did get to see and folks at least in Boone will be seeing the information coming out they plan for their citywide cleanup thing and going along a lot with what Metro's done what they've done in in their communities that they are dealing with so not a lot of you know regular things that go to the landfill you send to the landfill we're not going to pick them up yeah that's right so good I get a great effort certainly open for changes and making improvements would be my thing but I know that the community cleanup always when that gets closer in particular the week or two prior we get a bunch of phone calls asking questions about when logistics and what the city is doing and you know the disclaimer is that we're not we don't run that service portion of it it's just whatever they can bring to us so we have our own regulations at the landfill and we can't take appliances we can take them but that be recycled so how the city chooses to handle that you know we're kind of out of it but you know they they know our regulations of what they can and we can can and cannot accept you know including TVs and appliances and you know those types of things so you know if you have questions about it you're welcome to ask but if the logistics behind yeah it's there when they're going to be there to pick up and what they're going to take and you know some of that's over we kick it over to them so it's kind of their their their project in that regard so yeah and they just coordinate with us about the dates and the times and we we work with them on you know a spot you've already done the tons available and stuff like yeah maybe it'll be drier okay well that'd be nice maybe things will dry out by mid-october beginning of October yeah that's it that in that's one of the big ones is that you know it seems like when they do it and spring day all of a sudden you got at least a couple days where you got some rain and everything is really soaked down and heavy and again you basically there you know they're not they're not the garbage haulers I'm sorry yeah that's right there there are companies that do that they're certainly are and so anyhow that's why they want to get out of that business that part of it anyway we'll see now we did Ogden did theirs they had not done one for a couple of years yeah and but they watch it pretty closely and I know that's something that at least in Boone they were looking at doing too yeah they were not taken you know they're pretty cautious about what they would be taking yep yeah I think they do a nice job in those cities I know Madrid does theirs that way too the collection and the drop-offs and stuff and gathering it in one location and I know they monitored as well too and you get those ones that have been doing it for a lot of years and it becomes a pretty easy routine if you will and well-oiled machine and that's we were there at the hazardous waste drop off during the Ogden days for their cleanup too so we got to see some action they were pretty excited so how did your other one the one you added in and went over to Green County yeah that was that was Saturday yeah it was really busy even Metro said it was it was exceptionally busy so for Jefferson what they've done in the past so he doesn't have the numbers on how many people attended from outside the Jefferson area that would be in our service area how much you know that was added to it but it were just there were a lot I was there that day and there were a lot of big loads it seems like a lot of you know bulk stuff you know full pickup loads if you will and several containers and yeah I mean it was it was good but it also there was it was busy and it was yeah kind of chaotic for a little bit well some of that too is if they haven't been doing it or haven't had an opportunity to do it then obviously you don't want that in your landfill right know that but you want to properly dispose of but again for a lot of them it's just sitting there until all of a sudden there's an opportunity yeah it sits there and that's kind of the way ours went in the beginning we had just huge turnouts now we have pretty consistent kind of turnout yeah but again they still there's still it's still there it's still a need yeah and I like that we added in those weekly Saturday or monthly Saturdays for Saturdays of the month to collect without appointment seems like people really like that and respond to it and seen on the over the years how the numbers of use has dropped from the Boone County or the sorry the Boone collection event in June that numbers dropped significantly over the years and I think it's kind of correlated or it's related directly to our our collection events that we do on every Saturday first Saturday of the month so you know we'll continue doing that I think it's a good service it's that opportunity because sometimes that stuff like as you're saying just sits there and then what do I do with it and so you just shove it over there in the corner and file it up and then so it's good to have that opportunity 15 years later you're going what is this and why did I leave it here yeah where does this come from I don't remember using that yeah those I was gonna say one of the well one of the things people will wonders are you gonna have a drop-off when Boone's doing theirs well we did that in June you're gonna be in Madrid in October so to kind of not already doing that but yeah a little conflict with that you know that would be our Saturday first Saturday the month collection is the traditional one down in Madrid and on in the first Saturday in October so we'll stick with that you know there's still going to be the availability by appointments during the week we're doing that through November and then we'll have our last Saturday collection in November before we shut it down for the winter time before we're shut down the hazardous waste collection not the landfill just the hazardous waste collection for the winter time so last one in November on that Saturday the 7th got that yeah recycling well I know the last time we had talked again you had just visited with the Boone City Council about considering you know you'd love to reload allow codes to have their space back and go trucking thank you for still leasing space for recycling efforts here again the city I know really hasn't talked too much else about it that I know of they may have among the staff given some consideration to it but so again it's still something that's out there yeah I think it's a good to get it out there had that meeting a couple weeks ago and I got to you know present the idea it's not the first time you've looked for a different site right it's been on our radar for well since we know it's been seven years before me or Lois was talking about it and so eight years or so and of seeking the right one it's always been a problematic you know there's what's available where it is logistics the size etc so you know continue talking about it but I like the idea of working with the city and see if they have a spot and then if we can develop and make it make some improvements and run it how we need it to be for residents and not just in the city but outside the city limits also to anybody use it for recycling purposes still a 24-hour drop-off site you know it would be similar to what we're doing currently with the rental agreement on the building over there at Coe but bigger and there would be definite plans in place of what we really want to do especially making it more accessible for probably three or four of those roll-off containers at a time instead of just two sure so and I will say even before Lois Scott was doing it to yeah trying to find it trying to come up with a plan yeah would make it available because at one time of course many may remember that we did have a lot of recycling activity that was going on through the building and Coe's bought the product bought the area for their trucking business which that's what they needed yeah right and and they're very they're very busy with it so again they allowed you to keep a portion of it but still it's one of those were we could probably do even better and and not have the cost of it by the way folks if you're wondering yes recycling does cause doesn't cost us to bring it there right but it does cost yeah there's expenses on our end I at the landfill recycling center to be able to provide that service just like we've mentioned before in the past no Jim you always bring it up out yard waste as a reminder when we do the free yard waste days it's you know you've emphasized about it being free to the community and and residents and to drop that off during that time it's free to as you said to the residents but the expense side of us for us it is not a free thing money means to the land phone recycling services that we do so we have to deal with it you know move it around grind it pay for the grinding of it the relocation of it same thing with recycling you know that it's expensive if we wanted to you know really limit costs and not necessarily always do the right thing we would eliminate recycling and I certainly don't want to do that but you know we just have to be more diligent with our funds going forward especially next year is going to get a little bit more interesting and in how we change our services for for land filling purposes and look at how we can continue to streamline things run it more effectively and efficiently on the on the recycling side of things so try to limit our expenses we know it's not profitable it's it's really hard and really difficult to make the recycling services profitable now we just need to limit how much expenditures we have for it so I know we bring our recyclables down to down to Metro that there's a business that you work with down there that's where you bring that bring the the materials down there and again the big thing in a lot of people go well this should all be recyclable well it should and it might be elsewhere but here it's not and you've been I mean you've had a chance to see some of the European efforts and some of the things they do and they are by far way ahead of what we do yeah yeah it seems I know they're leaps and bounds ahead of us you know we have more space than they do so I think there's that need I guess to address to say like you know they're limited on space and maybe we just take it for granted here in in Boone and in Iowa in the U.S. that we have space for landfill so let's just continue throwing stuff away but you know it goes away and it stays that way it's it's not coming back none of that airspace that's used that way it's coming back so just being more diligent with our stuff be more aware but you know always looking to ways looking for ways to expand our services to you know can we do more composting backyard type composting wouldn't I don't know if we we don't I know we don't have the space at the landfill but it would be great if there was a composting service nearby not just for yard waste and you know grass clippings and leaves and that type of stuff those organics but get into the food I guess diversion from the landfill being able to take that stuff that you would put in to the garbage normally instead let's put it into a different container have a compost facility and you know aerobic digesters the those would be great there's a lot of things but can it logistically work in in our location and that's the stuff to always have to take into consideration great idea but is it feasible is it is it can work it's kind of like when we were again looking at the methane issue yeah and yes new technology might make it a little more advantageous to it but the issue working with Pine River I think it was pine Creek again they just were not able to make it come forward yeah unfortunately yeah but and again at that time we talked about volume it's again how much are you bringing in and how much can you divert and is it cost effective yeah the bottom line is it's still about the dollars yeah I mean it has to be cost effective on their end can they justify spending that much money to build the infrastructure the equipment everything that goes with it can they risk investing that much money into that project and can they still make money on it and you know the environmental side of it would have been wonderful to have that done and there was potential for more funds coming to us as well but you know ultimately if something positive would have come from it and the environmental side for landfill for better air quality for you know taking that methane and capturing it and doing something else with it you know that would have been that's intriguing by itself the fact that there was additional funds potentially for us was would really sweeten the deal if you will and made it more enticing but ultimately yeah you know they needed to math it out I guess and see if they could justify spending all that money and recoup some of it or all of it and make some money as investors so unfortunately it kind of dried up and went away and I will keep looking but when we as we go forward you know next year and beyond with our decreased tonnage coming in in our plans then it probably becomes less enticing for companies to look at investing in in that type of of a project if you will because it's not considers the volume big enough yeah that's the volume so but well let's they let you start bearing yard waste again I'm guessing that's not going to happen that's a by the way DNR folks yeah that's yeah you have to answer to somebody and it is the DNR so yes and again that's some of the things too about got to have so much cover on it at the end of the day you got to you know got to have your nuts up for the windy days stuff like well that you just do as a courtesy for your neighborhood courtesy the neighbors also that when you know one of the things is that when garbage comes into the facility we have to keep it at the working phase so the nets help they don't fix it entirely because the netting around the perimeter keeps it on site that's better than letting it blow onto off your own property and on to someone else's but also that's not in the working face that's not in the place where it's being buried so we can't just leave it in the fence lines and say that's good enough it has to come back so it still has to be brought back in it's just a lot easier more convenient to get it at the net rather than go across someone's field and into the woods in nearby to reclaim those bags that get out of the trees and everything yeah they do no matter how high the nets are you put up there the only thing would be like a dome we're not going to do that I tell you let's talk about your construction that's going on there want to find out how that's going again obviously with the rain right August has not been a very productive year for construction I'm guessing because of the rain oh it's been hard a little slow going yeah it pumped the brakes on a lot of things a double whammy too with it to it slowed everything down so the construction side of things the the force main project a lot of work was done and then it was looking now we're on to the boring and as I understand it it's still supposed to be starting up this week yet this week so there's not many days left of the week but let's just see see what happens I'm supposed to be starting up and maybe the get the boring started so got to go along a gravel road crossover and then get over to 30 underneath of that and continue north along Montana so almost it's a mile and a half mile three-quarter somewhere in there to a distance to go so it's been pretty slow the last couple weeks since we last spoke it's it's been pretty sporadic and then copy that same information I guess with the self-construction project hard to haul dirt when it's too muddy to move anything and slimy and I was gonna say it's a little hard moving but isn't it oh man well yeah guys kind of wallowing it almost impossible to move it I mean it's just so they were doing other things welding pipe getting it ready welding I mean plastic and they call it welding pipe even though it's plastic forming and yeah doing what they can still you know to be prepared for the future I guess of once they get done moving the dirt and then there's other things going on with that project but in the meantime it's just it's hard to do much work when it's rainy and slimy and gooey and then you know we run into issues with our or leachate you know the rain fills up our lagoon and it runs through the system and continues filling it up and all that water that came in August is still perking through all that solid waste that's been buried and you know and then that's another issue and we've been contracting with some of the hauling of the leachate out because our lagoon's getting full and now we're but we still you know that's that's all well and good but when it rains then the construction that's been going on along the road to get to the lagoon and to the manhole to pump out of is not passable for a lot of vehicles so now we're looking at pumping it up the side of the hill in pipes and then into tanks larger tanks or by the new shop area just to get the leachate more accessible to then haul it into town and this is all you know temporary as soon as we get that forest main in in production and ready to go then it'll be easier to manage but we got to get to that point too so there's just a lot going on right now a lot of different things and yeah a lot of things to consider well if you weren't at the whims of mother nature no yeah I always thought there's a problem that outdoor outdoor occupations are all of that going on of course in I know some dry weather kind of like farming boy there are times when you need some dry weather conditions and you guys are in that same boat yep we sure are it would be nice if it would just stay dry for a little while and it would help the process keep moving along for us so I know that's selfish but I guess that's the way it is but you know then we've had it earlier in the summer when it was when it was so dry it was too dusty and cloudy we had to you know spread some water around just knocked dust down and that's been it's been a while since that happened but you know there's the joys of the weather being at the mercy of weather one of the things they named we talked we did touch on this previously I think one time when you were having the the the forest main when that's done right now you're hauling that leachate to the to the city wastewater plant and just dumping it there but this having having this forest main does it does give you an opportunity to control just how much is going through it blends with what the city you're going to be joining on to a city system so it's not really going to overwhelm it now but it's going to give you a steady flow to be able to allow that to go basically 24-7 yeah well they have regulations on how many gallons are we're able to take up there per day yeah so you look at a 20,000 gallon limit well when our guys show up for work and they were able to haul it with our pump truck we get about 3400 gallons at a time so we can make five trips up there in a day and that's usually kind of the limit you know we're pushing that six ones going to push over kind of the thing so you take those five loads in there at you know 17,000 gallons coming in over the course of five hours as opposed to sending it nice and slow and steady over the course of 24 hours certainly easier to manage and regulate over that time instead of whammy in the system with with our stuff that comes in so I think it'd be so much better and be able to regulate and you know we can not have to be worried about being able to drive down to the bottom but you know adjusting pumps to regulate to be too float systems to keep that we'll still be storing the leachate in the lagoon pumping out to maintain levels between a high and a low because we don't want it completely empty we don't want it completely full we wanted in in this range that we'll be setting the floats to to say that's what we want we'd like to store some of that temporarily and be able to let it evaporate let the water evaporate off which is easier to maintain as well so just a lot of good things will will be able to manage this going forward and can't wait for this to be in place and for those that are wondering by the way wastewater plant hauls back to the landfill yeah so along we get a good regulation if you will over and over over again so but it is they used to do a land application process and again that's changed for the city and their operators now so now they go to the landfill and yeah have an application going on out there I guess so they take our stuff and then clean up purify run through their sludge and when the sludge needs to be disposed of there they're hauling that to us to keep in in the landfill which at first I was like why let's not do that you know I was kind of against it then you kind of settle down and be like alright if they're bringing the sludge to us for the purpose of control of whatever might be released into the ground even though you know you have full permission to land apply in certain areas what really happens with that you know and eventually when it goes through the soil that's great you know that to apply it that way and keep it out of our landfills but eventually whatever's in that sludge material you know there's there's things and as it's work its way through the soil there's still a waterway at some point somewhere along the line it would be in a waterway sometime so if we can keep that out of there and continue circulating and recirculating the take the leachate out haul it up town get a purify bring the sludge in and then we send it back and forth it's in particular the PFAS stuff the polyfluoro alkaline substances forever chemicals forever chemicals it's in plastic water-resistant materials was good to say you know people who keep wondering well what about leachate way because you do want it part of it is again the getting that leachate out and collecting it the way you have to again that's something that's environmental and in DNR is pretty well sold on avoid groundwater contamination no that's that's it yeah bottom off yeah that's what we do oh if it was easy oh boy so right now again things moving along pretty regular and next up is just gonna be what we don't have too much it's kind of a quiet time a little bit we'll get some extra debris and material coming in from all the activities that will be going on how did you guys were doing you had the waste part of handling rag brie go okay yeah overall got through it it was you look back at the the weights that came in it was you know good it was comparable to the last time actually a little bit less tonnage than back in when 2011 yeah I think it was 2011 last over 6.28 I believe was the tonnage for the day you know for the event as an overnight which it was 6.7 or something like that the previous time so very comparable and a shout out to I guess the donors the sponsors to it to the dumpster kings donated a couple containers to us and so did elite construction donated three trailers to be able to collect garbage at different sites so they were able to set their containers out dumpster king and elite construction set their containers out near the story street party event I guess if you will with the the concert venue yeah and then we landfill we donate we offered up some of our containers some 40 yarders and 20 yarders at different locations because you know the party was one thing that the concert the all the fun event food vendors and all that stuff was one part of it but there was also a lot of people staying at DMACC and McHose Park and Boone Middle School and then Grace Church had a lot of people out there so there was just a lot of other things beyond the party area if you will that needed to be available for proper disposal but people did a really good job the cleanup afterwards was very impressive we did my portion of it you know to handle that and also the containers the carts that we put out the liners to it handle the waste and dispose of it and my landfill guys my recycling guys in particular helped out a bunch Bill and Corey did a great job in helping clean up afterwards and running the the roll-off containers and just a proper disposal so thank you to those guys as well they do a lot in the process so over and above oh boy yep nice to have those people available you know and again appreciate dumpster Kings and elite construction stepping up with their their roll-offs their trailers to accept that waste for disposal so John Rosa landfill administrator recycling coordinator thanks so much for joining us thank you