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New Study Shows Food Waste Tops List Of Things Going Into Landfills

November 22, 2022 Steve Schwaller

(Des Moines)– A study of Iowa landfills shows how much, and what types of trash ends up in landfills. Tom Anderson of the Iowa Department of Natural Resources says food waste tops the list…

“Food waste, plastic film, you know, plastic bags, cardboard and craft paper, textiles and leather and compostable paper.”

He says that’s the vast majority of what’s going to landfills…

“Those materials make up about 45 percent of everything that’s going into Iowa landfills.”

Anderson adds most of those materials can be recycled in some way…

“These materials that are being thrown into the landfill stream are resources, you know, for new products. So, you know, getting that kind of consumer mentality would be a huge step.”

The landfill study is done every five years.

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