County solid-waste officials say Ames will route trash to county landfill in two years; transfer station planning noted

Members of the Carroll County Board of Supervisors were updated on recent solid-waste commission activity, including an agreement to accept trash from the city of Ames beginning in approximately two years and related discussions about transfer stations and landfill capacity. A board member said the county’s solid-waste commission signed an agreement with the city of Ames to begin taking Ames’ waste in roughly two years; the report noted that Boone County, which previously received much of Ames’ waste, is running low on capacity and notified Ames it could no longer accept that volume. The board discussed how the change may require Ames to build a transfer station to move waste by semi-trailer to an out-of-area landfill. Board members and staff discussed the county’s recent land acquisitions that increase available airspace and noted that buying landfill ground extends life but does not eliminate capacity planning. One supervisor said the county’s engineering consultant provided cycle analyses explaining how the Department of Natural Resources regulates landfill airspace and height. The board also discussed outreach and media interviews scheduled about the change in waste flows. No formal procurement or policy change was taken at the meeting; the report was an update from solid-waste and regional partners and will continue to be discussed by the commission and board.