Metro Waste Authority tells Urbandale council it’s battling lithium-battery fires while expanding recycling and curbside services

Michael McCoy, executive director of Metro Waste Authority, told the Urbandale City Council that the regional system is handling a growing volume of waste and recycling but faces significant operational risks, notably fires started by lithium batteries.

McCoy said Metro Waste Authority’s Metro Park East landfill receives roughly a thousand vehicles a day and that the system processes about a million tons annually. He described the Metro Recycling Facility as a large regional operation that accepts materials from communities across Iowa and noted that Urbandale households served by consolidated curbside collection number 16,328.

The presentation emphasized the Authority’s investments and innovations. McCoy said the recycling campus purchased an automated sorting machine from the Netherlands for about $350,000 and that increased resident participation shortened the expected return-on-investment from five to seven years to roughly three years. He described new curbside and redemption services, two permanent hazardous-waste dropoff sites and a network of cardboard and battery collection points intended to make disposal more convenient for residents.

McCoy highlighted program metrics for Urbandale: residents disposed about 2,373 tons of material in the most recent reporting period and 723 Urbandale residents used hazardous-waste dropoff services in 2025. He also noted that the Authority has opened two redemption centers and processed over 2 million cans and bottles at the Bondurant facility.

On risks, McCoy singled out lithium batteries. “Lithium batteries are the cause of most fires we have both in our trucks, at our landfill, at every one of our facilities,” he said. He recounted two serious fires — one in September 2023 and another in October 2025 — that disrupted operations and required extended on-site response. The Authority is working with local fire departments, pursuing public education and supporting legislative efforts aimed at keeping batteries out of the waste stream.

McCoy also discussed regional landfill capacity, saying the board has paused taking new out-of-county material while it evaluates lifespan and regional needs; he estimated the current permitted area could remain in service until about 2084 before reaching capacity, with options to re-permit the larger property footprint in future years.

Council members asked about program details, including how Metro Waste receives and allocates the redemption cents and whether curbside services would extend to more households; McCoy described the financial mechanics in which distributors pay handling fees and the Authority returns the nickel to residents while retaining three cents for processing. He said a relaunched curbside hazardous or bulky-item pickup program will be low-cost for residents and could include in-home redemption collection.

The presentation concluded with an offer to host tours of Authority facilities and continued collaboration on community dropoff locations and education campaigns.