Ames is facing a tight deadline to completely change its half-century waste-to-energy program and city officials must make decisions quickly.
The city is in the process of shifting toward a recycling-centered approach to solid waste management. A new resource recovery and recycling center (R3C) will replace the current waste management facility.
Once finished, it will process solid waste, recyclable materials and yard waste, providing a modern and environmentally friendly system for managing the city’s waste.
The center, which will be located on the east side on Freel Drive, is expected to be completed in July 2027. The city’s current dump site in Boone County is running out of space, and Ames can only use it through June 2027.
Here’s how Ames reached this point — and what comes next for the city’s waste system.
The cost of sustainability
The new direction for recycling is primarily driven by the state of the current plant, which has become increasingly costly due to its outdated infrastructure.
To build a new facility, the total cost is $26.3 million.
City takes up a loan: The city plans to borrow up to $24 million via a short-term loan called a bond anticipation note. It carries lower interest rates during the building phase and buys the city time to line up a permanent loan once the facility is finished.
This approach pushes the first major loan payment from June 2027 to June 2028. That extra year gives the new facility time to open, earn revenue and show whether it can cover its own costs before full payments begin.
Aging infrastructure: As the current infrastructure has aged, upgrades to the plant would require an unsustainable amount of money for the city.
“The biggest thing is really a mindset shift for our community,” said Public Works Director Justin Clausen. “For 50 years, we’ve always said just throw it in the trash because we will turn it into power. Now the mindset is that we really want people to think about what they’re doing, what they’re purchasing, how they’re purchasing and the waste that comes out of that.”
Waste-to-energy, the foundation of Ames’ current system
For 50 years, Ames used a waste-to-energy method, a system that processed garbage into refuse-derived fuel (RDF.) This fuel was then burned at the power plant to generate energy, powering the city. The goal was to extend the lifetime of Ames’ landfill, with an added benefit of reducing the amount of coal burned at the power plant.
Concept origins: The concept of waste-to-energy was first popularized in the 1970s, when the Jimmy Carter administration began an initiative to support the production of synthetic fuels, as well as invest in resource recovery and waste-to-energy, according to a 2011 academic report by Angie Gumm.
Federal aid: During this time, federal funding became available and the Environmental Protection Agency awarded multi-million dollar grants to a handful of municipalities across the U.S. With this money, local groups began resource recovery demonstration projects, working as a proof of concept for the program.
Ames was one of the first communities to adopt waste-to energy technology in the 1970s.
Issues with waste-to-energy process
City leaders said the waste-to-energy system became increasingly difficult to maintain due to its aging infrastructure, environmental concerns and operational costs.
Coal to natural gas transition: Since the 2016 transition from coal to natural gas in the power plant, boilers used to burn the city’s solid waste have required extensive maintenance.
Assistant City Manager Brian Phillips said in the earlier years of waste-to-energy, the coal-fired boilers had a soot that protected them from moisture or chemicals inside refuse-derived fuel, something no longer present in the boilers refitted to burn natural gas.
Permit constraints: Additionally, a permit from the Department of Natural Resources requires the power plant to burn no more than a 70%-30% weight ratio of natural gas and refuse-derived fuel. An air permit also keeps the plant from using more than 10% of refuse-derived fuel in any boiler.
Energy purchases: With these constraints, the power plant must purchase a large amount of natural gas to burn the refuse-derived fuel it receives from resource recovery. Here, the power plant incurs the opportunity cost of generating electricity at a higher rate than its worth on the larger market as a means of reducing the waste sent to landfills.
“So right now, a lot of our electricity that is provided in the community comes from our plant being online to burn the [resource-derived fuel],” Phillips said. “And once that goes away, we will have the ability to purchase energy from other sources that we can direct that toward that might be greener sources than we have today.”
Building the foundation for the new system
The R3C represents a major infrastructure upgrade for Ames. This switch toward a recycling-based waste management system has been in the conversation for several years as city officials have looked for better long-term sustainability solutions.
Breaking ground: Ames officially broke ground on the new Resource Recovery and Recycling Campus in April. The facility is projected to open in July 2027 and will handle solid waste, recyclables and yard waste for the community.
The new system will recover recyclable materials from the waste stream, but will no longer burn refuse-derived fuel at the power plant.
“We’re transitioning away from that,” Resource Recovery Assistant Superintendent Mark Peebler said. “The more we recycle, the less landfill diversion and greenhouse gas emissions.”
Recycling upgrades: The recycling campus will include updated waste processing procedures, recycling drop-off areas and yard waste management operations.
Peebler said the new additions in technology include permanent magnetic drums and larger Eddy Current Separators to recover metals more efficiently. Additionally, the city plans to use diesel-electric equipment to transport waste and recyclables.
Handling recyclables: Rather than a majority of waste being processed into fuel, recyclable materials will be separated and dispersed to landfills. Yard waste operations will additionally expand under the city’s management.
Officials say this project will increase reliability due to not depending on whether the power plant is operating or not.
Environmental impacts: In addition to municipal concerns, environmental concerns also played a large role in the city’s decision to transition away from waste-to-energy operations.
The current system requires burning large amounts of natural gas which is subsequently dangerous due to it releasing large amounts of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere, Clausen said.
“We will see better benefits to the environment when we truly reuse what we have instead of necessarily incinerating and then dealing with what is the by-product of that process as well,” Clausen said.
Although transporting waste to landfills may increase truck emissions, officials say the overall environmental benefits outweigh those impacts. This shift will also allow for Ames’ power plant to rely increasingly more on renewable energy sources such as wind and solar.
What Ames residents need to know
Curbside recycling: The biggest change for Ames residents will be the introduction of curbside recycling. Beginning on July 1, single-family homes and apartment buildings with four or fewer units will receive blue 96-gallon recycling bins.
The recycling program will cost customers $7.75 monthly through utility bills.
Ward 1 Rep. Bronwyn Beatty-Hansen said the city chose to make the service community-wide to keep costs affordable for residents and incentivise participation.
“If we keep the price less than $8 a month that makes it more approachable,” Beatty-Hansen said.
Public participation: Officials emphasized the importance of public participation, saying it is crucial in making this transition a success. Residents will need to learn which materials are accepted and how to avoid contamination.
“I think it will be important for people to participate, but also do it correctly,” said Beatty-Hansen.
What is/isn’t recyclable: Accepted materials include cardboard, mixed paper, glass containers, metal cans #1 and #2 plastics. Materials like plastic bags, styrofoam, aluminum foil and other materials will not be accepted.
Clausen also warned against “wish-cycling,” or placing questionable materials into recycling bins in hopes they can be recycled.
“So, if you get a lot of that in recycling it can contaminate what we got here,” Clausen said. “And so we have to help sort that out sometimes. If it’s something like oil, you’ve taken all the good paper and basically made it into garbage.”
City leaders say this transition is more than just a new facility, it is a foundation for long-term sustainability.
“We want to be a partner with them. We want to make sure it’s beneficial to everyone,” Clausen said.
—Bill Monroe contributed to this story.
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