The Jackson County, Iowa Sanitary Disposal Agency was formed under chapter 28-E of the Code of Iowa.

The Waste Authority of Jackson County was formed under chapter 28-E of the Code of Iowa.

This chapter provides the framework to form groups of cities or counties to perform public sector activities.

The Agency operates on an annual budget comprised of per capita assessments and waste disposal tipping fees. Many changes have taken place in the area of waste management in the last few years. One that has affected the cost of waste disposal the most has been the closing of the Jackson County Landfill and the construction of a solid waste transfer station.

All municipal solid waste is now transferred to a landfill in Illinois. By doing so the Agency was able to avoid certain legislative mandates regarding the continued operation of a landfill and avoid the costs associated with those mandates. Although the landfill was closed in 1994, it will have to be maintained and monitored for groundwater contamination until the year 2024. Original post closure costs for the 30 year period are estimated to be $543,900.

In 1989 the Waste Reduction and Recycling Act (Code of Iowa, Chapter 455D), established statewide waste reduction goals. Responsible agencies were directed to reduce the annual waste stream for their areas by 25% by July 1, 1994 and by 50% by July 1, 2000 from the baseline year beginning July 1, 1988. It was anticipated that recycling and source reduction could achieve these goals.

Recycling has been a part of Jackson County waste management since 1991. Currently cooperative efforts between DAC Inc. and the Agency divert approximately 2000 tons of recyclable material from the waste stream each year.

All towns within the county offer curbside recycling and rural residents are encouraged to use one of the five drop off points in the county.

Jackson County easily met the waste reduction goal of 25% in 1994. The next goal of a 50% reduction by the year 2000 was much more difficult and our planning region reached 44.31 % according to IDNR calculations. Every effort will be made in the future to reach the 50% goal within a fiscally responsible manner.

Services provided by Jackson County Solid Waste Agency:

Solid Waste Management.
Disposal of Residential & Commercial waste.
Free household hazardous waste disposal.
Free drop off for recyclables.
Free medical sharps disposal.
Free disposal of motor oil & filters.
Free disposal of antifreeze.

Waste of Authority of Jackson County manages their own website. Click here to open their website.