What we do

Iowa Waste Exchange Services: Reduce Disposal Costs & Reuse Surplus Materials

The Iowa Waste Exchange (IWE) provides free, statewide assistance to help businesses reduce waste, lower disposal costs and find responsible reuse, recycling and diversion options. If you’re looking for a business waste reduction strategy and options, IWE offers smart, cost-saving solutions: 

  • Keep valuable materials out of the landfill

  • Reduce your waste disposal costs and free up storage or workspace

  • Obtain low- or no-cost waste or surplus materials

  • Connect with organizations that want and need your waste or surplus materials

Our services are confidential, non-regulatory and available to any Iowa business, school, nonprofit or government entity.

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How Iowa Waste Exchange Can Help Your Business

Whether you’re looking to cut waste disposal costs, find new uses for surplus materials or improve your overall sustainability efforts, the Iowa Waste Exchange offers practical, hands-on support to help your business succeed. Our free services connect you with reuse opportunities, cost-saving strategies and expert guidance tailored to your operations — 
so you can manage waste more efficiently while strengthening your bottom line.

Pile of pallets

Online Material Listing

Many materials considered “waste” still have value. IWE helps businesses:

  • Find new users for surplus materials
  • Connect with manufacturers, nonprofits, schools and other organizations in need
  • Reduce disposal fees by keeping usable materials out of the landfill
  • Find waste or surplus materials at low- or no-cost through our statewide database

Whether you have — or need — waste or surplus materials, we help match you with a reciprocal business or organization.

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Cost-Savings and Business Waste Reduction Strategies

IWE focuses on practical solutions that save money while reducing waste. Our team helps businesses:

  • Reduce waste hauling and disposal costs
  • Implement source-reduction techniques
  • Improve operational efficiency
  • Meet sustainability goals without added expenses

What’s more, our reuse-first approach often reveals opportunities to eliminate disposal altogether.

CONTACT YOUR RESOURCE SPECIALIST
batteries
pool noodles in garbage can

Waste Assessments and Technical Assistance

Our Area Resource Specialists conduct customized waste assessments to identify:

  • Reusable surplus materials
  • Hard-to-recycle items
  • Opportunities to lower disposal costs
  • Ways to minimize waste generation at the source

This personalized approach helps uncover hidden savings and reduce your environmental footprint.

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Let the Iowa Waste Exchange Assist You. Contact Your IWE Area Specialist Today!

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IWE team at Iowa Leage of Cities event 2025

OUR MISSION IS

Helping you find better — and often cheaper — alternatives to traditional waste disposal and materials purchasing.

Iowa Waste Exchange Education & Outreach

The Iowa Waste Exchange offers education and outreach programs that help businesses, schools and communities better understand waste reduction, reuse and sustainable material management. Through presentations, events and mobile learning experiences, we provide practical guidance to support smarter environmental practices across Iowa.

Lindsey at the IWE booth

Presentations

Our team can provide:

  • On-site or virtual sessions tailored to your audience
  • Topics include waste reduction, reuse strategies and sustainability
  • Ideal for businesses, schools and community groups
  • Free, expert-led education from IWE Resource Specialists
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Lindsey at IWE booth

Special Events

We can host or participate in:

  • Workshops, trainings and regional sustainability events
  • Demonstrations of practical reuse and recycling solutions
  • Networking with businesses and organizations committed to waste diversion
  • Engaging opportunities to learn, share and collaborate
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Mobile Education Unit

This traveling unit includes informative displays, interactive kiosks, educational videos and more: 

  • Hands-on, traveling learning experience for all ages
  • Demonstrates waste reduction, recycling, and materials reuse concepts
  • Perfect for schools, fairs, community events and business outreach
  • Brings environmental education directly to your location
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Want to know more or book an education experience?

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Frequently Asked Questions

The Iowa Waste Exchange (IWE) is a free, confidential, and non-regulatory program of the Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR). The program is administered by Region XII Council of Governments, East Central Iowa Council of Governments, and the Iowa Northland Regional Council of Governments. IWE connects businesses, schools, nonprofits, manufacturers, municipalities, and other organizations to reuse and recycling solutions for materials that might otherwise be landfilled. Our goal is to keep valuable materials in circulation, reduce disposal costs, and support waste diversion across Iowa.
No. Iowa Waste Exchange does not pick up, transport, process, store, or dispose of materials. We serve as a connector and technical resource—helping match materials with organizations that can reuse, repurpose, or recycle them. Transportation, pricing, and logistics are coordinated directly between the participating parties.
Our services are available to Iowa-based businesses, manufacturers, schools, nonprofits, local governments, and other organizations seeking reuse or recycling solutions. Participation is voluntary and based on mutual benefit.
1. Submit an inquiry Contact your Area Resource Specialist or submit a request through our website. 

2. Material review & research We gather details about the material (type, quantity, condition, timing) and explore potential reuse or recycling pathways. Materials must be appropriately characterized by the generator prior to exchange. 

3. Connection If a potential match is identified, we facilitate an introduction between the parties. 

4. Decision & logistics Participating organizations determine whether to proceed and coordinate transportation, cost, and scheduling directly. You are never required to move forward with an opportunity that does not align with your operational or business needs.
Nearly anything with reuse potential—including: Industrial byproducts, packaging materials (pallets, totes, drums), office furniture and equipment, construction and demolition materials, surplus supplies and unique one-off items. If a material still has functional value, we will explore options to help it find a productive second life.
No. Availability may change quickly. Listings reflect materials that were available at the time of posting. A listing does not guarantee that the material is still available or that a match will occur. Always check with your Area Representative for the most current information.
No. Iowa Waste Exchange services are provided at no cost. The program is funded through a portion of landfill tipping fees—the fees paid at permitted landfills—which support waste reduction, reuse, and recycling initiatives statewide. While IWE services are free, materials themselves may or may not be free. Pricing and transportation costs are negotiated directly between participating parties.
No. Iowa Waste Exchange facilitates introductions, but final decisions are made by the organizations offering and receiving the materials. Organizations may evaluate potential recipients based on capacity, intended use, timing, and logistics.
No. Iowa Waste Exchange is a voluntary, non-regulatory assistance program. We do not interpret regulations, issue permits, conduct inspections, or enforce environmental rules. Regulatory or compliance questions should be directed to the appropriate authority, such as the Iowa DNR or other relevant agencies. Our role is to make practical reuse and recycling solutions easier—not to enforce regulations.

Yes. In addition to material matching, Iowa Waste Exchange provides:

  • Waste assessments and diversion strategies
  • Byproduct and surplus equipment matching
  • Research to identify recycling and reuse options
  • Assistance with donation and nonprofit partnerships
  • Sustainable materials management guidance
  • Educational outreach and resource sharing

If you are unsure whether we can assist with a specific situation, we encourage you to reach out.

Iowa Waste Exchange does not directly provide grant funding. The exception is the Close the Loop Grant, a small grant program designed to help eliminate barriers to waste reduction, reuse, and recycling. This funding may assist with limited costs that prevent a diversion opportunity from moving forward. Outside of this program, funding opportunities are discussed on a case-by-case basis depending on project fit and eligibility. We may help identify or connect organizations with other potential funding resources when appropriate.
You can locate your Area Resource Specialist by hovering over the interactive map on our website to find the representative serving your area and their contact information. You may also submit an inquiry through our online contact form, and it will be routed to the appropriate team member for follow-up.
The Iowa Waste Reduction Center (IWRC), based at the University of Northern Iowa, focuses on preventing waste at the source through process improvement, audits, training, and compliance guidance. Iowa Waste Exchange focuses on reuse and recycling pathways for materials that still exist. The programs often collaborate and may refer organizations to one another depending on the situation. In simple terms: IWRC: How do we prevent or reduce this waste? IWE: How do we reuse what remains?

Contact Us

Email: SKohtz@region12cog.orgPhone: 515-314-3802
1009 East Anthony Street, Carroll, IA 51401

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