Events & Grant Opportunities
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March 17 - April 30
Inside the Circular Economy: Beyond the Basics
(Weekly Webinars)
Register Here
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April 13
IRA Webinar: Resume and Interview Guidance
Register Here
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April 21
Complete the Cycle of Recycling. Buy Recycled!
Register Here
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May 3 (Grant Deadline)
Region 7 Healthy, Resilient, and Sustainable Materials Management Grant
Apply Here
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July 1 (Grant Deadline)
Agriculture and Food Research Initiative - Sustainable Agricultural Systems Grant
Apply Here
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Save the Date: October 4-6
Iowa Recycling and Solid Waste Management Fall Conference
DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Convention Complex
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A Note From the IRA President
"As the ever-important April 22 (Earth Day) approaches, I contemplate what has been accomplished since the very first Earth Day in 1970. A total of 51 years later, and what does this one day signify?
Then it comes to me —“ WE ARE EARTH DAY, EVERYDAY.” Look how far we have progressed using sustainable practices in the last 51 years. This day represents action that is encouraged and advocated for throughout the year by you all—the electric cars, solar panels, recycled-content products and packaging, reusable goods, access to compost and composting, and so much more.
All of these mentions are a result of an Earth Day, an earth month, an earth year…an earth moment.
A goal to make our planet better, last longer, be healthier. Give yourself some credit, by golly! We are making a difference, and that is why I like it here!! Happy Earth Day, my friends!!" -IRA President, Alan Schumacher
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IRA Webinar Opportunity for Students and Young Professionals Next Week
This free webinar will help students and recent graduates who are entering the workforce prepare for resumes and interviews. You will find out what recruiters are looking for in a resume and learn how to structure it to give you the best chance of earning an interview.
These unprecedented times have changed the hiring process with less in-person contact and more virtual communication. This webinar will help guide you through the virtual interview process and explain the etiquette needed for these conversations. You will be set up for success and ready to nail your virtual interview!
Thank you to our event sponsors!
Iowa Waste Reduction Center
Ripple Glass
Foth Infrastructure & Environment, LLC
City of Iowa City
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Can Shed Recognized by Keep Iowa Beautiful
Content Sourced from BrownWinick Law Firm Legislative Bulletin
 Anti-litter nonprofit Keep Iowa Beautiful awarded the Can Shed, owned by IRA board member Troy Willard, its 2021 Corporation Award “for the outstanding service of recycling cans, plastic and glass bottles making Iowa a more attractive place to live.” Willard received the award on March 30 at a special ceremony with Governor Reynolds during which she declared April as Keep Iowa Beautiful Month.
The Can Shed is Iowa’s largest redemption center, serving eastern Iowa with walk-in locations in Cedar Rapids, Iowa City, Marion, Hiawatha, and Manchester. More than 1,000 customers use these facilities daily, redeeming over 100 million containers each year. The company also provides services to hundreds of businesses, as well as hauling and processing recovered deposit material from distributors across eastern Iowa. The Can Shed processes nearly 13 million pounds of material for recycling annually.
Willard is the Can Shed’s CEO, which has been in business for 24 years. He also serves on the national Container Recycling Institute’s board of directors, which promotes better deposit and recycling policies across the country. Willard has long been a vocal supporter of the Iowa bottle bill, actively lobbying at the statehouse and frequently working with the media to raise awareness of the deposit system. (Keep Iowa Beautiful logo sourced from keepiowabeautiful.org/)
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Iowa Recycling and Solid Waste Management Conference Call for Presentations is Now Open
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The Call for Presentations for the 2021 Iowa Recycling and Solid Waste Management Conference is now open. Please consider submitting an abstract.
Presenting at the conference enhances your professional development, enables you to share with your peers, gains you recognition in the industry, and provides you an opportunity to learn from your colleagues.
Submission Deadline: May 4, 2021
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IRA Scholarship Opportunity
The Diane Albertson Memorial Scholarship is offered by the Iowa Recycling Association in memory of Diane Albertson – friend, colleague and advocate of environmental protection.
The scholarship is awarded each spring to one or more students with a demonstrated interest in environmental action, especially as related to recycling and waste reduction. Applicants must be a senior or graduate of an Iowa high school and accepted for enrollment as a full-time undergraduate for the following school year.
Applications are due by May 31, 2021.
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Board of Directors Highlight
Over the next few months, we will highlight the individuals that make up the IRA Board of Directors.
Josh Boyer
Josh Boyer just started his first year on the Board of Directors. He is serving on the legislative, communication, and membership committees. He works as the Regional Program Manager at Ripple Glass, a glass recycling company, in Kansas City, MO. Josh is from Missouri, but spends a great deal of time in Iowa helping communities recycle their glass and divert it from the landfill.
Christine Collier
Christine has served on the Board of Directors since 2018. She currently is the chair of the fall conference committee and serves on the membership committee. She works as a project manager at SCS Engineers, a nationwide environmental company with a focus on all aspects of solid waste and materials management. Christine has spent her career in Iowa and, even though she's a transplant from the south side of Chicago, knows the Iowa counties quite well based on where solid waste and recycling facilities are located. She started at SCS’s Clive, Iowa office in December 2016 and works on a wide range of projects. One of the current interesting projects she has is assisting the Iowa Department of Natural Resources with Phase II of the DNR’s Sustainable Materials Management Vision for Iowa progress.
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Are you looking for a unique leadership opportunity? Have you been yearning to put your talent in strategic thinking, finance management, policy advocacy, or project management in the service of a great cause? Well, look no further!
If you are committed to advancing recycling in the state of Iowa, we are looking for you! The IRA is looking for leaders like you to join our board of directors. For 30+ years, our volunteer board has been the strategic heart of our organization.
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Individual Members
Julie Plummer
Thomas Schulte
UNI Student Members
David Hindman
Christina Jensen
Elle Olthoff
Deandre Presswood
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Meet your IWE Area Resource Specialist: Julie Plummer
Content Sourced from Iowa Waste Exchange
Julie Plummer has served eastern Iowa as the Iowa Waste Exchange Area 5 Resource Specialist for 21 years. She recently moved her office, and is now located at the Waste Commission of Scott County’s Scott Area Landfill, where everyone speaks her language of solid waste and recycling!
Julie earned her B.A. degree in Environmental Biology from Augustana College in Rock Island, IL and her Master of Science in Archaeology/Anthropology from the University of Iowa. One of Julie and her husband Jerry’s biggest adventures was sailing for three years through the South Pacific on their 27’ sailboat, AngelSea II. This extended voyage first taught her the importance of conserving, reusing, and living as sustainably as possible. Today, through her Iowa Waste Exchange work, she still finds challenge and joy in promoting ways to give discarded wastes new value.
Julie believes you can never have too many boats, cats, or musical instruments! She enjoys riding her horse, performing as a clarinetist in the Muscatine Symphony Orchestra and Mad Creek Mudcats, photography, teaching environmental science at the college level, bicycling, seeking adventure outdoors, and spending time with her husband at her home along the banks of (and frequently in) the Mississippi River.
Julie’s Area 5 service area includes these 12 counties: Cedar, Clinton, Des Moines, Henry, Jackson, Jefferson, Lee, Louisa, Muscatine, Scott, Van Buren, and Washington.
Contact Julie at Julie.Plummer@wastecom.com or (563) 388-1453.
Find your IWE Specialist at their website.
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