Iowa Waste Exchange

10/08/2026

♻️ A Little Trash Talk, A Lot of Creativity & Some Great Company!

We just returned from a great time at the Fall IRA/ISOWO Conference in Davenport, IA, October 5–7!

We connected with new and familiar faces, learned about new compost and waste regulations, shared ideas, and enjoyed the annual Silent Auction. 🎉

And, of course, we loved sharing the Iowa Waste Exchange booth!
One attendee said:
“We love the Iowa Waste Exchange’s booth! They always have the most unique items, made from salvaged material. It is fun to see how items can be diverted in new ways!”

That's what IWE is all about: seeing potential in what others may consider discarded material and finding it a new home, use, or purpose. ♻️
Reach out to our Area Resource Specialists for ideas, supplies or if you have material you need to discard. We'd be happy to help! www.iowawasteexchange.org/

Thank you to everyone who stopped by and helped make the conference a success!

Remember, Waste isn’t waste until you waste it.

10/02/2026

🥦 FOOD WASTE PREVENTION WEEK | DAY 3

Not all surplus food is waste.

When food cannot be prevented, there may still be an opportunity to recover, donate, or repurpose it.

The EPA's research shows that prevention and donation provide some of the greatest environmental benefits among food-waste management pathways.

“The environmental benefits of source reduction and donation exceed those of any other wasted food pathway...”
— U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, From Field to Bin (2023)

At the Iowa Waste Exchange, we look for opportunities to connect resources with organizations that can use them.

Because one organization's unneeded surplus can become another's resource.
Have surplus you'd like to share? Contact your Area Resource Specialist www.iowawasteexchange.org to redirect your surplus to those who can use it.

🌱 Prevent. Recover. Reuse.

Sources: U.S. EPA, Wasted Food Scale; From Field to Bin (2023).

09/30/2026

🥕 FOOD WASTE PREVENTION WEEK | DAY 2

Waste isn't waste until we waste it, especially with food.

The EPA's Wasted Food Scale places prevention at the top because avoiding waste in the first place saves the resources required to produce, transport, store, and dispose of food.

A few simple steps can make a difference:

🛒 Plan before shopping.
🥘 Use what you already have.
❄️ Store food properly.
📅 Understand food date labels.

“Preventing food from going to waste in the first place is the most environmentally beneficial option...”
— U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Wasted Food Scale

Before asking where food waste should go, let's ask how we can prevent it. 🌱

Have surplus resources that you don't know what to do with? Contact your local Area Resource Specialist www.iowawasteexchange.org to divert it and source it to those who can use it.

Source: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Wasted Food Scale.

09/29/2026

Join SICOG, the Iowa Waste Exchange & Iowa DNR for a Derelict Building Grant Workshop and learn how funding and material reuse can help turn problem properties into opportunities. ♻️

📅 October 15 | 6 PM | Greenfield

09/28/2026

🥒🍎🥦This week is Food Waste Prevention Week.

Food waste is more than wasted food.

When we waste food, we also waste the water, energy, land, labor, transportation, and resources used to produce it.

The UN Environment Programme estimates that 1.05 billion tonnes of food were wasted globally in 2022—nearly one-fifth of the food available to consumers.

“Food waste is not just a ‘rich country’ problem.”
— United Nations Environment Programme, Food Waste Index Report 2024

At the Iowa Waste Exchange, we believe that "Waste isn't waste until you waste it."

Let's prevent food waste before it becomes waste. You can freeze, can, or give away food to those who need it. ♻️

Have some extra food from conferences or other events? Contact your Area Resource Specialist www.iowawasteexchange.org to divert it from the waste pile and get it to those who can use it.

Source: United Nations Environment Programme, Food Waste Index Report 2024.

09/17/2026

IWE had the opportunity to table at the Food Rescue Partnership Workshop yesterday. Attendees learned about food rescue efforts in the Quad Cities and available grant funding for food pantries. Want to learn more about how to get involved in food rescue? Want to find out about the Increased Food Storage Capacity Grant for food pantries? Contact your Resource Specialist today! Iowawasteexchange.org

Iowa Waste Exchange

09/17/2026

🥫 Shelf-stable food can find a new home.

🌱 And food that truly can’t be recovered for people may still have value through animal feed or composting.

The Iowa Waste Exchange helps businesses, schools, nonprofits, and communities find opportunities to recover, reuse, and redirect materials—including food.

🎨 Included in the images is a food-waste coloring sheet for you to enjoy! Created with A.I. and ready to color.

Because waste isn’t waste until you waste it.

09/15/2026

♻️ Join the Iowa Waste Exchange at the Iowa Outdoor Expo for Kids and Families, presented by the Des Moines Izaak Walton League!

Stop by our booth for FREE make-and-take activities and discover fun, creative ways to give materials a second life!

📅 Saturday, September 26
⏰ 10:00 a.m.–4:00 p.m.
📍 Des Moines Izaak Walton League, 4343 George Flagg Pkwy (intersection of George Flagg & Park)
🎟️ FREE admission and parking!

Enjoy a day of hands-on family adventures, including virtual s***t shooting, fishing, archery, slingshot and BB gun ranges, animal presentations, minnow races, kids’ crafts, and exhibits from area conservation organizations!

Send a message to learn more

09/14/2026

At first glance, food waste might seem like an unusual concern for a global organization like the World Wildlife Fund. But food production and wildlife conservation are closely connected.

Producing food requires land, water, energy, labor and transportation. Agriculture also affects wildlife habitat, water quality and biodiversity. When food is grown but never eaten, those resources and environmental impacts were expended without feeding anyone.

The video below examines the challenge at a global scale. Meanwhile here in Iowa, the issue is equally tangible: food waste represents approximately 20% of the material disposed of in Iowa landfills. Iowa DNR estimates the average Iowan throws away about 200 pounds of food annually—and roughly one-quarter of it is still unopened in its original packaging.

This makes food waste prevention and recovery both priorities for Iowa DNR and solid waste managers statewide.

One practical response available with support from Iowa Waste Exchange: the Iowa DNR Food Storage Capacity Grant. By helping eligible food banks, food pantries and other nonprofit organizations expand refrigeration, freezer and storage capacity, the program allows more donated food to be safely accepted and distributed before it spoils. Organizations that distribute food across Iowa are eligible for up to $5,000.

From protecting wildlife habitat globally to installing a freezer in an Iowa food pantry, the principle is the same: producing food requires valuable resources, and edible food should feed people—not landfills.

▶️ Watch the WWF video: https://lnkd.in/edxtrUHY
For more information on the Iowa DNR Food Storage Capacity Grant, contact [email protected].

09/10/2026

🎒 Turn Surplus into School Resources!

With a new school year underway, Iowa Waste Exchange is helping surplus materials find their way into classrooms instead of landfills.

📚 Furniture • 🎨 Art Supplies • 📦 Packaging • 🧵 Fabrics • 🪵 Wood • 🖊️ Office Supplies

Last year, IWE connected 136 schools with resources they could use. One example: ECICOG helped distribute surplus binders, hanging folders, and pens to high schools across their area.

One organization’s leftover can become a classroom’s resource!

Have surplus sitting in a back room? Let your local Area Resource Specialist help find it a new home.

👉 Contact your Area Resource Specialist. www.iowawasteexchange.org