“An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure” is the age-old adage being put to practical use in recycling a variety of commonly-used batteries by central Iowans, a Marshalltown-based hardware store and several Marshalltown-based retirement facilities.

The effort prevents fire calls and saves space at the Marshall County Landfill too.

Under the direction of Jennifer Clemann of Tama, the Recycling Education Coordinator at the Marshall County Landfill, central Iowans are asked to drop off non-functioning batteries at Thompson’s True-Value Hardware Store in Marshalltown. Similarly, residents at The Embers, Glenwood Place and The Willows may dispose of them in conveniently placed containers.

The service is free of charge with no cost to Thompson’s, the retirement facilities, customers or residents returning the batteries

Clemann and staff pick-up the batteries at the drop-off points.

The used batteries are returned to the Marshall County Landfill (MCL), where Clemann and staff sort and use packing tape to individually wrap the batteries to prevent leakage and combustion.

Staff store the batteries in a 55-gallon drum for pick-up later by a recycler.

“Our goal has been to direct batteries from the landfill and have them properly recycled,” said Clemann in a recent email to the T-R. “We started in 2023 with (drop-off) buckets located in The Embers, Glenwood Place, The Willows and Thompson’s. That local hardware store is ideal for drop off because customers are stopping to replace batteries for tools. We have picked-up 23 times from Thompson’s and twice from The Embers since we started in March 2023. These collections as well as drop-offs at the Marshall County Landfill office have resulted in 1,173 pounds of alkaline batteries and 988 pounds of rechargeable lithium, ion, nickel (and) cadmium batteries effectively recycled. That is slightly more than one ton diverted from the landfill. Additionally, our landfill has far less fires than other landfills.”

Clemann, a Cedar Rapids native, has worked at the landfill for six years.

“I am passionate about recycling,” she said in an interview at the MCL office Thursday morning.

The MCL, located at 2313 Marshalltown Blvd. just west of town, is managed by the Marshall County Solid Waste Management Commission (MCSWMC) for garbage, recycling and hazardous waste disposal. It is led by a board of directors who are appointed by the mayors of each incorporated town. The communities of Collins, Colo and Whitten outside of Marshall County may use the landfill and programs as they also have representatives. Second Ward City Councilor Mark Mitchell and First Ward Councilor Marco Yepez-Gomez are the Marshalltown representatives.

“I support the battery recycling program,” said Mitchell. “It keeps them out of the landfill. The staff do a good job managing the program and a good job overall managing the facility. They are prudent in their spending.”

For more information, contact Clemann at 641-752-0646 or jenn@marshallcountylandfill.org.