UPDATED: August 21, 2020
Unincorporated Organic Debris Removal
Linn County has contracted with a specialized natural disaster recovery company Ceres Environmental Services, Inc. to assist the County in disposal of storm-generated organic debris in unincorporated Linn County. With the help of Ceres, the County has opened four self-haul drop-off sites for residents of unincorporated Linn County to use to dispose of their organic storm debris, in addition to the two Solid Waste Agency locations. There is no charge to rural residents to drop off their organic storm debris at these four locations below.
NOW OPEN DAILY 7 a.m to 7 p.m.
- Dows Farm
Enter off Mount Vernon Road across from the Lighthouse and Edith Lucille’s - Morgan Creek County Park
Enter from E Ave NW in Cedar Rapids - Mount Vernon Secondary Road Shop
788 Cedar River Road
Mount Vernon - Whittier Secondary Road Shop
721 County Home Road
Springville
Special Instructions
- The sites are for organic storm debris only (trees, brush, vegetation) for residents of unincorporated Linn County (this is due to FEMA reimbursement requirements).
- These locations are self-haul, drop-off only. Staff is not available to help unload debris.
- Tie down or cover your loads to prevent debris from falling out during transport.
- Use caution around the heavy equipment at the drop-off sites.
In addition to the above locations, rural residents can dispose of tree debris at either Solid Waste Agency location, 1954 County Home Road, north of Marion, and 2250 A Street SW, Cedar Rapids. Regular hours of operation are in effect at both locations.
If assistance is needed for debris removal, homeowners are encouraged to contact local contractors. Be sure to get a quote for any contract work and do not pay up front for removal or repair services. Contact your insurance company for information regarding damage claims. Save all receipts in case the expenses are eligible for reimbursement from insurance or a disaster relief program.
Residents in unincorporated Linn County who are unable to dispose of their organic debris on their own may place it near their drive entrance for Linn County to remove. Debris placed for removal should not block the roadway or sight lines and must be accessible by road crews. When possible, cut tree limbs into 10 feet long sections. Linn County cannot remove debris from private property or lanes. If you live on a private lane, place your organic storm debris in the nearest county right-of-way. Due to the volume of organic debris, the pick-up process could take several months.
Ceres Environmental Services, Inc. will use its fleet of industrial-size grinders to dispose of the organic storm debris.
“Linn County has secured multiple alternative sites to the landfills for the storage and breakdown of organic storm debris for rural unincorporated residents. Our secondary road crews, along with the significant assets of our disaster recovery partner, Ceres Environmental Services, will help our residents clean up the significant tree and organic storm debris. In addition to our large-scale collection of organic storm debris, residents can drop off organic debris at our designated sites if they chose to remove it immediately. This will be a sustained operation taking months to accomplish, but we are well-positioned to get this community back on its feet,” stated Linn County Supervisor Brent Oleson.
Visit LinnCounty.org/Storm for more storm-related information.
Further updates will be provided as information becomes available.