How Badly Is Iowa Failing At Protecting The Environment

I have a question.  What about the nickels?

There are different levels of caring for the environment.  Some people are level 5 and won't eat anything that casts a shadow.  Others dump things wherever and whenever without a care.  The majority, however, fall in the middle.  We do what we can, but we aren't perfect.

As a state, Iowa is far from perfect.  In fact, we rank near the bottom in environmental protection.  So, what about those nickels?

292 Million Tons Of Waste A Year

No, that's not all from Iowa.  All of us together in the U.S. produce over 292 million tons of waste per year, or over 4.9 pounds per person per day, according to the latest data from the Environmental Protection Agency.

One of the biggest worries of waste comes in the form of water contamination.  Over 50% of Americans worry about soil and water contaminated by toxic waste.

For Iowa, this is a very real problem.  Iowa has the highest cancer rate in the country, with 491.8 cases per 100,000, while the national average is 444.4.  Studies continue to point to our water supply being contaminated by fertilizer and pesticides.

Iowa Is The 9th Worst State for Environmental Protection

Smilehub.com did the research using 25 key metrics to figure out which states were the best and worst at protecting the environment.  Some of those metrics include:

• Number of state conservation programs
• Environmental protection charities per capita
• Green buildings per capita
• Vulnerability to climate change
• Presence of water reuse regulations
• Share of renewable energy consumption
• Gasoline consumption per capita
• Soil quality
• Methane emissions per capita

Once all 25 were added up, Iowa finished with a score of 38.68.  A full 10 points higher than the bottom of the barrel, Louisiana.  But 40 points short of the best in the country, California.

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Neighboring states were better, but not great.  Illinois ranked 19th, and Wisconsin ranked 22.

While Iowa didn't finish in the top or bottom of any individual ranking, Illinois did.  Illinois is ranked 48th in the country for "Highest Total Tonnage of Landfill Waste per Capita".  That's a LOT of garbage in Illinois.

So Iowa has work to do.  Especially with the water.  But what about those nickels?

If we are paying a 5-cent per bottle deposit fee in order to get us to recycle more and save the environment, why are we so low on the rankings?

Maybe, just maybe, cause it has nothing to do with recycling and protecting the environment, but with an 86% return rate, it's actually just another tax.  Oh...and that 86%, how many of those are bottles and cans bought in Illinois or Wisconsin?

Dear Iowa, just let me keep my nickels and fix the water issue.  Thanks.