Metro Central Transfer Station, Des Moines, Iowa

Metro Central Transfer Station in Des Moines is a local transfer station where household and small commercial loads are dropped off and then compacted and hauled to a landfill elsewhere. Neighbors using it tend to be folks who want something closer than driving way out to a landfill, including some farm-related hauls during certain seasons.

Drive up to a small entrance booth and be prepared to wait for the attendant to direct where to pull in; the booth is hard to miss near the driveway. There’s a scale you’ll cross coming in or going out, so loads are weighed rather than priced by item. Vehicles pull up to a series of bays or a tipping area where staff direct where to dump; the site is mostly concrete and large enough for trucks and trailers. Expect traffic to build on weekends and during spring cleanup or harvest times when farms are moving material.