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DES MOINES | Iowans are throwing away more food than they did six years ago, according to a recently-released study.

The 2017 Iowa Statewide Waste Characterization Study, conducted every six years, looks at what types of trash, recyclables and compostables Iowans send to the landfill.

Iowans threw away 556,313 tons of food, the Iowa DNR said in a news release, a 50 percent increase from the last study in 2011.

The second most landfilled item, plastic film, wrap and bags, increased by 15 percent over findings from 2011. However, the amount of corrugated cardboard reaching the landfill dropped by about 50 percent since the last study.

For the study, materials received at 15 Iowa landfills and solid waste transfer stations were sorted into 61 separate categories within nine separate material types, with distinctions made between residential trash and industrial and commercial waste.

The study also looked at the economic impact of increased diversion of recyclable paper, plastic, metal and glass that are commonly collected through curbside and drop-off recycling programs.