Iowa City leaders declined to spend over $1 million on a new trash compactor because it was manufactured by Caterpillar, a company on the city’s Israeli divestment list.
The Iowa City City Council voted 6-0 to deny the purchase, with Shawn Harmsen absent. Councilors asked city staff to explore alternatives, despite staff’s worries about receiving the same level of long-term maintenance from two other options, Volvo and Bomag.
Iowa City would not have been purchasing the new compactor directly from Caterpillar, but instead from Altorfer, a Cedar Rapids-based equipment dealer.
The current compactor, a 2015 edition 826K, has “reached the end of its useful life,” city staff said in council documents. Under the denied arrangement, the city would have traded in the aging compactor for about $90,000 in credit.
Alternatives could lead to more downtime, less maintenance, city manager says
City Manager Geoff Fruin said staff opted to recommend the Caterpillar compactor because Altorfer helps to maintain the compactor “usually weekly.” Iowa City staff can do some maintenance, but typically not all of the work that is needed.
Staff’s primary concern, Fruin said, was the oft-needed service assistance. The vast majority of cities in Iowa use Caterpillar equipment, meaning Volvo and Bomag maintenance might not be as committed to frequently visiting Iowa City’s landfill for “a one-off piece of equipment,” Fruin said. Much of the remaining equipment at the landfill and elsewhere is manufactured by Caterpillar.
As a result, selecting a different option could lead to more downtime for the high-maintenance compactor, Fruin said.
Volvo and Bomag offered similar products for “relatively the same price,” Fruin said. Volvo and Bomag also do not appear on the divestment list that accompanied Iowa City’s divestment resolution in August.
What is Caterpillar’s connection to Israel?
Texas-based Caterpillar Inc. has supplied Israel with the modified, armored D9 bulldozer, which human rights groups say has been used to demolish thousands of homes in Gaza.
The bulldozer has “been crucial” to Israel’s ground offensive in the Gaza Strip, according to the American Friends Service Committee, which drafted the divestment list that Iowa City put alongside its August resolution. According to the AFSC, Caterpillar placed an “urgent” order for “dozens” of additional bulldozers after the Oct. 7, 2023, attacks by Hamas.
The United Nations listed Caterpillar as a company developing “dual-use tools” for Israel in a July 2025 report, Al Jazeera reported.
What did the Iowa City City Council say?
City council member Oliver Weilein said city staff were fully transparent about the need for a new compactor and the conflict between this item and the council’s August resolution urging staff to avoid investment in companies aiding Israel.
But, Weilein said, approving a nearly $1.1 million purchase from Caterpillar would be “woefully out of character” for the city, its staff and its values.
Several Iowa City residents opposed the purchase as well, telling the council that pursuing a Caterpillar-manufactured compactor would put their actions directly at odds with their stated beliefs from August.
“I know that there can be challenges,” Weilein said. “But, I think as a community, when it comes to standing for what’s right, those risks are worth taking (and) those challenges are worth persevering through.”
Ryan Hansen covers local government and crime for the Press-Citizen. He can be reached at rhansen@press-citizen.com or on X, formerly known as Twitter, @ryanhansen01.
This article originally appeared on Iowa City Press-Citizen: Iowa City votes down trash compactor over manufacturer’s ties to Israel-Hamas war
Reporting by Ryan Hansen, Iowa City Press-Citizen / Iowa City Press-Citizen
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