Recycling Progress Report

On the path to zero waste landfilled

May 2019
Contents
Introduction. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Progress toward goals. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-7
The state of recycling. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Looking back – highlights from 2018 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Looking forward – priorities and what to expect in 2019 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Focus on organics. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11-13
Waste prevention and reuse. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14-16
Engaging residents through education and outreach . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17-19
Serving residents where they are – at home, at work, at school, at events and on the go. . . . . . . . . . . . 20-27
Promoting drop-offs for hazardous waste and additional recyclables. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28-29
Recovering resources from the trash. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30

2018 RECYCLING PROGRESS REPORT | 3

 Introduction
The Recycling Progress Report provides an update on implementation of Hennepin
County’s solid waste management master plan, progress toward waste diversion goals,
and a summary of the 2018 results for the county’s waste management programs.
State statute requires metropolitan counties to prepare master plans every six years that identify strategies to meet the
recycling goals and objectives in the state’s Metropolitan Solid Waste Management Policy Plan. The policy plan was
adopted by the Commissioner of the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) on April 6, 2017, and establishes the
framework for managing solid waste in the metro area through 2036.
The policy plan sets objectives for each waste management method, with an emphasis on the upper end of the waste
management hierarchy in order to achieve the legislative goals for recycling and organics recovery. Minnesota state
statute 115A.551 establishes a 75 percent recycling rate goal by 2030.

Minnesota Pollution Control Agency policy plan objectives

(percent of tons by management method)

Management Method 2018 actual 2020 2025 2030

Recycling 40% 51% 54% 60%
Organics recovery 9% 12% 14% 15%
Resource recovery 31% 35% 31% 24%
Landfill 20% 2% 1% 1%

Hennepin County developed its 2018 Solid Waste Management Master Plan to reach the goal of recycling
75 percent of waste by 2030. The master plan demonstrates the county’s commitment to conserving natural resources,
protecting the environment and ensuring public health and safety. Learn more about the master plan at hennepin.us/
solidwasteplanning.

Overview of the master plan

Year 1 2017 Master plan approved by the county board on November 11, 2017
Year 2 2018 First year of implementation
Year 3 2019 Preparation for the business organics requirement effective January 1, 2020
Year 4 2020 51% recycling rate goal and 12% organics goal in MPCA policy plan
Year 5 2021 State releases pre-draft notice for new policy plan
Year 6 2022 City organics requirement goes into effect, last year of master plan

The county’s master plan was developed to be consistent with the Hennepin County Board of Commissioner’s mission
“to enhance the health, safety and quality of life of our residents and communities in a respectful, efficient and fiscally
responsible way.” It is also consistent with the Hennepin County Environment and Energy Department’s mission of
“protecting the environment and conserving resources for future generations” and overarching strategic goal that
“Hennepin County’s environment is preserved for future generations.” 

4 | 2018 RECYCLING PROGRESS REPORT

 Progress toward goals
About 1.45 million tons of solid waste – recycling, organics, and trash – was generated in Hennepin County in 2018. That
is a 1 percent increase over 2017, about 16,000 tons more. Both recycling and organics tonnage decreased by 1 percent.
Trash tonnage increased by 3 percent. Of the total tons generated, 49 percent was managed as recycling and organics.
The remaining 51 percent was managed as trash, going to a waste-to-energy facility or a landfill.

80% of waste diverted from landfills in 2018

Recycling Organics

38% 40% 41% 41% 40% 9% 9% 10% 9% 9%

2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018
2030 goal: 60% 2030 goal: 15%

Waste-to-energy Landfilling

35% 34% 31% 31% 31% 18% 17% 18% 19% 20%

2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018
2030 goal: 24% 2030 goal: 1%

2018 RECYCLING PROGRESS REPORT | 5

Trends affecting waste management
The county’s ability to meet recycling goals is impacted by Goal: Reduce the amount of waste generated
the global economy, trade policies, packaging products, per person
and consumer preferences. The increase in trash in 2018
correlates with a strong economy and low unemployment. Waste generation in Hennepin County
The decrease in recycling and organics is due to efforts to pounds per capita
reduce contamination – a focus on quality over quantity. In 3000

addition, changes in the waste stream continue to make it 2900

more difficult to increase recycling tonnages. Digital media 2800

has displaced print media, packaging materials are lighter, 2700

and there are more non-recyclable plastics. In other words, 2600

there is less recyclable material per ton of waste generated, 2500

and it takes more recycling to maintain the same recycling 2400

rate. Relying on that traditional metric alone is inadequate. 2300

Other metrics, such as waste generation per capita, help 2200

provide better measurements of progress. 2100

2000
2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018

Goal: zero waste to landfills

The state has a goal of sending less than one percent of waste to landfills by
2030. In 2018, 20 percent of waste was landfilled. In 2019, landfilling is projected
to increase to almost 30 percent because of the Great River Energy Elk River
Resource Recovery Project closure in January 2019, which means 126,000 tons
of waste will not be processed to recover energy and metals.
Waste management by method
tons

Land disposal Resource recovery

Organics recycling Recycling
45

40

35

30

25

20

15

10

0
2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019
projection

6 | 2018 RECYCLING PROGRESS REPORT

Goal: Recycle 75 percent of waste
The state has a goal of recycling 75 percent of waste by 2030. To better
understand what’s left in the trash and what can realistically be recovered, the
county conduct a waste sort in 2016.
The study found that achieving a residential recycling rate in excess of
60 percent is not realistic even with aggressive capture rate assumptions.
The study did not make conclusions about diversion of commercial waste,
which has a higher proportion of recyclable and compostable materials.
However, the viability of the state goal remains to be demonstrated even
with optimistic assumptions about new technologies, the development of
new markets, and significant enhancements to collection programs.

Residential waste study - key findings

1. Organics has the highest potential for diversion. Food waste is the most
prevalent material in the trash by far.
2. Residents are doing a pretty good job recycling. The top 10 list of
materials found in the trash by weight didn’t include any traditional
recyclables. However, there are still opportunities to improve recycling.
3. There are opportunities to improve recycling of materials that cannot
be conveniently recycled at home using a city’s curbside program.
Recyclable plastic bags and film need to be taken to a participating retail
or grocery store. An extra step is needed to donate clothes for reuse and
recycling. Residents in most cities must use drop-off options for electronics,
mattresses, and scrap metal.
4. There’s a lot of trash in the trash. There are no current reuse opportunities
or recycling markets for many materials that are in the top 10 list of
materials found in the trash. This includes diapers, pet waste, non-recyclable
plastic and paper, miscellaneous home improvement waste, and small
items (those that are less than half an inch in size).

Best opportunities to recycle more

Although meeting a 75 percent recycling rate goal in the residential sector
is unlikely within the current system, there are clear opportunities to make
progress. The county is committed to making progress and has emphasized
the following strategies:
• Focus on organics
• Recycle smart – know what goes in the recycling bin
• Build momentum for waste prevention and reuse

2018 RECYCLING PROGRESS REPORT | 7

 The state of recycling
Recycling has been in the news a lot lately due to international policy changes
and shifts in markets. This has left many county residents wondering what is
happening to the recycling placed in their bins, and what they can do now to
support recycling.
Our recyclables are getting recycled. Unlike on the coasts where they rely
heavily on international markets, recyclers in Minnesota send most of the
material they collect to local and regional markets to be processed into new
materials. Minnesota state law prohibits materials separated and collected for
recycling from being trashed.
Overall, our residents are good recyclers. We have significantly lower
contamination rates, or the amount of stuff placed in the recycling that can’t
actually be recycled, than elsewhere in the country.
Residents can support recycling by recycling the right stuff.

Recycle Smart: know what goes in your recycling cart

Start with the basics of what can be recycled. This includes:
• Paper: mail, office papers, magazine, newspapers
• Boxes: cardboard boxes, cereal and cracker boxes, shoe boxes, toiletry boxes
• Cartons: milk cartons, juice boxes, broth cartons
• Glass: food and beverage bottles and jars
• Plastic bottles and jugs: soda bottles, milk jugs, shampoo bottles
• Cups and containers: yogurt cups, clear cups, cottage cheese containers,
produce containers
• Metal: food and beverage cans

Keep these items out of your recycling cart

Items that are important to leave out of your recycling cart include:
• Plastic bags
• Large plastic items
• Random metal items
• Single-use plastic utensils and straws
• Paper plates, cups, and takeout containers
• Propane tanks
• Cords and string lights
• Electronics and batteries
• Needles and sharps
These items cause problems at recycling facilities and lower the quality of
our recycling.

8 | 2018 RECYCLING PROGRESS REPORT

 Looking back – highlights from 2018
Revised recycling ordinance
The county revised its recycling ordinance to help make
progress toward the goals of recycling 75 percent of waste
and sending zero waste to landfills. Revisions included
requiring some businesses to recycle food waste, requiring
cities to offer organics recycling service to residents, and
adding requirements to improve conventional recycling at
businesses and multifamily properties.
Supported the expansion of
organics recycling
The county helped establish and promote new organics
recycling drop-offs in Bloomington, Hopkins, and Richfield,
as well as started accepting organics recycling at the
drop-off facility in Bloomington. Staff also supported
neighborhood groups in Minneapolis and St. Louis Park to
conduct outreach to their peers.
Explored options for anaerobic
digestion of organic materials
The organics recycling requirements will lead to an
increase in the amount of organics diverted from the
trash. To ensure the system is in place to manage this
increase, staff are working to improve and expand organics
management infrastructure in multiple ways, including
developing anaerobic digestion to provide necessary
future capacity to process organic material. The county
released a Request for Qualifications (RFQ) in June 2018
and responses were received in October 2018.
Encouraged residents to
recycle right
The county responded to concerns about the state of
recycling by creating messaging and educational materials
focused on recycling right. Promotions highlighted top
items that don’t belong in recycling bins at home and
provided information on how to recycle or dispose of
them.
Delivered compost to schools
In collaboration with Specialized Environmental
Technologies, the county distributed free compost to 40
schools to help them close the loop on organics recycling.
Compost was used for vegetable gardens, a greenhouse, a
rain garden, potted plants, and a tree planting.
Opened new medicine drop boxes
The county opened new medicine drop boxes and
promoted the availability of more than 30 drop boxes now
available at Hennepin County facilities, police departments,
healthcare facilities, and independent pharmacies.
2018 RECYCLING PROGRESS REPORT | 9
 Looking forward – 2019 priorities
Organics
• Prepare for implementation of food waste recycling requirements
for businesses.
• Expand residential organics collection by supporting the rollout of new
city programs, pilot projects, and drop-off sites.
• Develop infrastructure by evaluating options for anaerobic digestion and
support plans to improve organics management at the Brooklyn
Park Transfer Station.

Recycling
• Develop and promote the Recycle Smart campaign, an effort to address the
challenges in the recycling industry by educating the public on what goes
in recycling and what should be kept out.
• Support business and multifamily properties to comply with the new
conventional recycling requirements.

Waste prevention
• Expand the Zero Waste Challenge to include online resources.
• Implement new strategies to support reuse retailers and promote actions to
reduce waste by shopping used.

Zero Waste Challenge participants at a low-waste shopping workshop

10 | 2018 RECYCLING PROGRESS REPORT

 Focus on organics
Since organic materials make up 30 percent of trash, recycling food and other organic
materials is the biggest opportunity to reduce the waste we send to landfills. The county
made significant progress in advancing organics recycling in 2018.

Organics recycling requirements for cities and certain businesses

On November 27, 2018, the Hennepin County Board of Commissioners What do businesses have to do?
approved revisions to the county’s recycling ordinance. The changes focus • Have food waste recycling service
on moving organics recycling forward. Businesses that generate large in place.
quantities of food waste must implement food waste recycling by 2020. • Provide food waste collection
Cities must make organics recycling available to residents by 2022. containers back-of-house (such
Putting organic waste to a better use can help feed people in need, create as in kitchens and dishwashing
compost for healthier soils, and create energy through anaerobic digestion. areas) and properly label them.
Diverting organics from the trash reduces emissions of greenhouse gases, • Separate food waste from trash in
especially methane that is generated from the decomposition of organic back-of-house operations.
materials in landfills. • Provide education and train
employees annually.
Business food waste recycling requirements
What is required? By January 1, 2020, businesses that generate large quantities Residential organics recycling
of food waste must implement food waste recycling. What do cities have to do?
Who does this affect? The requirement applies to businesses in the covered • Cities with more than 10,000
sectors below that generate one ton of trash or more per week or contract for people must make organics
weekly collection of eight or more cubic yards of trash. service available to all
Sectors households with curbside
• Restaurants • Office buildings with dining recycling (single-family and
services dwellings up to 4 units) by
• Food manufacturers
January 1, 2022.
• Food wholesalers/distributors • Farmers markets
• Cities can make organics
• Grocery stores • Food shelves
recycling available by contracting
• Hotels • Colleges and universities
for service citywide or require
• Hospitals • Shopping centers haulers to provide the service
• Sports venues • Airports upon request.
• Event centers • Golf and country clubs • Cities with 10,000 people or less
• Caterers • Public/rentable commissaries/ must provide a drop-off site
• Nursing/residential care kitchens by January 1, 2022, if curbside
facilities organics service is not made
available to residents.

2018 RECYCLING PROGRESS REPORT | 11

Infrastructure development
Currently, compost sites are located on the outskirts of the metro area – not
close to where the majority of organic materials are generated. Transporting
organics directly to compost sites takes more time and money for haulers,
which translates into higher costs for their customers. The organics area at the
county’s transfer station in Brooklyn Park is operating at full capacity.
To support the expansion of organics recycling in a cost-effective way,
additional capacity is needed to receive, transfer and process organics close
to where the organic materials are generated and collected. In order to keep
pace with the anticipated increase in organics recycling, the county is exploring
the expansion of capacity at its transfer station and evaluating short-term and
long-term processing options.

2018 results
• Sought responses from qualified entities to anaerobically digest a minimum
of 25,000 tons per year of source-separated organics to produce energy Success story
and beneficial soil or agricultural supplements in June 2018 and received
responses in October 2018.
• Sought capital budget funds to expand the county’s transfer station in
Brooklyn Park to build an area dedicated to managing organics.

Food waste reduction

According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, America throws out more
than 400 pounds of food per person annually. Of that amount, 43 percent is
generated by consumers and 40 percent is generated by restaurants, grocery Hennepin County partnered
stores and foodservice businesses. Both residents and businesses play a
with Taher Inc., Wayzata
significant role in preventing and reducing food waste in our communities.
School District and Fairview
2018 results Health Services to use
• Continued to raise awareness about food waste and opportunities to LeanPath software to reduce
rescue food. food waste. These three
• Made food donation easier for restaurants and businesses by helping organizations have begun
businesses understand how food donation works and providing answers tracking food waste in
to common questions and concerns. their commercial kitchens
• Rescued excess food from farmers markets to feed those in need. and have already collected
• Helped bring Open Feasts to Open Streets events. Open Feasts involves detailed information on over
collecting food that would otherwise go to waste from various sources,
20,000 pounds of waste.
including farms, wholesalers and retailers, and then preparing the food into
This data will help them
a tasty dish that is served to the public for free to raise awareness about the
issue of wasted food. identify opportunities to
• Conducted outreach at the Government Center farmers market. prevent food waste.

12 | 2018 RECYCLING PROGRESS REPORT

Organics diversion
Organics tonnage decreased by 1 percent in 2018, by approximately 1,100 tons.
This was due to a 70 percent decrease in food donations reported. Composting
increased by 10 percent. The tonnage of both yard waste and food to hogs and
animals remained almost the same compared to 2017. Details about organics
recycling in the residential and commercial sectors and at schools is provided
on page 19, ‘Serving residents where they are.’

Management of organics in 2018 – percent by tons

20% – Food to hogs and
animal feed

61% – Yard waste 15% – Compost

4% – Food donation

Management method 2018 tons Change in Percent

tons change
Yard waste 80,240 +791 +1%
Food to hogs and animal feed 26,575 +147 +1%
Compost 21,314 +1,873 +10%
Donation 1,787 -3,956 -70%

2018 RECYCLING PROGRESS REPORT | 13

 Waste reduction and reuse
Hennepin County offers programs like the annual Choose to Reuse campaign and
monthly Fix-It Clinics to encourage waste reduction and reuse. To reach its waste
reduction goals, the county also targets specific materials that represent the largest
percentage of reusable goods found in the trash, including food waste, wood, textiles,
furniture and household goods.

Choose to Reuse
Hennepin County encourages residents to support local reuse, rental, and repair
retailers through the Choose to Reuse program, which includes the online
Choose to Reuse Directory and coupon book. The choices residents make in
the stuff they buy and where they shop can help protect the environment and
support the local economy.

2018 results
• Partnered with 59 retailers at 80 retail locations to offer discounts. About
4,300 coupons were redeemed during the 2018 Choose to Reuse campaign.
• Published an event calendar of reuse events, as well as 36 articles related to
reuse and low-waste ideas. The articles were popular on the county’s social
media accounts.
• Began an evaluation of the Choose to Reuse program using a research and
marketing consultant to conduct focus groups and develop a five year plan
for the Choose to Reuse program.
• Made changes to Hennepin County Ordinance 15 – Solid Waste
Management Fee that support reuse retailers by reducing the fees they pay
to dispose of non-reusable household goods that are donated to them.

14 | 2018 RECYCLING PROGRESS REPORT

Fix-It Clinics
Hennepin County Fix-It Clinics provide free, hands-on assistance from
knowledgeable volunteers in disassembling, troubleshooting, and repairing
household items. The clinics are successful at keeping materials out of the
Fix-it Clinic results to date
trash — in five years, over 20,000 pounds of materials have been repaired and (since 2012)
diverted from the waste stream.
Fix-It Clinics teach valuable repair skills, build community connections, and
reduce the number of repairable objects that are thrown in the trash. Some of
clinics
the most common items brought in to clinics include lamps, vacuum cleaners,
DVD players, blenders and other small household electronics.

2018 results
• Held 10 Fix-It Clinics with a total attendance of 759 people.
• Repaired 690 items – 78 percent of the items brought in – keeping 4,770 items fixed
pounds of material out of the trash.

of items fixed

2018 RECYCLING PROGRESS REPORT | 15

Deconstruction and building
materials reuse
About 70 percent of construction and demolition waste
ends up in landfills. Although some materials, including
concrete and steel, are separated for recycling at waste
transfer stations and landfills, many additional materials
have the potential to be reused or recycled. One way
to increase diversion of demolition materials is through
deconstruction, which involves carefully dismantling a
building and finding recycling or reuse opportunities for
most of the materials.

2018 results
• Contracted with Better Futures Minnesota to fully
deconstruct 8 homes and partially deconstruct 11
homes, which diverted about 465 tons of material
from landfills.

Bulky item reuse and repair

Donating usable items, such as furniture, clothing and
small appliances, can be less convenient for residents
at apartment buildings and condos. Many residents do
not have the space to store these items or the means to
transport them to a reuse store. Feeling like there is no
easy option, these usable items often get thrown away.
To make it easier for residents in apartments to donate
usable items, Hennepin County partners with three reuse
retailers to provide pickup services at apartment buildings.
Participation is easy. Properties receive a bin for collection
and work with one of the reuse retailers – Arc’s Value
Village, Goodwill, and Salvation Army – to schedule free
pickups.

2018 results
• Continued the bulky waste reuse program to
collect reusable material during move in and
move out times, diverting more than 30,000 pounds
of material for reuse.
• Promoted reuse and repair of bulky items through
factsheets and the online Choose to Reuse Directory.

16 | 2018 RECYCLING PROGRESS REPORT

 Engaging residents through education and outreach
Hennepin County promotes environmental stewardship by raising awareness about
changes in recycling programs, generating excitement about waste reduction and
partnering with organizations in the community to motivate behavior change.

Zero Waste Challenge

The Zero Waste Challenge launched in September 2016 to
help participants learn a lower-waste lifestyle. Participating
households cut the amount of waste they generated
per person by one third. On average, participating
households recycled 66 percent of waste generated in
their households, which is significantly higher than the
countywide diversion rate of 49 percent.
Most of the participating households use some form
of composting – curbside collection, drop-off, backyard,
or a combination of methods – to achieve those high
recycling rates.
This year’s challenge families took a wide variety of
actions on their journeys toward zero waste, including
the following popular steps:
1. Start organics recycling
2. Eliminate disposables
3. Get everyone involved

2018 results
• 39 households – a total of 129 adults and children –
completed the challenge.
• Reduced waste generation per person by one third.
• Achieved an average diversion rate of 66 percent
(at the end of the challenge).

With conscious shopping, I have been able

to reduce the excess coming in.

2018 RECYCLING PROGRESS REPORT | 17

Master Recycler/Composter volunteers
Master Recycler/Composter volunteers learn about waste prevention, recycling
and composting from industry experts and tours of waste processing facilities
during a six-week course. They then commit to volunteering 30 hours, inspiring
others in their communities to reduce waste, recycle more and compost
through activities such as answering questions at events and designing and Master Recycler/
implementing waste reduction and recycling projects.
Composters trained
2018 results
• Trained 60 Master Recycler/Composter volunteers.

volunteer hours contributed

Green Partners
Through the Green Partners Environmental Education program, the county
provides funding, activity supplies, field trip transportation and project support
to organizations that empower residents to reduce waste and increase
recycling.

2018 results
• Partnered with 37 community groups to provide environmental education
by providing grants, supplies and field trip transportation. These projects
engaged almost 13,000 people. Many of these partner organizations reach
underserved populations, including youth, seniors, families, multicultural The Black Storytellers Alliance engaged
youth ambassadors in learning about water
residents and low-income individuals. protection, recycling, and composting.
• Awarded grants to seven community groups through a pilot project
focused on increasing participation in curbside organics recycling through
peer-to-peer outreach. The participating organizations engaged more than
3,200 residents through direct engagement, workshops, tabling at events,
social and print media.
• Hosted three networking meetings to showcase the county’s educational
resources and the department‘s services. These meetings were attended by
representatives of numerous community groups. grantees worked with
youth audiences

grantees worked with

underserved and historically
marginalized communites

18 | 2018 RECYCLING PROGRESS REPORT

Outreach and communication
efforts
Outreach efforts engage our community and partners in
developing the knowledge, skills, attitudes and motivation
to work individually and collectively towards sustaining a
healthy environment.
2018 results
• Reached more than 2,133 residents at 50 community
events where the county conducted outreach or
staffed an education table.
• Provided 45 tours of the Hennepin County Drop-off
Facility in Brooklyn Park and the Hennepin Energy
Recovery Center to 545 participants.
• Promoted the Green Disposal Guide, an online guide
to help residents find information on the best way
to recycle, reuse or dispose of household items. The
guide was visited by 56,671 unique users.
• Provided multicultural communications by translating
pieces of literature into languages including
Cambodian, Hmong, Lao, Somali, Spanish, Swahili,
Russian, Thai and Vietnamese.
Success story
A new educational display aimed at promoting
literacy and recycling rotated through various
Hennepin County libraries during summer
and fall 2018. The display follows the story
of Recyclo, a superhero who teaches youth
about the power of recycling all while fending
off villains like the evil Lord Waste-A-Ton and
Garbage Giant.
The display has interactive elements for both
pre-readers and learners in upper elementary
grades. The display teaches youth that there is
value in recycling. The glass, paper, metal, and
plastics that you put in the recycling bin can
be transformed into new products to be used
again and again. It will continue to rotate in
libraries in 2019.
2018 RECYCLING PROGRESS REPORT | 19
 Serving residents where they are
At home
Recycling, organics, and trash service depends on where
you live. Cities provide recycling service to most houses
and smaller multifamily buildings (those with two to eight
units). This service is commonly referred to as single-family
curbside recycling. On the other hand, larger, multi-unit
residential buildings have waste services provided by the
property owner or manager.

City recycling programs Residential recycling performance –

Even though Minnesota has lower contamination rates pounds per household
than elsewhere in the country, we need to do a better
600
job keeping unrecyclable materials out of the recycling.
Domestic markets have been flooded with recyclables
500
and commodity prices have declined significantly. This has
affected the cost of recycling for city programs. Reducing 400
contamination helps reduce the cost of recycling. That
is why there has been a shift to focus on quality over 300
quantity. The recycling industry has been more involved
in communication efforts and there has been more 200

collaboration on creating messages about recycling the

100
right stuff.
0
2014 2015 2016 2017 2018

2018 results
• Awarded $2.5 million to cities to support their
recycling programs. To receive a grant, cities were
required to meet the terms of the county’s residential
recycling funding policy.
• Assisted cities with promotional efforts and
sending recycling guides to residents. Cities used
county terminology and images and provided
recycling messages through a variety of channels
including direct mail, newsletters, websites, social
media, and city events. The county also distributed
residential recycling labels and factsheets on various
environmental topics.
• Participated in the Recycling Education Committee,
a group formed by the Minnesota Pollution Control
Agency to support the development of better
recycling education and outreach. Representatives
from the recycling industry, local government, and
other organizations met regularly to build consensus
on what is universally accepted, coordinate consistent
messaging to the public, and improve communication.
• Provided technical assistance to cities on recycling
RFPs and contracts. City recycling contracts allow cities
to communicate consistent educational messages,
provide a variety of resources, and deliver the best
overall price for service. Of the 44 cities in the county,
42 contract for recycling service.

20 | 2018 RECYCLING PROGRESS REPORT

Multifamily recycling Multifamily outreach program
Hennepin County conducted a waste study to assess how Number of units served
well apartment and condo buildings were recycling. The 20000
study looked at the recycling diversion rate, contamination
levels in the recycling, and the composition of what was
15000
being discarded as trash. The report highlighted the
following conclusions:
• Apartment buildings have low recycling rates and high 10000
contamination rates. About 24 percent of what was
put in the recycling was actually trash.
5000
• There are significant opportunities to divert more
materials from the trash.
• Service levels are not adequate. 0
2014 2015 2016 2017 2018
To help improve recycling at apartments, condos and
townhomes, Hennepin County offers a variety of resources.
Educational materials, container labels, and staff assistance
are available to help property managers educate residents
on what is recyclable and improve recycling rates at
multifamily properties. The county is also focusing on
increasing recycling service levels and increasing reuse
by partnering with local reuse retailers to collect reusable
materials from residents on-site at multifamily complexes.

2018 results
• Provided assistance to improve recycling to
almost 19,000 multifamily units at 115 properties.
There are approximately 180,000 multifamily units in
the county.
Reducing contaminating in recycling by improving signage at a multifamily
• Collected and recycled over 1,800 mattresses and
property in Edina.
box springs through Second Chance Recycling.
• Revised the recycling ordinance to require
adequate service the collection of recyclables,
education to residents, and labels on waste
containers by January 1, 2020.

2018 RECYCLING PROGRESS REPORT | 21

Residential organics recycling

City organics programs

Residential organics
Household participation rate
No new city organics programs were rolled out in 2018, but participation in
existing programs continued to grow. The cities with the highest participation
have several practices in common: the city contracts for organics, everyone 16% = Households
pays, service is uniform citywide, and organics has been promoted through a with organics
recycling service

variety of education efforts.

Availability of organics recycling

Number of Participation
Type of program
cities rate
84% = Households
City contract, everyone pays 7 44% without organics
recycling service

City contract, only subscribers pay 2 4%

Limited availability, no city involvement 23 1%
Not available 12 0%

Residential organics tons collected

7000

6000

5000

4000

3000

2000
354,000: households in
1000
Hennepin County with
residential recycling service
0
2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 56,000: household in
Hennepin County with
residential organics recycling service

22 | 2018 RECYCLING PROGRESS REPORT

Ordinance revisions will expand the availability
of organics recycling
Success story
What do the new requirements mean for
residents? Minneapolis encourages residents to
• It will be easier to participate in organics recycling. recycle organics their way
• If you have your own individual cart for recycling,
you will also be able to sign up for organics service
People give many different reasons for
through your hauler or city. participating in organics recycling. The City of
• Larger multi-unit buildings without individual carts for Minneapolis launched an organics recycling
each household are not required to provide organics campaign encouraging residents to be proud
service. of their reason and their way of participating
What do cities have to do? in the city’s organics recycling program. The
• Cities with more than 10,000 people must make campaign encouraged residents to participate
organics service available to all households with in organics recycling and create compost to
curbside recycling (single-family and dwellings up to 4 grow a better Minneapolis
units) by January 1, 2022.
• Cities can make organics recycling available by
contracting for service citywide or require haulers to
provide the service upon request.
• Cities with 10,000 people or less must provide a drop-
off site by January 1, 2022, if curbside organics service
is not made available to residents.
Support is available from the county
• Funding for organics pilot projects.
• Funding for organics drop-off sites.
• Educational materials and help getting the word out.

2018 results
• The county provided $1 million in SCORE funding
to 26 cities for the purpose of increasing organics
diversion. Cities used the funding in a variety of
ways, including to promote their programs, increase
educational efforts, offset the cost of service, and
provide supplies such as compostable bags and
kitchen pails to participants.
• Participation increased by 9 percent in 2018. Over
56,000 households have signed up for curbside
organics recycling programs throughout the county.
• Tons of organics collected from city programs
increased by 8 percent in 2018.
• The county continued to partner with cities to
promote organics recycling and increase participation.
2018 RECYCLING PROGRESS REPORT | 23
Organics drop-off sites
Organics drop-off sites increase access to organics
recycling for all residents, especially those living in
multifamily properties without access to city recycling
service or those in cities that don’t offer service. Drop-offs
also raise awareness about what organics recycling is,
why it is important, and how to get started. In 2018, the
county started accepting organics at the Bloomington
drop-off facility, made funds available to cities to get sites
up and running, and helped promote all seven of the new
organics drop-off sites.

2018 results
New organics recycling drop-off options
• Bloomington: Valley View Park, West Bush Lake Park,
and the Hennepin County drop-off facility
• Hopkins Brush and Yard Waste Site (the location was
changed to the recycling drop-off center)
• Richfield: Wood Lake Nature Center and Hope Church
• St. Anthony Village city hall
Organics recycling drop-off options established prior to
2018
• The county’s Brooklyn Park Transfer Station
• Minneapolis – 9 sites
• St. Louis Park – 4 sites

Backyard composting
To increase backyard composting, Hennepin County Environment and Energy
partners with Hennepin County Sentencing to Service to build compost bins
from cedar and wire mesh.
Survey results from respondents who bought compost bins in 2014-2016
• 52 percent of people add 1-2 gallons of material to their compost bin
each week, for an average of 300 pounds of organics diverted per
household per year.
• The majority of backyard composters surveyed use their bin for food
scraps, followed by yard waste and non-recyclable papers, like paper
towels and napkins.
• Of the respondents, 58 percent are also using organics collection
service and 15 percent are using an organics drop-off option.

2018 results
• Sold 366 compost bins at five community events and at the drop-off
facility in Brooklyn Park, where compost bins are available year-round.

24 | 2018 RECYCLING PROGRESS REPORT

At work
A little more than half of the waste in the county is Success story
generated by businesses and organizations, and as
of January 1, 2016, most commercial buildings in the Tattersall Distilling in northeast Minneapolis
county are required to recycle under state law. Hennepin used a Business Recycling grant to reduce waste
County has provided $2 million in grants since 2013 as and expand their organics program. They had
well as technical assistance and educational materials to already been sending their spent grains to a
businesses and non-profit organizations as an incentive farm to feed animals, but added organics for
to implement and improve recycling and organics composting to capture other food items and
recycling efforts. Businesses that have received grants have
compostable materials used in making and
successfully increased the amount of materials they divert
serving drinks, as well as packaging coming
from the trash.
into the building from food trucks. As part of
2018 results their grant project, they also began purchasing
• Awarded $460,000 to 60 organizations. grain in bulk rather than in 50 pound bags,
• Distributed more than 28,600 signs and stickers to eliminating an estimated 8,320 large, non-
label recycling, organics recycling and trash containers. recyclable grain sacks per year. With these
• Initiated service agreements with the Minneapolis changes, the distillery was able to cut their trash
Regional Chamber of Commerce and the Whittier volume by more than half.
Alliance to do outreach to their member businesses.
• Revised the recycling ordinance to require compliance
with state recycling requirements, the provision
of adequate service levels for the collection of
recyclables, and labels on waste containers by
January 1, 2020.

On average, businesses receiving

recycling grants increase their
waste diversion to 55 percent

2018 RECYCLING PROGRESS REPORT | 25

At school
Nearly 80 percent of school waste is recyclable or
Success story
compostable. The county has provided assistance and
grants to schools for waste reduction, recycling and Weaver Lake Elementary –
organics recycling projects since 2002. School staff and Osseo Area Schools
students are educated on waste reduction and recycling
through presentations, free recycling signage, and bi- Weaver Lake Elementary in Maple Grove
monthly school recycling meetings. received a school recycling grant in 2016 to start
collecting organics and improve their recycling
2018 results
program. They started collecting recycling and
• Awarded $179,500 in grants to 29 schools to start or
organics in the cafeteria. In addition, they started
improve recycling and organics recycling programs.
collecting paper towels from the classrooms
• Presented 45 lessons on waste reduction, recycling,
and restrooms for organics recycling. The school
and organics recycling to 2,700 students.
is now diverting 75 percent of their waste to
• Made a video instructing students how to sort
organics, recycling and trash in the cafeteria. be composted or recycled. Previously, the trash
• Delivered 140 cubic yards of free compost in
dumpster was emptied five times per week, and
partnership with the Mulch Store to 40 schools that now it is only emptied once per week!
collect organics to close the loop.
• Held five school recycling meetings for staff and
volunteers to learn about waste management best
practices and sustainability. Meetings included
presentations and tours from school recycling
grantees as well as guest speakers.

Weaver Lake students holding donated compost

26 | 2018 RECYCLING PROGRESS REPORT

At events and on the go
Hennepin County makes portable recycling containers available for event
organizers to borrow at no cost to add recycling and organics recycling at
events. The county also provides container labels to improve recycling in
public spaces such as parks, recreation centers and business districts.

Use of portable recycling units

Number of events borrowing containers

Estimated total number of attendees
1200000 100

90
1000000
80

70
800000
60
600000 50

40
400000
30

20
200000
10
0 0
2014 2015 2016 2017 2018

2018 results
• Loaned recycling containers to 85 events with a total attendance of
more than 705,000 people.
• Awarded $93,000 in public space recycling grants to seven cities
to purchase 157 containers for parks, community centers and
business districts.

2018 RECYCLING PROGRESS REPORT | 27

 Promoting drop-offs for hazardous
waste and additional recyclables
Many items that aren’t accepted in residential recycling
programs can still be recycled through drop-offs. There are
also items that contain hazardous materials that must be
kept out of the trash because they can harm our health or
the environment if not disposed of safely.
To ensure proper disposal of hazardous items, the county operates two
permanent drop-off facilities in Bloomington and Brooklyn Park where residents
can get rid of electronics, appliances and household hazardous wastes.
To provide more convenient local disposal options, the county also offers
collection events at various sites throughout the county.
Additionally, the county collects household batteries at libraries and community
centers and provides disposal of medicines at drop boxes and collection events
at senior living facilities. The county also promotes additional disposal and
recycling opportunities provided by cities and retailers.

2018 results
Drop-off facilities and events
• Served more than 134,000 residents and collected more than
4,500 tons of household hazardous waste and problem materials
at county drop-off facilities.
• Served over 5,700 residents and collected 150 tons of household
hazardous waste at community collection events held in Minnetonka,
St. Louis Park, Minneapolis and Shorewood.

Material highlights
Paint
• Paint is one of the most common materials brought to a Hennepin County
drop-off facility or collection event for recycling. The county sites and
events collected 1,727,000 pounds of paint in 2018.
• PaintCare partnered with 36 independent sites, including hardware stores
and paint stores, to increase the availability of paint disposal options. These
independent sites collected 847,000 pounds of paint in 2018.
• Hennepin County received $648,650 dollars from PaintCare for costs related
to paint disposal in 2018.
The latex paint brought to the county’s facilities and events is sent to Amazon
Environmental where it is recycled into Low Sheen Amazon Select Paint.
Amazon Select Paint can be purchased locally at the Amazon Paint store in
Fridley or the Habitat for Humanity Restore in Minneapolis or New Brighton.

28 | 2018 RECYCLING PROGRESS REPORT

Medicine
• Collected nearly 22,500 pounds of medicine at
county sites.
• Medicine drop boxes increased from 11 in 2017 to
35 in 2018.
–– 17 boxes operated in partnership with the county
–– 18 boxes operated by independent pharmacies
• Held 35 medicine collection events at senior living
facilities, serving 724 residents and collecting 667
pounds of medicines.
Mattress recycling
Most of the materials in a mattress can be recycled.
For example, the steel springs can be made into new steel
products, cotton is recycled into a filtration media such as
oil filters for large equipment, and foam is recycled into
new foam products such as carpet padding.
All Hennepin County residents can drop-off mattresses
for recycling at the county’s drop-off facility in Brooklyn
Park or Second Chance Recycling in Minneapolis. There is
a charge of $20 each per mattress or box spring. Curbside
pick-up of mattresses is also available in much of the
eastern part of Hennepin County.

2018 RECYCLING PROGRESS REPORT | 29

 Recovering resources from the trash
The county continues to take action to divert more from
the trash through waste reduction, reuse, recycling and
organics recycling. Nonetheless, in 2018, residents and
businesses put almost 743,000 tons of stuff in the trash,
which amounts to 1,186 pounds per person. There are two
options for managing waste that remains after residents
and businesses recycle: burning it to recover resources or
burying it in a landfill.
Processing waste to generate energy is environmentally
preferable to landfilling and provides the opportunity to
recover metal for recycling. The county’s waste-to-energy
facility, the Hennepin Energy Recovery Center (HERC), Heat from HERC greens Target Field before the spring home opener and
produces enough electricity to power 25,000 homes and melts the snow at Target Field Station all winter long.
provides steam to the downtown Minneapolis district
energy system and Target Field.

2018 results
• Recovered almost 15,000 tons of metal for recycling.
• Met state law to process trash before landfilling, with
349,000 tons of trash delivered to HERC.
• Cleaned and treated air emissions to remain well
below MPCA permitted levels.

HERC metal recycling in context

in tons

HERC

City
recycling
programs

0 2000 4000 6000 8000 10000 12000 14000 16000

30 | 2018 RECYCLING PROGRESS REPORT

Hennepin County
Environment and Energy
hennepin.us
environment@hennepin.us
612-348-3777