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Share the following article and information with your residents via newsletters, emails, or social media. You can also share information about recycling by distributing printed recycling guides to each resident. Order recycling guides that include what items are accepted throughout Hennepin County and more information about the most important items to keep out of recycling dumpsters and carts.
At some point, we’ve all probably put something in our recycling cart or dumpster that we weren’t sure was actually recyclable. This is sometimes called “wish-cycling.”
Although you may want to recycle everything, the best thing you can do to support recycling is to only recycle the items accepted in your program. These items can be sorted properly at recycling facilities and made into new products. Next time you’re questioning if something is recyclable, first check the Green Disposal Guide. Otherwise remember the phrase “when in doubt throw it out”. This will help us make sure that we have clean recycling with few non-recyclable items, otherwise known as contaminants.
Contaminant items are important to keep out because they can damage equipment at recycling facilities, harm employees at those facilities, or do not have strong markets to be turned into new products. Here are some items you might have to get rid of as summer winds down that are important to keep out of your recycling cart or dumpster.
Paper plates and cups and plastic straws and utensils
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Hosting a summer picnic? Paper cups and plates and plastic utensils and straws are often contaminated with food, are difficult to sort at recycling facilities, and don’t have good recycling markets. Avoid them by choosing reusable options. |
Plastic lawn furniture and toys
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Have toys your kids have outgrown or lawn furniture that you can’t use anymore? Large plastic items can be difficult to sort at recycling facilities, and there aren’t good markets for recycling them. Purchase high-quality items, use them for as long as possible, and look for donation opportunities if they're still in good shape when you're ready to get rid of them. Check out donation opportunities in Hennepin County. |
Hoses and cords
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Have a hose or cord that is cracked or worn out? As the name suggests, “tanglers” like cords, hoses, and string lights get tangled in the equipment at recycling facilities. You can recycle cords and string lights at Hennepin County drop-off facilities. Old hoses can go in the trash. Learn more on the Green Disposal Guide hennepin.us/green-disposal-guide. |
Instruct your residents to keep medications out of the trash
Medicines flushed down the drain or disposed of in the trash can contaminate bodies of water, harm wildlife and end up in drinking water supplies. There are over 60 medicine disposal boxes in Hennepin County. Find a medicine drop box near your property at hennepin.us/medicine.
Order medicine disposal pamphlets to distribute to your residents.
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Needles and sharps
Dispose of sharps safely to prevent injury and disease transmission from needle-sticks. Never place containers with used needles or syringes or loose needles in a recycling bin or garbage.
Proper disposal of sharps (needles, lancets, used epi-pens, and syringes) prevents injury and disease transmission from needle sticks. Your residents should check with their healthcare provider to see if they collect sharps for disposal. Residents also have the option of destroying the sharps at home, using a mail-back program, or bringing them to a Hennepin County drop-off facility. For a complete list of safe disposal options for sharps, including mail-in and destruction options, see the Green Disposal Guide.
The following properties received a Hennepin County bin and compostable bag grant. Hennepin County offers grants for bins and compostable bags to start or improve recycling and/or organics recycling at multifamily properties. Learn more about grants at hennepin.us/apartmentrecycling.
Three Fountains Condos
Residents James Halverson and Michelle D’Angelo reached out to Hennepin County apartment recycling program staff to ask for guidance around adding organics recycling pick up to their condo building. Three Fountain Condos is a multifamily community in Minneapolis with 21 condo units and 30 residents.
Organics recycling prior to Hennepin County assistance
When Halverson and D’Angelo reached out to Hennepin County staff, residents at the condo were bringing their compost to a drop-off site a few blocks away from their building. To increase resident participation in organics, James and Michelle knew that offering curbside pickup service would make organics recycling easier and more convenient for condo residents.
Project support from county staff
Hennepin County staff discussed the various organics pick up options available for Three Fountains with Halverson and D’Angelo. The options included either organics only city service pickup or organics hauling through their trash and recycling hauler. City of Minneapolis organics pickup for multifamily properties was determined to be the most convenient and affordable option for Three Fountains.
Green bins and organics pickup service may be available for your Minneapolis property. Submit a multifamily property grant inquiry form to learn more and discuss options with Hennepin County staff.
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Bin and bag grant from Hennepin County
Three Fountain Condos wanted to make participating in organics recycling as seamless and simple as possible for their residents. To help with this they applied for a Hennepin County bin and compostable bag grant. The grant was approved in April of this year and made it possible to provide a countertop organics bin and compostable bags to each condo in the complex.
In June, Hennepin County staff presented to condo residents on waste reduction, recycling, and composting. Residents learned about the new organics program at their property and how to properly sort and dispose of their waste. At the conclusion of this training, condo residents were given their countertop organics bins and compostable bags as well as recycling and organics guides and recycling collection bags for in their units. The residents were excited to begin (or continue) collecting their household organics with a new convenient pickup option that saved them the trip to the drop-off site.
Pictured: Michelle D’Angelo and James Halverson help distribute multifamily recycling tote bags and compost bins to Three Fountain Condo residents after presentation from Hennepin County staff on waste reduction, recycling, and organics.
Loring Green East
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 Loring Green East, a condo community in Minneapolis with 193 units across 23 floors, received a bin and compostable bag grant in May of 2022. Prior to receiving the grant, the property offered both recycling and composting pick up service to their residents through Republic Services. However, the campus itself had no recycling containers in common areas, and only about one out of five of the residents participated in composting.
Involved residents
Sandra O’Brien, an interested volunteer and Loring Green East resident, helped the property apply for the bin and compostable bag grant.
“We plan to continue with education through our newsletter, and we hope to increase both individual composting and campus-wide recycling with education and easier access to bins. Thank you, Hennepin County!” - Sandra O’Brien
Pictured: Loring Green East residents John Beal, Lisa Reed, and Barbara Brin received countertop compost bins through the property’s Hennepin County bin and compostable bag grant.
Project support from county staff
Hennepin County staff surveyed residents on their experience with composting and toured the property to help determine what bins were needed. County staff also spoke at the condo community’s monthly social hour in June where they gave a presentation about composting and recycling. After the presentation materials were distributed to residents including countertop organics bins and bags and recycling and organics guides.
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Work groups developing actions to accelerate Hennepin County to a zero-waste future
Work groups that include a broad diversity of community voices, industry stakeholders, and subject matter experts are currently working to identify and recommend actions for the county's Zero Waste Plan. More than 160 people registered to join a work group. Each of the seven work groups has at least 20 members that includes a balance of community members, stakeholders, and experts.
Next steps
Broad public engagement to gather feedback on the recommended actions will occur in September and October. Information about ways to give feedback will be shared on beheardhennepin.org and through Zero Waste Plan email updates.
The draft Zero Waste Plan will be presented to the county board in November.
Achieving zero waste will require significant changes in our individual behaviors and transformative changes in the policies, programs and resources that make up the solid waste system. The 2021 Recycling Progress Report (PDF) sheds light on the transformative changes that are needed. Review the progress report to learn about how we are doing with moving toward zero waste, adjusting to a new normal, expanding residential organics recycling programs, and focusing on disparity reduction.
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Grants available to establish organics recycling drop-off sites
Funding is available for multifamily properties in Hennepin County to establish organics recycling drop-off sites. Up to $15,000 is available for each drop-off site. Funding can be used for hauling and disposal costs, construction, dumpsters or carts, and promotions and educational materials.
Priority will be given to drop-off sites that increase access to organics recycling for residents in multifamily properties without access to city service and in cities that don’t offer organics recycling service.
Learn more and apply
See the organics recycling drop-off funding guidelines (PDF) to learn more and access the application materials on the Hennepin County supplier portal.
A virtual information meeting about the grant and how to apply through the supplier portal will be held from noon to 1 p.m. on Tuesday, August 30.
For more information and to RSVP to the information meeting, contact Kaitlin Steinberg at kaitlin.steinberg@hennepin.us and Christine Longwell at christine.longwell@hennepin.us.
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Apply for bin and compostable bag and recycling grants
Applications for both of the following grant programs will be accepted on an ongoing basis until mid-November 2022, or until the annual program budget is exhausted.
Bin and compostable bag grants
Hennepin county offers grants for bins and compostable bags to start or improve recycling and/or organics recycling at multifamily properties. Applicants may select up to $3,000 worth of bins and compostable bags from the county's product list. Review the grant guidelines (PDF) and the grant flyer (PDF) to learn more. Visit the apartment recycling web page to begin the application process.
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Recycling grants
Hennepin County offers grants for multifamily properties to improve recycling and reduce contamination, prevent waste or start organics recycling for composting. Areas of focus can include recycling and/or organics hauling service, construction of waste enclosures or chutes, bulky waste and waste prevention. Applicants may apply for up to $20,000 in funding. Review the grant guidelines (PDF) and the grant flyer (PDF) to learn more. Visit the apartment recycling web page to begin the application process.
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