The love on Valentine’s Day extends beyond just love for other people, it can also mean loving your stuff! From your childhood blanket or a cherished sweater to a sentimental gift or valuable kitchen appliance, taking good care of our stuff means choosing to repair items when we notice them starting to wear out rather than throwing them away in favor of buying something new. Extending the lifespan of our stuff through repair is an important way we can all reduce the waste we create.
In a world of fast fashion and rapid technological change, it’s easy to dismiss the idea of fixing items that need repair. You may not know an item can even be repaired, you may feel like you don’t have the skills to fix broken items, or you may not know where to take them for repair. But the truth is, we can perform a lot of fixes ourselves.
Visit our Choose to Reuse site for tips and resources to help you repair old shoes, broken zippers, clothing, electronics, and more!
Attend a Fix-It Clinic
Not able to do it yourself? Bring your beloved stuff to a Hennepin County Fix-It Clinic! Fix-It Clinics offer free, guided assistance from volunteers with repair skills to disassemble, troubleshoot, and (hopefully) fix small household appliances, clothing, electronics, mobile devices and more. They offer an opportunity to learn valuable troubleshooting and basic repair skills, build community connections, and reduce the number of repairable items that are thrown in the trash.
Fix-It Clinics are held monthly. The next Fix-It Clinic is on Saturday, March 9 from noon to 4 p.m. at Champlin Ice Forum, 12165 Ensign Avenue North, Champlin. Find a list of upcoming Fix-It Clinics.
Decorations
Store-bought decorations are often made of cheap plastic that become trash after one use. Avoid buying plastic decorations and follow these guidelines:
- Focus on decorations that are simple and compostable or reusable.
- Choose versatile decorations that you can use for multiple occasions, such as candles and tablecloths.
- Use plants, flowers, produce, and other natural decorations.
Gift giving
Think about what you can do with your loved ones rather than giving material gifts. You might find that simply spending quality time with them makes you just as happy. If you enjoy giving and receiving gifts, be intentional about them.
- Resist the urge to buy cheaply made items and instead spend your money on gifts that will last.
- Shop for gifts at local or secondhand stores.
- Buy cards made from recycled paper.
- Give gifts of experiences, that share your talents, or that promote sustainability.
Gift wrapping
Often, wrapping paper and fancy bows go straight into the trash, so reconsider how you present your gifts. Wrapping paper and bows are always trash, unless you can find a way to reuse them.
- Reuse paper that you already have, like newspaper, brown paper bags, or plain tissue paper.
- Wrap gifts in reusable bags or fabric.
- Go unwrapped! You could hide a gift in a cabinet, closet, or different room and put together a scavenger hunt to find it.
Do you wonder what happens to recyclables when they leave your home? This has become an increasingly common question, which is why metro counties are working together to assure you that recycling is no myth. It’s real and it works here.
 Minnesota and the Midwest are home to many recycling facilities that collect, sort, process, and manufacture items made from the bottles, boxes, and other containers we put in our recycling bins.
Plastic milk and laundry detergent jugs are made into durable decking, fencing and landscaping products in Paynesville, and plastic drink bottles and produce containers are made into new plastic bottles in Wisconsin and Ohio.
Glass bottles and jars are sorted by color in Saint Paul, and the clear glass is sent to Shakopee to make bottles for drinks, pickles, salad dressing and more.
Recycled paper and cardboard are made into cereal and cracker boxes in Saint Paul, while recycled food cans are made into new products like wire, and parts for cars and appliances at facilities in the Midwest.
Our efforts to recycle and reduce waste save energy, protect resources and support local businesses and jobs. About 78,000 jobs in Minnesota are supported by the recycling industry.
You can be proud that recycling works in Minnesota. Learn more at RecyclingExists.com.
 Hennepin County launched the pilot Apartment Recycling Champion program in 2023. Through the program, 17 residents at multifamily properties were hired for six months to distribute education materials, monitor trash and recycling areas for contamination, respond to resident questions on recycling, set up recycling bins in their building’s common areas, and educate and inspire their neighbors to reduce waste and recycle more. Champions reached people in about 1,500 units at 15 multifamily properties in environmental justice areas throughout the county.
Champions served as a trusted resource, communicating with their neighbors in culturally relevant ways. "I learned to communicate with people, no matter the language barriers," shared one champion in Minneapolis. "I learned to utilize my skills to make projects happen. And I learned to not judge a book by its cover, because the immigrants in my building were very receptive to recycling."
Overall, champions were proud of the work they completed and saw the impact in their building. "This program really opened my eyes to the need of recycling within my community. I love being educated, and this program was packed with knowledge of how I can make a difference in my community," shared another champion.
Continuing the Apartment Recycling Champions program in 2024 is a priority for implementing the county’s Zero Waste Plan goal of improving access to and participation in recycling and organics recycling at multifamily buildings. Recruitment will begin in March for the cohort of 2024 champions.
Property managers who are interested in improving recycling participation and waste reduction education among residents in your building should consider recruiting a resident to help and serve as a trusted messenger for their neighbors! Order free supplies and email the apartment recycling coordinator at apartmentrecycling@hennepin.us for advice.
Susan Russel Freeman, resident at 212 Lofts in North Loop Minneapolis, recalls her experience championing the effort to add organics recycling at her condo building.
"In 2016, I moved to 212 Lofts from the southwest Minneapolis house that was my home for 40 years. One of the only things I really missed when leaving a single-family home was the curbside organics collection. Having this opportunity cut my garbage in half, and it just felt really good to roll that cart to the curb once a week.
In 2020, during the pandemic, I dedicated a year and half to studying and joining multiple groups with a focus on the environment; locally, nationally, and globally. After many webinars and meetings, I began to focus primarily on food waste. One, because I was shocked to learn that the carbon footprint of U.S. food waste is greater than that of the airline industry. Two, because I, as an individual, could actually do something about it…and three, because it brought me back to my curbside organics collection!
I met with Hennepin County Waste Reduction and Recycling, Minneapolis Solid Waste Department, and our condo’s waste hauler for trash and recycling. After many hours of trash talk, we all came to the same conclusion. If a pilot project could be created, the city would deliver a bin for organics and pick up weekly for a period of three months to test it out.
I proposed this to our condo’s board in the fall of 2021 and the pilot project began in January of 2022 with eight households participating. Hennepin County staff provided a training on waste reduction, recycling, and organics recycling. By spring, there were 20 participating households, an additional organics cart was delivered, and organics recycling became a part of condo life at 212.
We keep the carts outside the garage from spring through fall, and during the colder months, they are brought inside the garage next to the recycling receptacles. Participating volunteers roll the bins outside each week for pickup and return the following morning making it convenient and comfortable for residents to participate all year long!"
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Hennepin County offers grants for multifamily properties to start or improve recycling or organics recycling, reduce contamination, prevent waste, and educate their residents on recycling and waste prevention. Applications will be accepted on an ongoing basis until November 11, or until the annual program budget is exhausted, whichever occurs first.
Areas of focus can include purchasing bins and compostable bags, paying for hauling costs, constructing waste enclosures or chutes, managing or preventing the waste of bulky items, and educating residents. Applicants may apply for up to $3,000 for bins and compostable bags and up to $20,000 for all other categories combined.
Review the grant guidelines (PDF) and the grant flyer (PDF) to learn more. Visit the apartment recycling webpage to begin the application process.
Multifamily recycling resources
Free resources are available to improve recycling in apartments, condos, and townhome associations in Hennepin County. See what's available and order free resources.
Our committed staff is ready to help you start or improve recycling at your apartment or condo. We can help you assess your best options, review potential costs and savings, and determine the steps forward to improve your programs. Free assistance can be provided online or in-person. Contact the apartment recycling program coordinator to request assistance by emailing apartmentrecycling@hennepin.us.
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