EarthFest Virtual Trash Talk - 4/21/2022
Do you have questions about what you can put in your recycling cart? Are you wondering what to do with that pile of junk taking up space in your garage? Whether it’s household garbage, an old washing machine, or a can of paint, Olmsted County’s Integrated Solid Waste Management System provides a proper place for your waste.
Join us for a virtual "Trash Talk" Thursday, April 21, at 6:30 p.m. You will learn about the unique services provided by the:
- Recycling Center Plus
- Hazardous Waste Facility
- Yard Waste Compost Site
- Waste-to-Energy Facility
- Kalmar Landfill
Time will be set aside to discuss items that should and should NOT be placed in your curbside garbage & recycling containers, as well as what happens to the materials after they are collected.
This presentation is part of a lineup of EarthFest events. Proper waste management helps us all to become better stewards of our environment! If you have questions but are unable to join the presentation, email pwservice@co.olmsted.mn.us or call 507-328-7070.
Arbor Day in the Park - 4/29/2022
Rochester Public Utilities will host the 20th Annual Arbor Day Celebration on Friday, April 29, 2022. The event will be held at Three Links - Silver Lake Park (840 7th St NE in Rochester) from 11:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.
The festivities include:
- Free admission
- Free food - hot dogs, chips, corn on the cob, cookies, and soda
- Smokey the Bear
- Live music from PK Mayo Quartet
- Free trees
- Giveaways
- Activities and games
Prizes will be given to participants who stop by the Environmental Resources booth to "give recycling a shot." In the event of extreme weather, the celebration will be moved indoors to Rochester Community and Technical College's Field House. For more information, visit RPU's website.
 Arbor Day participants "give recycling a shot;" photo credit: Anthony Wittmer
EarthFest Expo - 4/30/2022
Join us at the annual EarthFest Expo Saturday, April 30, from 9:00 a.m. - noon at the Rochester Farmer's Market. We, along with other local organizations, will have an exhibit on the second floor of Floral Hall. A lineup of electric vehicles will be on display outside the building.
Date: Saturday, April 30
Time: 9 am - noon
Location: Floral Hall at Graham Park (1426 Fairgrounds Ave SE, Rochester)
Help Make Rochester a Litter Bit Better - 4/30/2022 - 5/8/2022
There's still time to register your group to help make Rochester A Litter Bit Better! Volunteers are encouraged to collect litter anytime between April 30 and May 8. Trash and recycling bags are provided, all you need to do is pick a location, pick a date, and pick it up! Registration information, maps, and more can be found at RNeighbors.org/litterbitbetter. Since Litter Bit Better’s first year in 2007, volunteers have collected over 140 tons of litter!
In addition to Litter Bit Better, residents are encouraged to learn more about best practices for waste disposal and recycling:
Prevent litter at home
Place all trash in a plastic bag and tie the bag shut before throwing it away. Do not overload your garbage and recycling containers and make sure each container cover closes completely. This helps prevent windblown trash from entering your neighborhood.
Recycle
Learn what can be recycled in your curbside recycling cart or at the Olmsted County Recycling Center Plus. All items should be clean, dry, and empty and then placed loosely in your recycling cart.
Household Hazardous Waste
Residents can bring unwanted or unusable household hazardous waste (HHW) to the Olmsted County Hazardous Waste Facility. Items commonly accepted (not an inclusive list) at the facility include:
- Aerosols
- Automotive, rechargeable, and button batteries
- Household cleaners
- Mercury products such as thermostats and thermometers
- Pesticides
- Paints
- Sharps (disposal procedure)
- Solvents
- Special waste
- Stains
- Varnishes
- Used Antifreeze
Use the Waste Wizard
Visit olmstedwaste.com and enter your disposal items into the Waste Wizard. This one-stop information hub will explain how to dispose of your waste properly. The wizard will tell you where to take each item, when to drop it off, and whether or not there's a fee.
 Trash collected by residents from a previous collection event; photo credit: Anthony Wittmer
Olmsted County Sees Increased Recycling Rate in 2021
Olmsted County recently compiled recycling tonnage data for the 2021 Select Committee on Recycling and the Environment (SCORE) Report. The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) uses SCORE information to detail trends in waste generation, management, and disposal. SCORE data trends are used to help develop sound policy and plans to manage waste in a manner that protects the environment and human health.
Olmsted County 2021 Data
- Recycling = 75,501 tons
- Municipal Solid Waste (garbage) = 96,545 tons
- Total Tons = 172,046
- Recycling Rate = 44%
A 44% recycling rate represents a 3% increase over Olmsted County's 2020 recycling rate. By comparison, the combined organics and recycling rate for Greater Minnesota in 2020 (most recent data) was 37.5%. The national recycling rate in 2018 (most recent data) was 32%.
Self-Serve Compost Available at Compost Site
Grab your buckets and shovel! It's easy to get finished compost at the Olmsted County Compost Site. Great for enhancing growth and retaining water in your flower beds and gardens, compost can be self-loaded any day of the week during daylight hours.
“We love the convenience of the Compost Site and you can’t beat the price! We’ve had a lot of success with the compost in our vegetable garden and will continue to use it in the future." - Rochester resident, Heather P.
 Rochester resident Heather P. sits next to one of her family's garden boxes; photo credit: Andrew P.
“I love how the county compost is seed free! We've had no problem with weed growth in the garden. In 2021, the MLK Park Community Food and Learning Garden grew over 1,119 lbs. of vegetables. This produce went to folks in our Eastside neighborhood, was put on the Rochester Public Library Bookmobile, delivered to the Boys & Girls Club and Project Legacy.” - Rochester City Council member Kelly Rae Kirkpatrick
 MLK Park Community Food and Learning Garden; photo credit: Kelly Rae Kirkpatrick
There is no fee for the compost, however, donation boxes are available on-site for residents who wish to support the Compost Site's daily operations. The Compost Site is located across the street from the Recycling Center Plus—305 Energy Parkway NE, Rochester, MN 55906.
Suggested Donation Rates
$0.50 / 5-gallon bucket
$5.00 / car load
$20.00 / pickup or trailer load
Bulk Loads
April - November: An Olmsted County employee is available to load vehicles with a gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) of 10,000 lbs. (or greater) for a fee of $15.00 per ton Monday - Friday, 8:00 a.m. - 3:30 p.m.
December - March: Bulk loading is available by request only.
Residents should call 507-328-7070 to schedule an appointment.
 A front-end loader scoops compost at the Compost Site; photo credit: Anthony Wittmer
Free Products Available at Hazardous Waste Facility Reuse Center
Approximately 40% of the materials brought to the Olmsted County Hazardous Waste Facility are reusable! These items are given a second life in the facility's Reuse Center.
Any products found in the Reuse Center are free for the taking and are available on a first-come, first-served basis. However, the facility does not guarantee product availability. The Reuse Center is open Tuesday - Saturday, 8:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. (except for holidays).
Reuse Center Rules:
- The Reuse Center will have a maximum occupancy of 3 customers.
- Customers are limited to five minutes per visit.
- Customers are limited to ten items per visit.
 Reuse Center products (as of 4/6/2022); photo credit: Anthony Wittmer
U.S. Senator Tina Smith Visits Olmsted County
U.S. Senator Tina Smith visited Olmsted County on Friday, April 1st. As part of her visit, she stopped at Olmsted County's Solid Waste Management Campus to discuss plans for a materials recovery facility (MRF) with Environmental Resources staff and Olmsted County Commissioners Gregg Wright and Mark Thein.
Olmsted County is seeking $12.5 million in MN State bonding to build a MRF that would provide a local destination for recyclables. Currently, recyclables are sent to sorting facilities in the Twin Cities. Updates regarding the status of the project will be made available after the current legislative session ends next month. In the meantime, Olmsted County encourages residents to learn more about this project and how it could benefit our community.
 From left to right: OWEF Plant Manager Matt Anderson, County Commissioner Gregg Wright, Environmental Resources Department Director Tony Hill, Senator Tina Smith, and County Commissioner Mark Thein discuss the proposed MRF; photo credit: Anthony Wittmer
Disposal Discussion - Black Plastic Planter Pots
Throw black plastic containers and bottles in the garbage—even if they are marked with a #1, #2, or a #5. Currently, the majority of materials recovery facilities (MRFs) do not accept black plastics as recyclable.
The optical sorting technology used in most MRFs to sort plastics by resin type (like separating a #1 PET from a #2 HDPE bottle) is not capable of identifying the polymers in black plastics since the color absorbs light.
It is not reasonable for MRFs to use manual sorting to distinguish different resin types of black plastic containers from another because there are too many items.
From the market perspective, black plastic is less valuable than other colors of plastic because it cannot be dyed to create a new color. Clear plastic can be dyed to make black plastic, but black plastic cannot be made clear.
For this reason, the companies that purchase recycled plastics generally do not purchase black plastic.
 Plastic planter pots; photo credit: Anthony Wittmer
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