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October 2019
An environmental health newsletter from Ramsey County.
Local Coffee House Switches to Reusable Mugs with BizRecycling Grant
 The Ox and Crow Coffeehouse is a welcoming coffee shop in the heart of Mahtomedi. When the Ox and Crow opened in May 2017, Styrofoam cups were the standard. But even in a world that is constantly on the go, owner Mara Crombie wanted a coffee house that was low waste.
So when Crombie heard about BizRecycling grants, she eagerly applied for and received grant funding to purchase reusable mugs. She also used the grant money to purchase color-coded recycling bins, reusable plates and silverware, and a commercial dishwasher.
Crombie then trained her staff to ask every customer if they can serve their coffee in a ceramic mug. To her pleasure, she found that most customers preferred the low-waste option.
Not only is Crombie reducing waste and saving $1,200 a year on trash expenses, she found the entire grant process easy.
BizRecycling works with businesses in Ramsey and Washington counties to improve their recycling and organics collection. Learn more at BizRecycling.com or call 651-266-1199.
Food Scraps Collection (Organics Recycling) Now Available in Maplewood, New Brighton, Roseville and Vadnais Heights
 You now have more options to recycle your food scraps and other organic waste. Four new food scraps (organics recycling) collection sites have opened in Maplewood, New Brighton, Roseville and Vadnais Heights! All our sites are free for residents to use and compostable bags are provided.
For more information about the food scraps collection (organics recycling) program, including locations of other sites and a list of acceptable items, visit RamseyRecycles.com.
You can pick up a free starter kit at one of our yard waste collection sites or a Ramsey County Library or Saint Paul Library while supplies last. The kit includes a small kitchen caddy, compostable bags and tips for success. It also includes a loyalty punch card to earn a free t-shirt!
What to Do with Plastic Bags
 Recycle better! Many of us have lots of plastic bags at home and want to recycle them or put our recyclables inside them. But did you know they are not accepted with curbside recycling? They can get caught in the sorting machines at recycling facilities, bringing the entire sorting process to a halt. Take your plastic bags to a local retailer instead. Visit PlasticFilmRecycling.org for a list of drop-off locations near you.
Free Yard Waste Sites for Residents
 Fall is here and state law does not allow yard waste to be put in the trash. Instead, take it to a Ramsey County yard waste collection site. They are ready to accept your leaves and garden waste – for free! After raking, gather up your leaves, dead flowers and vegetable plants, and put them in a compostable bag or reusable container. Then bring them to one of our seven collection sites, and dump them in the leaf pile. Pumpkins and jack-o-lanterns can go in this pile, too. Just remove candles first. When you’re done, be sure to take your containers or compostable bags back home with you.
Don’t forget! Ramsey County also offers food scraps collection (organics recycling) at all seven yard waste sites. Learn more online or ask a yard waste site monitor.
Order a Radon Test Kit for Only $2
 You may be surprised to know that radon is the second leading cause of lung cancer. So how does it get into people’s homes?
Radon is a naturally occurring radioactive gas. It comes from the natural decay of uranium that is found in nearly all soils. Radon can easily seep through tiny spaces to reach our living space. It typically moves up through the ground to the air above and into your home through cracks and other holes in the foundation. Your home traps radon inside, where it can build up. Any home may have a radon problem. This means new and old homes, well-sealed and drafty homes, and homes with or without basements.
Because radon has no taste, smell or color, the only way to know if radon levels are too high in your home is to test for it. You can buy a radon test kit for only $2 from Ramsey County. Download an order form or call 651-266-1199.
Check Out Our Business Recycling Guide
 Do you work for a business that’s looking for reuse and recycling opportunities for unwanted materials? Check out twincitiesbusinessrecycling.com for information on how to best dispose of items – from computers to wood waste. You can search by material type and zip code to find the options that work best for you.
Grants to Purchase Alternative
Commercial Landscaping Equipment
 Apply now for grant funding from the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency to replace 2-cycle gasoline-powered landscaping and snow removal equipment with electric-powered equipment. Examples include: snow blowers, chainsaws, pole pruners, lawn mowers, string or hedge trimmers, and blowers. The maximum award is $24,000 with a 50 percent minimum match.
Eligible applicants include businesses under 500 employees, governmental agencies, educational institutions, tribes, or nongovernmental organizations (e.g., nonprofit or association) with any number of employees.
Gasoline-powered landscaping equipment is a significant source of air emissions in urban areas, impacting the health of equipment operators and the communities they serve. Here's why many businesses have already made the switch:
- Saves money with lower gas and maintenance costs.
- Lessens employee injuries.
- Much more quiet and eliminates smell.
- Improves community and employee health while reducing air emissions.
Apply now! Deadline is Nov 8, 2019.
Visit the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency's website for more information and to submit an application.
Year-Round Compost Bin Sale!
 Compost bins are now sold year-round and can be picked up in Maplewood. The cost is $64 plus tax. Ramsey County residents can get an additional $20 off at RecycleMinnesota.org by entering promo code “Ramsey”. Or call 651-641-4589 and mention that you are a Ramsey County resident. Then call Ramsey County Environmental Health at 651-266-1199 to arrange a pick-up time.
Did you know?
Changes to Your Trash Bill
Did you know that the average household produces about one ton of trash per year?! All your trash is delivered to the Recycling & Energy Center (R&E Center) in Newport, where it is processed to recover valuable materials (such as recyclable metals) and produce a fuel used to generate electricity. By processing waste at the R&E Center instead of landfilling it, Ramsey and Washington counties are among the leaders in the state in responsible waste management.
In 2020, the R&E Center will be ending a subsidy and adjusting its rates. For the average household, this may equate to an increase of about $1 to $1.25 per month on your garbage bill. The disposal cost (the fee haulers pay to deliver trash to the R&E Center) is approximately one third of the total cost of garbage service (other costs include insurance, labor, fuel, trucks, etc.). If your bill is increasing by more than $1.25 per month, other factors may be affecting the hauler rate.
Funds that previously subsidized waste management will be used to help residents, businesses and the county better manage waste, provide quality public service, and protect the health and environment for current and future generations.
Learn more at: www.morevaluelesstrash.com/tipfees-rebates.
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