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November 2019
An environmental health newsletter from Ramsey County.
La Cabana Restaurant Reduces 100,000 Pounds of Waste with BizRecycling Grant
 La Cabana is a Mexican restaurant located on the east side of Saint Paul. While the restaurant was recycling used cooking oil and using some reusable dishes, Juana Gallegos, the owner of La Cabana, wanted to recycle even more and switch to all reusable dishware.
So La Cabana applied for and received a BizRecycling grant to purchase a dishwasher to help them transition away from disposable dishware. They also used grant money to purchase color-coded bins for recycling bottles and cans and collecting food scraps and other organic waste, as well as to purchase a six-month supply of certified-compostable beverage straws and compostable bag liners.
Since making these changes in 2017, La Cabana has successfully removed 60,000 pounds of food waste and 40,000 pounds of recyclable materials from the trash – for a total of 100,000 pounds! And they have reduced their trash pickup from two times per week to once a week, saving $250 a month.
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.
Celebrate America Recycles Day!
 American Recycles Day is Friday, November 15. What will YOU do to educate, motivate and make recycling bigger and better? Learn more about recycling in Ramsey County at RamseyRecycles.com. Then visit the American Recycles Day website and take the pledge to reduce waste, recycle more and buy recycled products. Encourage your family and friends to do the same! Currently, our recycling rate is 49 percent. By doing better together, we can achieve our recycling goal of 75 percent by 2030!
Give Us Your Feedback
 Ramsey County is seeking input from residents to help guide the development of a new program, and we’d love your feedback. Click the link to tell us what you think.
Food Planning Tips for Thanksgiving
 Are you hosting Thanksgiving this year? Planning the right amount of food for the right amount of people can be a guessing game. Use the Guest-Imator tool at SavetheFood.com. It’s a dinner party calculator that estimates how much food you need to keep your guests happy and healthy. Just tell it how many small, average and big eaters are coming for dinner and find out exactly how much food to make. If you do have leftovers, send them home with guests or find recipes to use them up yourself. And remember, any food prep and plate waste can go in our food scraps collection (organics recycling). Learn more at RamseyRecycles.com/foodscraps.
New Reuse & Donation Opportunities Webpage
 Inspired by the thriving reuse community in Ramsey County? Check out Ramsey County’s new Reuse & Donation Opportunities webpage to feed your curiosity! The webpage contains several ideas and resources on ways to reuse, repair, donate or sell items. Although the lists are not exhaustive, the webpage serves as a good starting point when considering repair and reuse before disposing of or recycling an item. Take a look and be inspired!
What to Do with Electronic Waste
 When electronic devices like cell phones, computers and televisions die or become obsolete, don’t put them in the trash. They may contain toxic materials, like lead, mercury and lithium. They also have materials of value, like precious metals, copper and engineered plastics, that can be used to make new products. By recycling electronics, you are reducing pollution, saving resources and energy, and preventing toxic materials from entering the environment. Find recycling options near you or call 651-633-EASY (3279), which is answered 24/7.
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?
Ramsey County Collects Batteries for Recycling
Did you know that Ramsey County’s Household Hazardous Waste (HHW) program accepts all types of rechargeable batteries, as well as some non-rechargeable batteries?
Rechargeable batteries can be found in cell phones, computers, drones and toothbrushes, and are becoming more common in lawn mowers, chainsaws and all kinds of power tools. When they wear out or are no longer needed, they should be disposed of safely. Lithium batteries in particular can cause fires in the trash, at recycling facilities and in collection trucks. Only alkaline and carbon zinc batteries are safe to throw in the trash. All other batteries should be brought to one of our HHW collection sites, where staff will sort them and tape the terminals (positive and negative ends) for safe transport to a recycling facility to be made into new products.
Last year, Ramsey County recycled over 63,000 pounds of batteries! If you are unsure of the type of battery you have, bring it to an HHW collection site and staff will assist you.
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