Items to keep out of your
recycling cart

Spring is the perfect time to clean out. Do you have a closet stuffed with plastic bags? String lights that don’t work? A broken metal chain? Please don’t put these items in your recycling cart. They won’t get recycled and they may create unsafe conditions for the workers who have to untangle them from equipment. When the equipment is tangled, the facility has to shut down until the problem is fixed, wasting time that could be spent sorting our recycling.

Visit RamseyRecycles.com/AtoZ to find out what to do with plastic bags, string lights, chains and more.

Tip: Do you have too many plastic bags because you forget to bring your reusable ones to the store? Keep your reusable bags in your car and add a note to your shopping list to remind you to use them.

Shop the Ramsey County Master Gardener plant sale May 1-8

Looking for plants for your home, garden or landscaping? Shop the Ramsey County Master Gardener plant sale. The sale will be online this year to keep shoppers safe from COVID-19. Visit RamseyMasterGardeners.org May 1-8 to view the online catalog and make your secure purchase. The sale closes on May 8 or when inventory is gone. Online payment must be made at the time the order is placed. Orders will be available for contactless pick up on May 15 at the Church of the Holy Childhood located at 1435 Midway Parkway in Saint Paul. Detailed instructions will be provided.

The sale features native plants, popular vegetables (including a large selection of tomatoes), herbs, annual and perennial flowers, and houseplants. There will also be plants from the Minnesota Seed Trials, which are particularly suited for Minnesota’s climate. If you need gardening gloves, you can purchase a quality pair from the sale for only $5. 

Funds raised from the sale support community programs that engage youth in horticulture projects, as well as support University of Minnesota scholarships.

Learn more at RamseyMasterGardeners.org or facebook.com/RamseyMasterGardeners.

Celebrate International Compost Awareness Week with free compost

International Compost Awareness Week (ICAW) is May 2-8. The Minnesota Composting Council (MNCC) will be celebrating all week long with different compost-related activities, ending in a Plate to Garden event on Saturday, May 8.

This event will take place at the Urban Growler in Saint Paul from 12-5 p.m. You will learn about composting programs in Minnesota and receive a free bag of compost to use in your garden, on your lawn, or for spring planting.

MNCC will also give away prizes, including kitchen scrap collection pails, compost bins and ICAW posters and stickers. If you want to dine at the Urban Growler, please make a reservation on their website. This event will follow COVID-19 safety protocols. MNCC looks forward to celebrating with you on May 8!

Are you interested in composting? Spring is a great time to start. Find out how to compost in your backyard or participate in Ramsey County’s food scraps collection program.

New website for community garden and urban ag resources

Ramsey County’s Statewide Health Improvement Partnership (SHIP) launched a new Community Garden and Urban Ag website last month. It brings gardening-related resources that exist throughout the community into one place to make it easier for residents to find this information.

The website includes resources for community gardens, as well as information for new and current gardeners who are interested in gardening at home or in a community space. Learn about soil testing, water access, who to contact for gardening help, and much more! Eventually, the website will have a map of community gardens in Ramsey County. Check it out at ramseycounty.us/UrbanAg!

Need volunteers for events this summer?

Ramsey County’s Recycling Ambassadors are here to help! Recycling Ambassadors undergo a six-week training provided by Ramsey County to learn about environmental health topics, including composting, climate change, environmental justice, household hazardous waste and general recycling. They can staff recycling informational booths at events, help with park clean-ups, lead youth educational programs, give community presentations, and participate in other educational opportunities.

To request volunteers, please email Mariah Quick at mariah.quick@ramseycounty.us.

For more information or to sign up for the Recycling Ambassador training waitlist, visit the Recycling Ambassador webpage.

Earth Day groundbreaking at Ramsey/Washington Recycling & Energy Center

All trash from residents and businesses in Ramsey and Washington counties is delivered to the Ramsey/Washington Recycling & Energy Center (R&E Center), where trash is processed to recover recyclable metals and make fuel for producing electricity. 

On Earth Day, the R&E Center broke ground on construction for processing improvements at the facility. These improvements will allow residential food scraps to be picked up by haulers and make it easier to recover recyclables at the R&E Center. 

Once complete, these changes will create jobs, reduce carbon emissions and protect public health and the environment for current and future generations.

Read more.