City Recycling Guides & 2016 Recycling Results

City of Minneapolis recycling customers should watch their mailboxes for City Solid Waste & Recycling services guides arriving soon. The guides include information on all City Solid Waste and Recycling services from recycling and organics to large items such as mattresses, furniture and TVs. They even include information on how to get rid of excess household garbage and construction and demolition debris at the City’s transfer station, how to dispose of hazardous waste and resources to reduce waste. The guide also lists what customers can and can’t recycle through the City’s Solid Waste and Recycling service, and it shows all their recycling pickup dates through March 2018. Customers can sign up at www.minneapolismn.gov/solid-waste to get email reminders before every recycling day.

2016 recycling results

In 2016, Minneapolis Solid Waste & Recycling customers recycled 500 tons more of paper products and plastic, glass and metal food and beverage containers than in 2015. The 29,500 tons of recyclables collected in 2016 were sorted by material in Minneapolis and sold to make new products. Customers should remember that many items – such as plastic bags and clothing – that cannot be placed in their recycling carts can still be recycled through drop-off sites. Check the City’s “what to do” list if you don’t know how to dispose of something.

By the end of 2016, 40 percent of eligible customers had signed up for the organics recycling program, which finished rolling out citywide in June. Throughout the year participating residents diverted more than 3,300 tons of compostable materials including food scraps, food-soiled paper items including paper towels, napkins, pizza boxes and egg cartons and other compostable items.

Customers who have not yet signed up may do so by visiting www.minneapolismn.gov/organics or by calling 311. There’s no extra cost to have organics picked up every week. By participating in organics recycling, customers may be able to reduce the number or size of their garbage cart(s) which saves money on their City of Minneapolis utility bills.

For more information about recycling in Minneapolis, visit www.minneapolismn.gov/recycling.