Ramsey-Washington county meals scrap recycling program increasing

As of this week, residents of Gray Cloud Island Township, Landfall, Oakdale, St. Paul Park and Woodbury can discard meals scraps in particular compostable baggage for curbside recycling.

The enlargement of Washington and Ramsey counties’ Meals Scraps Pickup Program, which has been obtainable to residents of Newport, Cottage Grove, North St. Paul and Maplewood since October, means extra meals scraps can be become compost. All meals objects are accepted, together with pet meals, officers stated.

The communities eligible to take part within the Meals Scraps Pickup Program haul their trash on to the Ramsey/Washington Recycling and Power Heart in Newport. The middle is supplied with the sortation expertise that pulls the meals scrap baggage from the trash, stated Sam Ferguson, program coordinator for the Ramsey/Washington Recycling and Power Heart.

Officers are working with switch stations inside the two counties “to put in extra sortation expertise that can enable the counties to increase this system to communities that haul their trash to switch stations,” Ferguson stated.

Meals scraps corresponding to fruit and vegetable peels, eggshells and bones make up about 20 p.c of trash by weight collected in Ramsey and Washington counties.

This system presents a simple, accessible and environmentally pleasant approach for residents to handle meals scraps at dwelling, Ferguson stated.

This system will roll out over a number of years and ultimately be obtainable to all residents of Ramsey and Washington counties.

Residents thinking about taking part in this system can join and place a bag order without charge on this system web site or by calling 651-661-9393.

An annual provide of 60 compostable baggage will ship on to contributors’ houses with an instruction information on how you can begin accumulating meals scraps. Every week, or when a meals scrap bag is full, residents will tie a knot within the high to make sure it’s sealed after which place the bag of their trash cart or dumpster to be collected by their trash hauler. This system-provided meals scrap baggage are designed to be further sturdy, so that they don’t tear open throughout the journey within the rubbish truck.

After assortment, meals scrap baggage and trash are hauled to the Ramsey/Washington Recycling and Power Heart, the place the meals scrap baggage are sorted from the trash by robotic sorting expertise and despatched to the Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Neighborhood Organics Recycling Facility to change into compost.