recycling progress report - hennepin county

Recycling Progress Report Waste management during a pandemic

May 2021

2020 RECYCLING PROGRESS REPORT | 3

Contents

Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

Progress toward goals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

Continuing important services during a challenging time . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

Zero waste and climate action . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

Achieving more through collaboration . . . . . . . . . 15

Progress on implementing master plan strategies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

Focus on organics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

Waste prevention and reuse . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21

Engaging residents through education and outreach . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25

Serving residents where they are . . . . . . . . . . . 28

Promoting drop-offs for hazardous waste and additional recyclables . . . . . . . . . . . 32

Recovering resources from the trash . . . . . . . 34

4 | 2020 RECYCLING PROGRESS REPORT

Introduction

The Recycling Progress Report provides an update on implementation of Hennepin County’s Solid Waste Management Master Plan, progress toward waste diversion goals, and a summary of the 2020 results for the county’s waste management programs .State statute requires metropolitan counties to prepare master plans every six years that identify strategies to meet the recycling goals and objectives in the state’s Metropolitan Solid Waste Management Policy Plan . The policy plan was adopted by the Commissioner of the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) on April 6, 2017, establishing the framework for managing solid waste in the metro area through 2036 .

The policy plan sets objectives for each waste management method, with an emphasis on the upper end of the waste management hierarchy in order to achieve the legislative goals for recycling and organics recovery . Minnesota State Statute 115A .551 establishes a 75% recycling rate goal by 2030 .

Hennepin County developed its 2018 Solid Waste Management Master Plan to make progress toward the goal of recycling 75% of waste by 2030 . The master plan demonstrates the county’s commitment to conserving natural resources, protecting the environment, and ensuring public health and safety . Learn more about the master plan at hennepin.us/solidwasteplanning .

The county’s master plan was developed to be consistent with the Hennepin County Board of Commissioner’s mission “to enhance the health, safety and quality of life of our residents and communities in a respectful, efficient and fiscally responsible way .” It is also consistent with the Hennepin County Environment and Energy Department’s mission of “protecting the environment and conserving resources for future generations” and overarching strategic goal that “Hennepin County’s environment is preserved for future generations .”

Developing the next solid waste management master planThe MPCA will begin drafting changes to the Metropolitan Solid Waste Management Policy Plan in 2021, which kicks off the next planning cycle for counties to update their solid waste management master plans .

Next steps in the planning process• May 2021: MPCA issues pre-draft notice for public comments

• Summer 2021: MPCA begins drafting changes to the policy plan

• Spring 2022: MPCA releases draft policy plan

• Winter 2022: MPCA approves the final policy plan

• 2023: County develops and adopts its master plan


Progress toward goals

COVID-19 pandemic causes shift in waste streamThe quick action and precautions to protect health and safety caused by the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted people’s lives, causing changes in the waste management system . As offices, businesses, and schools shut down in spring 2020 and people spent more time at home, the amount of waste generated shifted from the commercial sector to residential .

As illustrated in the chart, residential recycling and organics recycling increased in 2020 compared to 2019, while commercial recycling and organics collection decreased .

Data from the City of Minneapolis further illuminates this change . As more people worked from home and ate most of their meals at home, residential trash and recycling in Minneapolis increased by 9% in 2020 and organics increased by over 14% .

We’ve made incremental progress, but have a long way to go to get to zero waste

-50%

-40%

-30%

-20%

-10%

0%

10%

20%

30%

Recycling Organics

Residential Commercial

Recycling Organics

% change in where recycling and organics was generated, 2019 to 2020

About 1 .24 million tons of solid waste, which includes recycling, organics, and trash, was generated in Hennepin County in 2020 . That is a 1% decrease from 2019, or about 7,000 tons less .

Of the total tons generated, 42% was managed as recycling and organics . The remaining 58% was managed as trash at a waste-to-energy facility or landfill .

The impact of COVID-19 and changes to waste reporting contributed to shifts in waste management data . Commercial recycling estimates have been removed from the county’s 2020 and previous years’ reporting to be consistent with the MPCA’s reporting methodology . As a result, the recycling rate is significantly lower than in past years . The reporting changes also resulted in more tons of yard waste being accounted for, contributing to the increase in organics recycling .

Recycling26%

Organics16%

Waste-to-energy

26%

Landfilling32%

Waste management in 2020


Changes in waste management methods, 2019 to 2020

Achieving a recycling rate greater than 50% has proved challengingMinnesota statute requires metro counties achieve a 75% recycling rate by 2030 . Hennepin County supports this goal . However, despite implementing many new programs and policies aimed at reducing waste and increasing diversion over the past 20 years, it has been challenging for the county to achieve a diversion rate greater than 50% .

Organics recycling is our biggest opportunity to reduce our trashDiverting organic materials, which include food, food-soiled paper, and compostable products, is the biggest opportunity to reduce our trash . Waste sort studies continue to show that organic materials are the largest proportion of our trash – making up about 25% of the trash stream . Diverting organics from the trash involves many different strategies: food waste prevention, food rescue for hunger relief, food-to-animals, composting, and anaerobic digestion .

Management method 2019 (tons) 2020 (tons) Percent change

Recycling 327,995 324,716 -1%

Organics (includes yard waste) 140,864 196,088 39%

Resource recovery 351,481 328,210 -7%

Landfill 427,413 391,562 -8%

Total 1,247,753 1,240,576 -1%

0% 2% 4% 6% 8% 10% 12% 14% 16% 18% 20%

Non-recyclable durable plastic

Non-recyclable paper

Non-recyclable plastic film

Yard waste

Treated wood, plywood

Pet waste

Diapers & hygiene products

Compostable paper

Very small items (< 1/2)

Food waste 19.0%

6.3%

5.7%

4.9%

4.9%

4.3%

4.2%

3.8%

3.0%

2.7%

Top 10 most common materials found in the trashHennepin County waste sort study, 2016


Changes to reporting methodologyThe complexity of the solid waste system makes it difficult to measure how waste is managed . Collecting recycling data from the commercial sector is particularly challenging .

Hennepin County has the largest economy of all 87 counties in Minnesota, with over 40,400 businesses . Without a hauler reporting requirement or access to recycling facility data collected by the state, the county needed to calculate an estimate of commercial recycling . With so many businesses, conducting site visits and surveys was impractical . In the 1990s, the county completed a study to estimate the quantity of recycling from the commercial sector . That estimate was indexed to employment data and has been adjusted annually . This methodology was maintained until recently .

In 2015, the Minnesota State Legislature required haulers to report directly to the MPCA with the goal of improving the reliability of data to ensure accurate measurement of progress toward solid waste management goals . Over the next few years, the MPCA developed an online reporting system for haulers and facilities . The MPCA shares this data with counties .

Because of the improvements to the reporting system, the MPCA no longer allows the use of commercial recycling estimates . This change in methodology and data sources has impacted the results reported by counties .

The reported numbers this year are different due to the change in reporting, not because of changes to programs . There is still under-reporting of recycling tons because of shortcomings in the reporting system, including compliance, and quality control . Hennepin County will continue to work to address these challenges with the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency, but the recent improvements to measurement provide more reliable information to guide policy decisions .


Continuing important services during a challenging time

Offering disposal services and conducting inspections

Throughout 2020, we worked to continue important services of ensuring proper disposal of hazardous waste and supporting the operation of the solid waste system .

After being shut down for parts of March and April, the county’s two permanent drop-off facilities, which provide proper disposal for household hazardous waste and problem materials, reopened with changes in operations to ensure health and safety . With many people doing house projects and cleaning out their homes this year, the drop-off facilities received a record number of visitors in the fall who dropped off more waste per person than average .

The hazardous waste collection events we were able to hold – at sites large enough to ensure proper distancing – were similarly busy . The two events had nearly 1,800 residents dropping off over 110,000 pounds of waste, or 62 pounds per resident .

This essential work was supported by call center staff, who handled more than 22,500 calls, totaling about 600 hours responding to resident questions .

In addition to disposal services for residents, operations continued without pause at the Brooklyn Park Transfer Station and the Hennepin Energy Recovery Center . These facilities are vital in keeping the solid waste system operational .

After a pause in inspections due to COVID-19 restrictions, hazardous waste inspectors, who work with businesses to ensure they are properly managing hazardous waste to protect the environment, conducted more than 200 routine site inspections and additional site visits .

Although 2020 was a challenging and disruptive year, we were proud to continue to offer important services, including providing disposal services, conducting inspections, pivoting to virtual offerings, adjusting to meet the needs of our community, and making progress on many priority initiatives .


Going virtualWhen restrictions went into place this spring, many of our programs to promote waste reduction and recycling pivoted to virtual offerings .

The shift was easy for the Zero Waste Challenge, since online challenges were already in the works for 2020 . The online Zero Waste Challenge and online Stop Food Waste Challenge engaged more than 600 participants in taking more than 2,800 actions . Common actions included decluttering, stopping wish-cycling, reducing junk mail, completing a waste audit, taking a food inventory, creating a weekly meal plan, establishing an eat first area in the fridge, and learning how to properly store food .

Spring and fall Master Recycler/Composter classes were offered online, enabling more than 80 new volunteers to complete the training course . An online summer refresher for current Master Recyclers had 75 attendees, including some participants who first completed their training in 2011!

Master Recycler/Composter volunteers have found creative and safe ways to volunteer this year, including helping ReUSE Minnesota salvage plywood, labeling recycling carts for the City of Minneapolis, participating in food rescue operations, and educating their communities virtually .

The Master Recycler program managers teamed up with a Fix-It Clinic volunteer to create upcycled nametags for the new volunteers by collecting and reusing old license plates .

When we had to cancel our monthly in-person Fix-It Clinics, we started offering one-on-one virtual repair assistance . The virtual option provided Fix-It volunteers the opportunity to help people repair larger items that can’t be brought into a clinic, such as a dishwasher and closet doors .

Hazardous waste inspectors conducted 14 virtual hazardous waste inspections, many of them at healthcare facilities that were limiting in-person activities .


Meeting community needsThe challenges of 2020 presented new and increasing needs in our community, and we shifted resources to help meet those needs .

We provided $100,000 in funding to support the continued operation of Second Harvest Heartland’s Minnesota Central Kitchen . The program rescues food that would otherwise go to waste and uses it to provide meals to those in need while offering employment to kitchen and restaurant staff that would otherwise be out of work .

To help food shelves meet an unprecedented demand, we provided funding through our business recycling grants program for freezers and refrigerators to increase their capacity to rescue food . Three organizations were awarded grants that helped them expand their capacity to rescue more food and serve more families in need .

We partner with community groups through our Green Partners environmental education grants program to engage communities in learning about and taking action to protect the environment . Throughout the year, we supported grantees in shifting their project plans and outreach approaches, and, where needed, helped them extend their project timelines to give them more time to successfully work with their communities .

Following the civil unrest in Minneapolis, we reached out to businesses licensed through our commercial hazardous waste program who experienced damage to provide support and guidance on managing waste, and we conducted pre-demolition inspections on damaged properties to ensure waste was properly managed .

Making progress on priority initiativesEven with all the disruptions this year, we were able to make significant progress on some new and priority initiatives .

Developing the Climate Action Plan

We developed the county’s Climate Action Plan with initiatives to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and strategies to adapt to our changing climate in ways that reduce vulnerabilities and ensure a more equitable and resilient Hennepin County .

The plan will serve as the foundation for the county’s coordinated approach to planning, policy development, and responses to climate change . The public engagement process gathered feedback from 80 public entity partners through online meetings, 160 community partners, residents, and youth through virtual feedback sessions, and 2,500 residents and community partners through an online survey and comment form .


Salvaging building materials

To reduce the amount of building materials going to landfills, we created resources and programs to encourage deconstruction of buildings rather than demolition, reuse of building materials from home improvement projects, and proper management hazardous waste from demolition sites .

We partnered with 17 cities in the county to offer deconstruction grants and conduct pre-demolition inspections . We provided deconstruction grants to 16 projects to support building material salvage, reuse, and recycling . Materials commonly salvaged include light and plumbing fixtures, cabinets, doors and windows, wood flooring, and dimensional lumber . Staff completed 95 in-person pre-demolition inspections and 94 remote document reviews .

Supporting reuse retailers and promoting buying used

The Join the Circle campaign was launched to support our Choose to Reuse program . We created articles that provide tips for buying used, and more than 300 residents pledged to buy used and signed up for Join the Circle resources and events . We also supported 18 retailers with training and resources in marketing and merchandising .


Zero waste and climate action

Waste and material use strategies to reduce emissionsStrategies to reduce waste and increase the sustainability of materials are important components to achieving the county’s goal of net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 .

A traditional greenhouse gas inventory shows the emissions broken down by energy, transportation, and waste . In this view, the impact of the goods we buy and use appears small because disposal is responsible for only a small percentage of the carbon footprint of most products . If you regroup the emissions to show how they are tied to the production of materials and goods, you see that what we buy has a big impact on climate .

Creating new products requires energy – to harvest raw material, process it, manufacture it, transport it, and sometimes, to use it . Producing and transporting goods is associated with 45% of global emissions . This underscores the importance of consumer choices and the connections between climate, material use, and waste . The following strategies are included in the county’s Climate Action Plan .

Prevent food waste

Climate action experts identify reducing food waste as one of the single most effective solutions to climate change . Food has both upstream and downstream impacts, from the energy used to grow, transport, process, and refrigerate it to the methane generated when food waste is landfilled . Although methane made up only 10% of the total greenhouse gas emissions nationwide in 2018, it is 28 times more potent than carbon dioxide in terms of trapping solar radiation and exacerbating climate change . An estimated 17% of all methane emissions come from landfills . From waste sorts, we know that about 20% of our trash is food . Preventing food waste and composting or digesting food scraps is the biggest opportunity for our residents and businesses to reduce waste .

Strategies

• Support food rescue efforts to divert more food to people in need .

• Help businesses and organizations that produce a lot of food waste implement best practices for preventing food waste .

• Develop a consumer campaign on food waste prevention .

Materials 42%

Provision of food 13%

Building lighting and HVAC 25%

Transportation of people 24%

Infrastructure 1%

Use of appliances and devices 8%

Provision of goods 29%

Systems-based greenhouse gas sources Source U .S . EPA 2009


Divert organic material from the trash

In 2018, Hennepin County revised its recycling ordinance to make organics recycling more widely available and accessible to residents . By January 1, 2022, large cities (those with more than 10,000 residents) must make organics service available to all households with curbside recycling, which includes single-family homes and dwellings up to 4 units . Smaller cities (those with fewer than 10,000 residents) must provide an organics recycling drop-off if curbside organics service is not made available .

In multifamily buildings not served by city programs, properties can request organics hauling service from some haulers for a fee . The county provides financial assistance to cover some of the startup costs through the county’s business recycling grants . The county also provides free educational materials and on-site assistance to property owners and managers . Additionally, as of January 1, 2020, businesses that generate large quantities of food waste must implement food waste recycling in back-of-house operations .

Strategies

• Continue to support and fund residential and commercial organics recycling programs and implement business food waste recycling requirements and city residential organics recycling requirements .

• Develop organics recycling infrastructure by advancing anaerobic digestion and making improvements to the Brooklyn Park Transfer Station .

• Close the loop by increasing the use of compost in county projects .

• Expand organics collection and improve recycling at county facilities

Reuse and recycle construction and demolition waste

Materials widely used in construction, including cement, aluminum,

steel, and plastics, have some of the highest climate impacts . Many building materials have the potential to be salvaged and reused or recycled . In fact, about 85% of the materials in a typical demolition project could be salvaged for reuse and kept out of landfills . But currently, only about 30% of building materials are reused or recycled .

Strategies

• Require the salvage and recycling of construction and demolition waste at all county-funded building projects .

• Educate county contractors on building material reuse and recycling .

• Increase implementation of in-place pavement rehabilitation in road projects .

• Sustainably manage waste after disasters .


Understand the climate impacts of our purchases and mitigate the largest impacts

Engaging and educating residents, businesses, institutions, and cities will be

critical to both adapting to what lies ahead and taking action to reduce climate impacts . For materials and waste, this means engagement and education around the climate impacts of consumption and reducing the environmental impacts of waste . The county has several popular programs that shift consumer behavior by generating excitement about waste prevention, encouraging action on waste reduction and reuse, and partnering with organizations in the community to motivate behavior change . These include training Master Recycler/Composter volunteers, offering educational challenges for residents to reduce waste, go plastic-free and prevent food waste, and hosting Fix-It Clinics to encourage repair . The county also supports reuse retailers and encourages residents to shop used first through the Choose to Reuse program .

Strategies

• Use the results of a consumption-based emissions inventory to create a more comprehensive approach to climate change mitigation .

• Educate residents on the climate impacts of consumer choices and expand efforts that educate residents and businesses on the importance of waste prevention, recycling, and composting .

• Develop and implement a county sustainable purchasing policy on par with other leading public entities and provide sustainable purchasing best practices .

• Encourage purchases that prioritize reuse, durable goods, and avoiding disposables .

Advocate for state leadership on zero waste policies and producer responsibility

Minnesota statute requires metro counties achieve a 75% recycling rate by 2030 . Hennepin County supports this goal . However, despite implementing many new programs and policies aimed at reducing waste and increasing diversion over the past 20 years, it has been challenging for the county to achieve a diversion rate greater than 50% . A serious effort to reduce the amount of trash we are producing will require bold action from state leadership .

Strategies

• Support product stewardship and extended producer responsibility (EPR), especially for plastic packaging and single-use plastics .

• Support standards for product design that minimize environmental impacts, improve product durability and longevity, ensure the right to repair, and establishes producer responsibility for end-of-life management .

• Advocate for state funding and market development initiatives that align with climate action and zero waste goals .

• Advocate for additional authority and tools that would allow local government to implement climate action and zero waste strategies .

• Join the U .S . Plastics Pact, which brings together plastic packaging producers, brands, retailers, recyclers, and waste management companies to take coordinated action to tackle plastic waste and pollution .


Achieving more through collaboration

Partnership on Waste and Energy The Partnership on Waste and Energy (PWE) is a Joint Powers Agreement between the Ramsey/Washington Recycling & Energy Board and Hennepin County collaborating in areas of waste and energy management, including legislation and policy development, communication and outreach, planning and evaluation of waste processing, and other selected programs .

Anaerobic digestion development

PWE has been working with Great Plains Institute (GPI) since 2018 to explore anaerobic digestion as a technology to recover value from organic waste in Minnesota . In 2020, GPI built on previous work to identify specific steps that can facilitate the development of new anaerobic digestion projects in Minnesota . This was undertaken through additional stakeholder meetings, interviews, literature review and case studies . The project culminated in a report of policy and regulatory considerations available at recyclingandenergy.org/partnership-reports

New online training for hazardous waste generators

Businesses that generate hazardous waste are required to complete training through the county in which they operate . Due to the pandemic, offering this training in a classroom setting was not feasible, and, even before the pandemic, feedback from many businesses indicated a growing interest in an online training that could be completed at their convenience . County compliance staff identified an opportunity for collaboration and worked together to develop on-demand online training . The project also allowed the counties to offer the trainings in Spanish and include closed captioning . Additional languages will be added in the future .

Consumer education campaign on battery disposal and recycling

PWE developed a consumer education campaign on proper disposal of batteries to protect waste management facilities from fires and damage .

The campaign includes attention-grabbing visuals and straightforward calls to action in order to raise awareness about battery fire impacts, decrease improper disposal of batteries, and increase battery recycling at county household hazardous waste sites . By working in partnership, the campaign aims to reach a broad audience in the metro area with consistent messaging on battery disposal .

Statewide product stewardship committeeHennepin County staff play a leadership role in statewide product stewardship planning and policy . The Minnesota Product Stewardship Council dissolved in 2020 to become a committee of the Solid Waste Administrators Association (SWAA) . SWAA’s Product Stewardship Committee will develop a shared vision of product stewardship by all Minnesota counties and will coordinate on product stewardship efforts within Minnesota . Hennepin County staff held the position of chair in the Minnesota Product Stewardship Council in 2020 and will carry on that leadership role into the SWAA Product Stewardship Committee .


Focus on organicsOrganic materials make up 30% of trash, so recycling them is key to achieving a 75% recycling goal by 2030 and reducing the amount of waste we send to landfills . Diverting organics from the trash reduces emissions of greenhouse gases, especially methane, which is generated from the decomposition of organic materials in landfills .

Infrastructure developmentThe disruptions due to COVID-19 have highlighted the strain on organics processing capacity in the Twin Cities metro area . Additional capacity is needed to ensure the viability of existing organics recycling programs and support the development of new programs .

2020 results

• Contracted to complete the design for capital improvements to expand the county’s Brooklyn Park Transfer Station to manage more organic materials and remove contaminants . The county is pursuing state bonding for this project .

• Explored options to increase short-term organics processing capacity by supporting the development of additional compost sites . Only two compost sites now serve the metro area . Those sites are at or near capacity . Other sites have been permitted for composting but are not operational .

• Increase long-term organics processing capacity by preparing to move forward with anaerobic digestion .

• Worked with Transporation and other partners to use more compost in county projects .

• Provided more education on the need to reduce contamination in organics recycling and enforced stricter contamination standards for organics loads delivered to the county’s Brooklyn Park Transfer Station .

Progress on implementing master plan strategies

The impact of COVID-19 on compost site operations highlights need for increasing processing capacity and reducing contamination

Like many other businesses, the compost sites that serve the metro area experienced disruptions due to COVID-19 . The Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community (SMSC) site suspended organics deliveries for nearly a month in April 2020, and the Specialized Environmental Technologies (SET) site made temporary operational changes .

Prior to the pandemic, manual removal of contaminants, such as plastic and glass, was a critical part of operations . Manual sorting stopped during the pandemic as a precaution to protect the health and safety of employees .


Regulatory flexibility temporarily allowed alternative management options

Challenges related to COVID-19 reduced processing capacity at the compost sites, restricted the ability to remove contamination, and made it more difficult to meet quality standards and sell finished product . Because of these extenuating circumstances, some organics delivered for composting was landfilled rather than turned into compost in 2020 . The MPCA, recognizing the hardship that some regulated entities experienced as a result of COVID-19, offered regulatory flexibility to allow alternative management options while maintaining permit and regulatory compliance .

The MPCA worked closely with the Minnesota Department of Revenue, the Governor’s office, and the Legislature to pass legislation and grant regulatory flexibility with specific conditions to minimize the amount of organics sent to landfills . SET received regulatory flexibility in its operations with the intent of limiting employee contact with incoming organics for health and safety concerns related to COVID-19 .

Because of the lack of organics processing capacity, the county also received regulatory flexibility for the management of organics at the Brooklyn Park Transfer Station .

Reducing organics contamination

Effective September 8, 2020, Hennepin County began enforcing stricter contamination standards for organics recycling delivered to the county’s Brooklyn Park Transfer Station . Most organics recycling from Hennepin County is delivered to this facility before being sent to a compost site .

Organic materials collected at businesses, schools, multifamily properties, homes, and drop-off sites are delivered to commercial composting facilities . There, the materials are mixed with yard waste and processed to become compost, a nutrient-rich soil amendment . Compost is sold for use in landscaping, road construction, and garden projects .

In order for organics recycling programs to be sustainable, composters must receive organics with very low levels of noncompostable materials, or contamination . This change was a step to ensure the viability of organics recycling programs .

The commercial composting facilities that serve the Twin Cities metro were already reducing the amount of contamination they accepted at their facilities . Changes in their operations to reduce manual sorting due to COVID-19 heightened these concerns .

Receiving organics free of contamination allows local composters to consistently produce clean, nutrient-rich compost that people want to purchase and use . Compost that contains plastic, glass, and other contaminants is very difficult to sell and can only be used for low-end purposes . Hennepin County has been educating businesses and residents on the importance of knowing what’s accepted for organics recycling and sharing best practices for reducing contamination .

Important materials to keep out of the organics recycling


Food waste preventionBoth residents and businesses play a significant role in preventing and reducing food waste in our communities . The following are a few examples of ways the county supported residents and businesses in preventing food waste .

This year was an opportunity to go virtual to engage residents with the Stop Food Waste Challenge, which is an extension of the Zero Waste Challenge . The month-long challenge included more than 40 actions to choose from in five categories . As participants reported what actions they successfully completed, the challenge platform calculated the estimated impact of their actions .

To support businesses and nonprofit organizations in preventing food waste, the county board allocated $100,000 in funding to support the continued operation of Second Harvest Heartland’s Minnesota Central Kitchen . The program rescues food that would otherwise go to waste and uses it to provide meals to those in need employing restaurant staff who would otherwise be out of work . The program started in April 2020 in partnership with Chowgirls Catering and Loaves & Fishes in response to the COVID-19 pandemic .

Providing meals to people experiencing food insecurity aligns with the county’s goals of reducing racial disparities in health, and preventing food waste helps meet the county’s goals of reducing waste and greenhouse gas emissions .

Stop Food Waste Challenge impacts

The reported actions from 212 participants in the Stop Food Waste Challenge had the following impacts:

• 50 pounds of food waste prevented,

• More than 500 pounds of carbon dioxide emissions avoided

• Over 250 pounds of organic material composted

• Almost 80 zero-waste meals prepared

Minnesota Central Kitchen: rescuing food and addressing food insecurity

Minnesota Central Kitchen initially employed 139 people and provided 45,000 meals per week to people experiencing food insecurity .

Most of the food used to make the meals is surplus donated food from food retailers and hospitality industry businesses .

Since the start of the pandemic in March 2020, Second Harvest Heartland has seen demand for food in their service area increase by an average of 22% . Across Minnesota, it’s estimated that an additional 150,000 people, including more than 67,000 kids, have faced food insecurity in the past year .


Master Recycler/Composter volunteers rescue food to help people in need

In 2020, Master Recycler/Composter volunteers spent 62 hours picking up donated food from restaurants and catering and delivering it to shelters and other human services nonprofit organizations .

Partners included The Food Group, Second Harvest Heartland, Minnesota Central Kitchen, Chowgirls Catering, Dream of Wild Health, and Minneapolis Farmers Markets .

Through food rescue, volunteers directly supported 781 residents!

2020 results

• Developed a three-year plan for addressing food waste in Hennepin County .

• Provided funding to Second Harvest Heartland’s new Minnesota Central Kitchen program which employs restaurant staff who would otherwise be unemployed as a result of the pandemic to feed those in need .

• Developed and launched a one-month online Stop Food Waste Challenge for Hennepin County residents .

• Continued to educate residents on the importance of food waste prevention through our Zero Waste Challenge and Master Recycler/Composter programs .

• Continued to participate in the City of Minneapolis’ Food Council, which supports a local food system with a focus on sustainability and is developing the Minneapolis Food Action Plan, which includes a segment on waste prevention and disposal .

• Provided funding to food rescue organizations to purchase refrigerators and freezers to expand their capacity to rescue and redistribute food .

• Hosted a GreenCorps member to work on food waste prevention projects at schools, multifamily properties, and county facilities .

• Connected Master Recycler/Composter volunteers to food rescue opportunities .

hours volunteered62

residents supported781


Organics recycling requirements

On November 27, 2018, the Hennepin County Board of Commissioners approved revisions to the county’s recycling ordinance (ordinance 13) . These changes required businesses that generate large quantities of food waste to implement food waste recycling by January 1, 2020 . Cities are required to provide residents access to curbside organics recycling service by 2022 .

2020 results

• Sent mailings in January to business owners to remind them of the food waste recycling requirements that went into effect on January 1, 2020 .

• Developed training modules that business owners can use to help train their staff to properly sort organics . These training modules are available hennepin.us/businessorganics under education and training resources .

• Completed a self-reporting form for business owners to report on their organics, food donation, and food waste prevention programs .

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the priority on protecting public health, no additional outreach was completed to businesses on the food waste recycling requirement . Disruptions in the hospitality industry resulted in temporary closures or shifting business models to takeout for many restaurants . Delays in outreach and enforcement continue because of the financial impacts on sectors covered within the food waste recycling requirement and challenges with compost sites .


Waste prevention and reuseHennepin County offers programs such as the Join the Circle and Choose to Reuse campaign, monthly Fix-It Clinics, and Zero Waste Challenges to encourage waste reduction and reuse . To reach its waste reduction goals, the county also targets specific materials that represent the largest percentage of reusable goods found in the trash, including food waste, wood, textiles, furniture, and household goods .

Choose to ReuseHennepin County encourages residents to support local reuse, rental, and repair retailers through the Choose to Reuse program, which includes the online Choose to Reuse Directory . Residents’ buying choices and where they shop can protect the environment and support the local economy .

The resale business sector is strong and continuing to grow, but many local shops are competing with e-commerce marketplaces . Because of this, they recognize the power of partnering within their community to grow their local businesses .

Join the Circle campaign provides free support to reuse retailers

The county launched a new campaign – Join the Circle – that provides a free marketing program for reuse retailers and discounts to residents . The program aims to highligh the benefits of buying used and encourages consumers to shop at local reuse retailers .

Individual consumers interested in buying used can sign up to Join the Circle and receive valuable waste reduction tips, discounts, and exclusive previews for sale events .

Participating retailers receive:

• Exclusive trainings and resources related to merchandising, marketing, social media, and operations .

• Marketing initiatives developed and deployed by Hennepin County to increase awareness and drive new customers to their store .

• Access to Join the Circle content that they can share with existing and prospective customers to deepen their relationships with them .

• Inclusion in a reuse retailer community that shares advice and support among members .



2020 results:

• Launched neighborhood targeted content and paid promotion to support retailers .

• Recruited 50 retailers to sign up for Join the Circle in February 2020, and, after a delay to August 2020, debuted the Join the Circle marketing program with 18 retailers .

• Published a calendar of events and 16 articles related to reuse . The articles continue to be popular on the county’s social media .

• Supported Hennepin County retailers with training and resources in marketing and merchandising by hosting six online events in 2020 .

• Reached 155,000 county residents via Facebook content, achieving more than 500,000 impressions .

• More than tripled monthly page views to the Choose to Reuse website, increasing from 5,000 to more than 16,000 .

• Acquired more than 1,200 subscribers to Choose to Reuse: Tips, Events and Join the Circle email subscriptions

Fix-It ClinicsHennepin County Fix-It Clinics provide free, hands-on assistance from knowledgeable volunteers in disassembling, troubleshooting, and repairing household items . In June, the program pivoted to a virtual option in which volunteers helped residents repair their items at home .

2020 results

• Continued to teach valuable repair skills and build community by virtually connecting Fix-It Clinic volunteers to those in need of repair assistance .

• Found creative ways for Fix-It Clinic volunteers to use their skills to help other programs . For example, a Fix-It Clinic volunteer teamed up with Master Recycler program managers to create upcycled nametags for new volunteers by collecting and reusing old license plates .

Going virtual provides opportunity for larger repairs

Virtual repair assistance provided Fix-It Clinic volunteers the opportunity to help people repair larger items that can’t be brought into a clinic, such as a dishwasher and closet doors .


Deconstruction and pre-demolition inspections

In an effort to divert waste from landfills, Hennepin County began providing incentives to homeowners and developers to deconstruct structures rather than demolish them . Deconstruction involves carefully dismantling buildings to salvage materials for reuse . Commonly salvaged building materials include old growth lumber, doors, flooring, cabinets and fixtures .

Deconstruction provides an opportunity to divert up to 85% of construction and demolition waste and provides numerous environmental and social benefits compared to standard demolition . The new incentive program launched in 2020 makes deconstruction a more affordable option by offering up to $5,000 to homeowners and developers to offset the added time and labor for deconstruction projects .

Construction and demolition projects can also reveal hazardous materials, such as asbestos, items containing mercury or lead like fluorescent light bulbs and batteries, appliances, electronics, paint, and pesticides . Managing these types of hazardous wastes properly is important for protecting public health and the environment .

2020 results:

• Launched deconstruction grant program to provide funds for residents and property owners to use deconstruction techniques to salvage building materials from home renovation and removal projects as an alternative to standard mechanical demolition .

• Partnered with 17 cities to participate as hosts of the program . In 2020, cities were required to participate in the pre-demolition inspection program for residents to be eligible for grants .

• Contracted with Better Futures Minnesota to fully deconstruct six buildings and partially deconstruct 31 buildings within the county, diverting about 1,090 tons of material from landfills and provided job training for 84 people .

Deconstruction grants successfully salvage building materials

In the first year of awarding deconstruction grants:

• 16 projects totaling over $65,000 were awarded

• More than 550 tons of building materials diverted from landfills*, including:

– 113 tons of materials salvaged for reuse

– 437 tons of materials recycling

*for the 14 projects completed in 2020 – two projects are wrapping up in 2021


• Provided education and outreach to residents, contractors, and other partners to reduce construction and demolition waste and properly manage hazardous waste from demolition sites by launching websites and creating print materials with tips, guidelines, and contacts for salvage and recycling organizations and by giving presentations at virtual conferences and meetings .

• Completed pre-demolition inspections to ensure proper management of hazardous materials prior to demolition .

– Conducted 189 pre-demolition inspections, including 95 in-person inspections and 94 document-only inspections as an alternative to in-person visits in response to COVID-19 .

– Worked with 81 unique contractors to coordinate the pre-demolition inspections and follow up .

– Added 13 cities to the inspection program in 2020, partnering with a total of 17 cities on the pre-demolition inspection and deconstruction grants .

• Identified properties damaged in the civil unrest following the murder of George Floyd to ensure waste from demolition activity was managed properly .

• Participated in the MPCA’s year-long sustainable building material workgroup to provide guidance on changing the traditional construction and demolition waste system by focusing on upstream initiatives such as waste prevention, reuse, and recycling .

Waste prevention at schools and businesses

To support schools and businesses in improving recycling and reducing waste, the county provides funding, free container signage and educational materials, and technical assistance .

2020 results

• Reserved $50,000 in school recycling grant funding for waste reduction projects, such as for food rescue or donation and to switch from disposable items to reusables . Allocated $28,231 of the grant funds for items like reusable utensils and water bottle fillers to reduce waste from single-use plastic utensils and water bottles .

• Designed a waste prevention grant program for businesses to be launched in 2021 . The program focuses on preventing waste, including preventing food waste, reusing goods and materials, and developing and using recovered products . Provided $71,700 of grant funds for items such as refillable takeout containers, dish washers, reusable utensils and refrigerators or freezers .


Engaging residents through education and outreachHennepin County promotes environmental stewardship by raising awareness about changes in recycling programs, generating excitement about waste reduction, and partnering with organizations in the community to motivate behavior change .

Zero Waste ChallengeThe Zero Waste Challenge launched in September 2016 to help participants develop a lower-waste lifestyle . The challenge continues to successfully

help residents reduce the average amount of waste generated per person . The challenge often helps participants get started with composting – whether that be curbside collection, drop-off, backyard, or a combination of methods – to achieve high recycling rates as well as improve recycling and reduce wish-cycling of items that are not recyclable .

To help expand participation, an online version of the Zero Waste Challenge launched in 2020 with two rounds of the challenge offered – a general Zero Waste Challenge and a food-specific, Stop Food Waste Challenge . These two challenges engaged more than 600 residents in taking more than 2,800 actions . Common actions included decluttering, stopping wish-cycling, reducing junk mail, completing a waste audit, taking a food inventory, creating a weekly meal plan, establishing an “eat first” area in the fridge, and learning how to properly store food .


Zero Waste Challenge participants reduce waste despite stay-at-home order

The 2019 to 2020 round of the challenge wrapped up in May 2020, with 41 households successfully completing the 8-month program .

Through the challenge, average waste generation decreased from 1 .62 pounds per person per day to 1 .53 pounds . This success happened despite the stay-at-home order and a dramatic shift in lifestyle for many people that led to higher residential waste volumes across the country .

Some of the actions that led to success for the participants include:

• Choosing cloth diapering

• Cutting back on online purchases

• Getting off junk mail lists

• Making green cleaning products

• •Sewing reusable masks out of old T-shirts

• Starting composting

• Using reusable menstrual products

2020 results

• Engaged 427 participants in taking more than 2,300 actions during the first online Zero Waste Challenge, which ran for six weeks in May and June . Participants reported composting over 1,000 pounds of waste, avoiding 1,400 pounds of waste through waste reduction actions, and avoiding over 600 plastic items .

• Interacted with 212 people participated in the four-week Stop Food Waste Challenge . Participants completed more than 500 actions, resulting in over 500 pounds of carbon dioxide avoided, over 150 pounds of wasted food prevented, and almost 250 pounds of food scraps composted .


Master Recycler/Composter volunteersMaster Recycler/Composter volunteers learn about waste prevention, recycling, and composting from industry experts and tours of waste processing facilities during a six-week course . They then commit to volunteering 30 hours inspiring others in their communities to reduce waste, recycle more, and compost through activities such as answering questions at events and designing and implementing waste reduction and recycling projects .

Spring and fall Master Recycler/Composter classes were offered online for the first time along with an online refresher course for current Master Recyclers .

Master Recycler/Composter volunteers found creative and safe ways to volunteer, including helping ReUSE Minnesota salvage plywood, labeling recycling carts for the City of Minneapolis, participating in food rescue operations, and educating their communities virtually .

2020 results:

• Trained 86 volunteers through two online training courses .

• Hosted an online refresher course for current Master Recyclers that had 75 attendees, including some participants who first completed their training in 2011!

• Received payback hours submissions from volunteers totaling more than 280 hours . Volunteers directly engaged with 4,790 residents and supported events and activities that impacted 17,789 residents .

Green Partners environmental education programThrough the Green Partners environmental education program, the county provides funding, activity supplies, field trip transportation, and project support to organizations that empower residents to reduce waste and increase recycling .

Throughout 2020, the county supported grantees in shifting their project plans and outreach approaches to comply with health and safety guidelines and meet the needs of their communities . Where needed, the county helped grantees extend their project timeline to give them more time to successfully work with their communities .

2020 results:

• Received a record 53 applications for grants in June . Awarded 20 grants - 13 youth environmental education grants and 7 action grants focusing on motivating adults to take environmental actions .

• Supported 38 community groups in engaging more than 11,500 people in environmental education projects . Many of these partner organizations reach underserved populations, including youth, seniors, families, multicultural residents, and low-income individuals .


– Recycling and disposing of packaging waste from online shopping purchases and common waste created during the holidays

– Reducing contamination in organics recycling to ensure the sustainability of organics recycling programs

– Reducing waste and increasing recycling in home remodeling projects

– Supporting reuse retailers and staying safe while thrift shopping

• Created a new virtual HERC tour video for partners and residents to use while tours of the Brooklyn Park Drop-off Facility and HERC were suspended .

• Engaged more than 2,100 residents at five events in January, February, and March before COVID-19 restrictions put in-person events on-hold for the rest of the year .

• Promoted the Green Disposal Guide, an online guide to help residents find information on the best way to recycle, reuse, or dispose of household items . The guide was visited by 91,879 unique visitors .

Outreach and communication efforts

Outreach and communication efforts engage our community and partners in developing the knowledge, skills, attitudes and motivation to work individually and collectively towards sustaining a healthy environment .

2020 results:

• Kept residents up to date on service changes and new health and safety guidelines .

• Ensured downloadable recycling signs and educational materials were available when physical orders temporarily could not be filled, and worked to reopen orders safely to make these valuable materials available to partners .

• Promoted waste prevention, recycling, proper disposal, and health and safety practices by providing tips and resources on the following topics:

– Adopting low-waste practices while at home

– Cleaning and disinfecting safely and properly storing hazardous waste while drop-off facilities were closed

– Preventing food waste

1. Face coverings required*Masks are available if neededEveryone in all county public spaces is required to wear face coverings that cover both mouth and nose and are secured to the head with ties or ear loops.

2. Stay in your vehicle unless otherwise directed by staff

*This requirement does not apply to children under 2 or to people who have a medical condition or religious practice that prevents them from wearing a face covering.

Keeping safe


At homeRecycling, organics, and trash service depends on where you live . Cities provide recycling service to most houses and smaller multifamily buildings (those with two to eight units) . This service is commonly referred to as single-family curbside recycling . Larger, multi-unit residential buildings have waste services provided by the property owner or manager .

City recycling programsCOVID-19 had numerous impacts on city recycling programs . The amount of residential waste generated increased in 2020, and residents showed a renewed interest in recycling and waste . This is likely because residents were staying at home and taking closer note of what they were throwing away .

While some cities were able to offer city cleanup events with increased safety protocols, others were unable to host their events as usual and instead worked to communicate alternate disposal options .

Cities continued to provide waste services to their residents through the uncertainty and changes brought on by COVID-19, including increased difficulties with handling yard waste in early spring .

2020 results

• Awarded $1 .8 million to cities to support their recycling programs . To receive a grant, cities were required to meet the terms of the county’s residential funding policy .

• Assisted cities with promotional efforts and sending residential guides to residents to increase consistent use of terminology and recycling messages .

• Continued to participate in the Recycling Education Committee, a statewide group formed by the MPCA to support the development

of better recycling education and outreach . Representatives from the recycling industry, local government, and other organizations met regularly to build consensus on what is universally accepted, coordinate consistent messaging to the public, and improve communication .

• Provided technical assistance to cities on recycling RFPs and contracts . City recycling contracts allow cities to communicate consistent educational messages, provide a variety of resources, and deliver the best overall price for service .

Multifamily recyclingHennepin County offers resources and support to improve recycling at apartments, condos, and townhomes . Educational materials, container labels, and staff assistance are available to help property managers educate residents on

what is recyclable and improve recycling rates . The county is also focusing on increasing recycling service levels and encouraging reuse by partnering with local retailers to collect reusable materials from residents on-site at multifamily complexes .

2020 results:

• Provided support to improve recycling to more than 12,000 units at 94 properties .

• Sent a mailing in January to multifamily property owners to remind them of the recycling collection and education requirements that went into effect on January 1, 2020 .

Progress on implementing master plan strategies:Serving residents where they are


City organics recycling programs

The county and cities are focused on offering more organics recycling opportunities and increasing participation in organics recycling programs . Cities offer different ways to participate in organics recycling, including through citywide programs, through specific haulers, and with drop-offs .

Organics recycling availability, participation, and amount collected have been gradually increasing . Currently, more than 76,000 households, or 20% of households in the county, participate in city organics recycling programs . All cities in the county are required to make organics recycling service available to households with curbside recycling service by 2022 .

Residential organicstons collected

2020 results

• Provided $1 .8 million in SCORE funding to 32 cities for the purpose of increasing organics diversion . Cities used the funding in a variety of ways, including to promote their programs, increase educational efforts, offset the cost of service, and provide supplies such as compostable bags and kitchen pails to participants . The county allocated 50% of SCORE funding to organics recycling in 2020 .

• Supported cities in the launch and expansion of organics recycling programs . Participation in organics rose by 28% from 59,300 households in 2019 to 76,029 households in 2020 . Notable efforts include:

– Edina launched organized curbside organics program, collecting 787 tons of materials since the program launched in June 2020 . The county partnered with the city by developing educational materials and promotional brochures to encourage participation .

– Robbinsdale’s organics recycling program has increased to 429 participants since launching in 2019 .

• Assisted cities with promotional efforts and sending recycling and organics recycling guides to residents . Cities used county terminology and images and provided messages through a variety of channels including direct mail, newsletters, websites, social media, and city events .

• Provide technical assistance on organics RFPs and contracts to support cities in meeting the requirement to establish organics programs before January 1, 2022 . City recycling contracts allow cities to communicate consistent educational messages, provide a variety of resources, and deliver the best overall price for service .

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Organics drop-off sitesOrganics drop-off sites increase access to organics recycling for

all residents, especially those living in multifamily properties without access to city recycling service or those in cities that don’t offer service . Drop-offs also raise awareness about what organics recycling is, why it is important, and how to get started .

2020 results

• Supported Minneapolis in opening a new organics drop-off at Bryant Square Park in June .

• Increased participation in city drop-offs, with collection at Bloomington drop-offs increasing by 40% from 69 tons in 2019 to 96 tons in 2020 . Richfield remained at 23 tons .

Backyard compostingTo increase backyard composting, the Environment and Energy department

partners with Hennepin County Sentencing to Service to build compost bins from cedar and wire mesh . The county also offered online composting webinars to help residents learn how to compost .

2020 results:

• Sold 130 compost bins at the drop-off facility in Brooklyn Park, where compost bins are available year-round . Community compost bin events were cancelled due to COVID-19 .

• Hosted five online backyard composting workshops that provided training and education to over 215 residents .

At workSome businesses could be composting up to 50% of the materials that currently go in the trash .

Hennepin County offers technical assistance, grants, and educational materials to help businesses start recycling their food waste .

Hennepin County has provided grants since 2013 as well as technical assistance and educational materials to businesses and nonprofit organizations as an incentive to start and improve recycling and organics recycling efforts and reduce waste . Businesses that have received grants have successfully increased the amount of materials they divert from the trash .

2020 results

• Awarded $388,000 in grants to 71 organizations .

• Fulfilled 200 orders for more than 33,600 posters and labels for recycling, organics recycling, and trash containers .

• Responded to more than 155 calls and emails for assistance from businesses .

• Redesigned the business recycling grant program to create a more streamlined container and bag program to improve access to small businesses .


At schoolNearly 80% of school waste is recyclable or compostable . The county has provided assistance and grants to schools for waste reduction, recycling, and organics recycling projects since 2002 . School staff and students are educated on waste reduction and recycling through free recycling signage and educational materials and bi-monthly school recycling meetings . Classroom presentations were limited for most of the year since students were in distance learning mode .

2020 results:

• Awarded $154,900 in grants to 37 schools to reduce waste or start or improve recycling and organics recycling programs . Helped schools adjust their project plans due to distance/hybrid learning models .

• Presented lessons on waste reduction, recycling, and organics recycling to 500 students at seven schools .

• Delivered 116 cubic yards of free compost in partnership with the Mulch Store to 29 schools to close the loop on organics recycling .

• Held four school recycling meetings for staff and volunteers to learn about waste management best practices and sustainability . The January meeting involved a tour of a paper recycling facility . The other three meetings were held virtually, which also allowed more school staff to attend .

At events and on the goFor many years, Hennepin County has made portable recycling and organics recycling containers available to event organizers at no cost . In early 2020, the portable event container program was transitioned to the cities of Brooklyn Park and Hopkins, making containers more readily available throughout the county .

The portable containers were not used in 2020 due to the widespread cancellation of in-person events . The county will continue to partner with Brooklyn Park and Hopkins to provide the containers for future events .

Survey results: sustained success of school recycling grants

As part of our ongoing analysis of school recycling projects, grantees are surveyed one to two years after their grant project ends . Grantees from the 2015 and 2016 grant rounds were surveyed between November 2019 and January 2020 . About 50% of the former grantees surveyed responded .

Of those who responded:

• 100% of responding schools were continuing their projects

• Free recycling container signage from the county was one of the most popular resources highlighted by former grantees . In response to COVID-19 restrictions, the container signage order form was download-only for six months in 2020 . We will continue to offer free signage to schools in the future .



Promoting drop-offs for hazardous waste and additional recyclables

Many items that aren’t accepted in residential recycling programs can still be recycled through drop-offs . There are also items that contain hazardous materials that must be kept out of the trash because they can harm our health or the environment .

To ensure proper disposal of hazardous items, the county operates permanent drop-off facilities in Bloomington and Brooklyn Park for residents to bring appliances, electronics, and household hazardous wastes .

After being shut down for parts of March and April due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the drop-off facilities reopened in May with new procedures and changes in operations to keep staff and residents safe while ensuring they could still manage hazardous waste and recyclables .

With many people doing house projects and cleaning out their homes this year, the drop-off facilities received a record number of visitors in the fall who dropped off more waste per person than average .

In addition to disposal services for residents, operations continued without pause at the Brooklyn Park Transfer Station and the Hennepin Energy Recovery Center . These facilities are vital in keeping the solid waste system operational .

2020 results

• Served more than 128,000 residents and collected over 3,500 tons of household hazardous waste and problem materials at county drop-off facilities and collection events .

• Held two hazardous waste collection events at sites large enough to ensure proper distancing . The two events, each held over two days, had nearly 1,800 residents dropping off over 110,000 pounds of waste, or 62 pounds per participant .

• Collected more than 1 million pounds of cardboard . While many waste streams were down due to COVID-19, the amount of cardboard increased by 14% .

• Fielded more than 22,500 calls from residents . Call center staff spent more than 600 hours responding to resident questions .

MedicineSome medicine boxes were closed intermittently due to COVID-19 and civil unrest in 2020 . No medicine collection events at senior living facilities were hosted to keep residents and county staff safe . Despite this, medicine collection was only down 34 percent .

2020 results

• Collected nearly 13,000 pounds of medicine at drop boxes operated in partnership with the county .

• Promoted medicine disposal options at 55 medicine drop boxes – 23 of the boxes are operated in partnership with the county and 32 are operated by independent pharmacies .


Mattress recyclingHennepin County and Second Chance Recycling have partnered on recycling and environmental services since the early 1980s . Second Chance is a Minneapolis-based nonprofit run by EMERGE that provides transitional employment opportunities for people with barriers to employment .

In recent years, the demand for the mattress recycling service has outpaced capacity, so the county recently provided $400,000 to Second Chance to expand processing capacity and improve efficiency .

Recycling options for mattresses were limited due to COVID-19 restrictions . The Hennepin County drop-off facility in Brooklyn Park had to discontinue collection of mattresses to ensure safety of staff and residents as they require two people to carry, which doesn’t allow for physical distancing . Pickup service was still available direct through Second Chance Recycling in Minneapolis in the eastern part of the county .

2020 results

• Collected 340 mattress and box springs from apartments and condos and over 1,350 from single-family homes in Hennepin County .

• Collected 1,200 mattresses and box springs from residents at the Brooklyn Park Transfer Station prior to closure due to the COVID-19 pandemic . After reopening, mattresses were not collected due to safety concerns .

PaintPaint is one of the most common materials brought to the Hennepin County drop-off facilities or collection events for recycling .

2020 results

• Collected nearly 1 .7 million pounds of paint at county drop-off facilities and events .

• Promoted availability of paint disposal at 40 independent sites that partner with PaintCare, including hardware stores and paint stores . These independent sites collected 821,543 pounds of paint .

• Received $634,900 from PaintCare for costs related to paint disposal .

Mattress recycling milestone: Half a million mattresses recycled

In 2008, Second Chance Recycling launched a mattress recycling program with start-up funding provided Hennepin County .

In November 2020, the program hit a major milestone: 500,000 mattresses recycled!

That’s more than 40,000 mattresses recycled each year over the 12 years of the program, and it adds up to thousands of tons of steel, foam, wood, and cotton diverted from landfills .

Second Chance is able to recover over 90 percent of the materials in mattresses . The steel springs can be made into new steel products, foam is recycled into new foam products such as carpet padding, wood is used as animal bedding, and cotton is recycled into a filtration media such as oil filters for large equipment .


Recovering resources from the trash

Despite the focus on diverting materials from the trash through waste reduction, reuse, recycling, and organics recycling, residents and businesses put almost 719,000 tons of stuff in the trash in 2020 . This amounts to more than 1,100 pounds per person . There are two options for managing waste that remains after recycling: burning it to recover resources or burying it in a landfill .

Processing waste to generate energy is environmentally preferable to landfilling, and climate experts recognize waste-to-energy’s potential as a transitional solution because it:

• Reduces methane emissions by keeping waste out of landfills .

• Recovers scrap metal – more than twice the amount of metal collected in city curbside programs is recovered and recycling from the waste stream at HERC every year . Recycling steel requires 60% less energy than producing steel from iron ore .

• Creates baseload electricity and steam that might otherwise be sourced from coal or gas-fired power plants . HERC produces enough electricity to power 25,000 homes and provides steam to the downtown Minneapolis district energy system and Target Field .

Waste delivered to HERC is processed close to where it is produced, minimizing the transportation of waste and associated truck emissions .

The county expects waste-to-energy to decline in importance as waste prevention, reuse, recycling and composting become more widely adopted . There is still a lot of trash created by residents and business, and we need to manage it responsibly . HERC makes environmental sense until we have successfully diverted most organic materials (food waste, paper and wood) from the trash . Until then, HERC operates with stringent safety standards and meets all air permit requirements .

2020 results

• Recovered more than 15,688 tons of metal for recycling .

• Met state law to process trash before landfilling with 329,300 tons of trash delivered to HERC .

• Cleaned and treated air emissions at HERC to remain well below MPCA permitted levels .

HERC emissions as a percent of MPCA permit limit


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Hennepin County Environment and Energy

hennepin.us/solidwasteplanning [email protected] 612-348-3777

recycling progress report - hennepin county

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