Dakota County, Minnesota Recycling
A look at the Dakota County Reduce and Reuse map. Use it to find local repair, rental, and donation options near you. Use filters to search for options ranging from clothing drop-off sites to shoe repair. For more, you can go to: https://www.co.dakota.mn.us/Environment/Residential/Reduce/Pages/default.aspx
One thing Minnesota does a great job of is recycling. In fact, from 2019 to 2020, the entire state increased the year-on-year (YOY) combined recycling and organic rate by 1.5% from 42.1% to 43.6%. This means, that of all the waste produced in this state, 43.6% of that waste is separated, recycled, or reused. Taking a look more locally, Dakota County saw an increase in waste produced of 10.7% from 2019 to 2020. It also saw an increase in the recycling rate of 14.9%, for a YOY from 40.2% up to 55.1%. This is important to note because the County has a goal to recycle or compost 75% of its trash by 2030 to comply with a state law that was revised back in 2015.
Over the last few months, I have seen a handful of questions in regards how to get rid of yard waste, where and how to get rid of a mattresses, and other very related topics. So I did some digging and found a handful of very helpful resources that I’d like to share with all the residents of Dakota County.
Recycling at Home
This is likely something many of us already know but is also something everyone can use a refresher on. For example, what items can and can’t be recycled in our roadside bins? How do I properly prepare an item to be recycled? The below graphic from Dakota County does a great job explaining just that!
As you can see, most items are accepted when it comes to recycling. There are a few items that are not accepted that I see people still try to recycle, so I wanted to mention those quick. Those two items are plastic bags and styrofoam. These two items are not accepted by the local recycling program and can actually cause more harm than good when one includes them with their recyclables. This includes putting any of your recyclables in a plastic bag. The local recycling program wants an open container system, or as their slogan says, “keep it loose in your recycling bins.” So plastic bags should not be used, nor should they be thrown into your recycling bins. Instead, bring these plastic bags to your local grocery store as they oftentimes have containers for recycling them.
Another common thing I see is pizza boxes. Pizza boxes are not able to be recycled because they have been soiled with food or food grease. This is also true for fast food bags. If there are grease or grease marks on them, you can’t recycle them.
Dakota County Organic Drop Site Program
Did you know that there are 8 different locations across the County where you can drop off your organic food scraps? Organic waste, otherwise known as food waste, makes up 31% of all trash. That is followed by 25% paper, 26% other, and 18% plastics. Taking food waste out of the trash not only puts less trash in our landfills, but it also reduces how much methane is produced at the landfills. Instead this food waste can be turned into fertilizer and compost which can be recycled and reused for healthier, more fertile soil.
Things that can be collected and thrown away include; baked and dry goods, coffee grounds, dairy products, eggs and eggshells, meat, fish and bones, fruits, vegetables, and shells from nuts. Basically any and all food waste! They also accept non-recyclable like paper towels, napkins, tissues, coffee filters, and trimmings from household plants. They ask that if you are going to recycle these products though, please make sure they don’t have any bleach or cleaning agents in or on them.
Items that they do not accept include; cleaning or baby wipes, diapers, sanitary products, pet waste, litter, or bedding, any form of plastic/sytrofoam, or yard waste.
If you are interested in joining this free program, you can sign up online at the following link: Organic Drop off Signup
Electronics, Tires, Batteries, Household Chemicals
Do you have electronics, batteries, tires, hazardous materials, or used oils/fluids that you need to get rid of? The Recycling Zone in Eagan, Minnesota is where you can go! Most things can be dropped off and recycled here for free. For a full list of all the items they accept and any fees, you can go to the following link: The Recycling Center
Mattresses, Box Springs, Furniture, and more!
For additional information on how to recycle various items from plastic plant pots & trays, mattresses & box springs, furniture, and yard waste you can go to the following link from Dakota County and search any of these items and quickly get a list of locations that will accept these items: Recycling Guide
Dakota County Reduce & Reuse Map
One final valuable resource I want to talk about is the Dakota County Reduce & Reuse Map that you saw an example of at the beginning of this article. This helpful map will help you find a local repair, rental, and donation locations all across the County.
This map also features an easy to use filters, so you can more easily find what it is you might be looking for. An example of those filters and some of the things the map includes can be found below. If you want to explore the map, you can click the link provided above.