Reduce Waste, Reuse Resources: Organics Recycling Plan for the City of Ramsey, MN

Abstract

This project was completed as part of the 2017-2018 Resilient Communities Project (rcp.umn.edu) partnership with the City of Ramsey. The state of Minnesota is requiring municipalities to have a plan to divert 75% of waste from landfills by the year 2020. Many municipalities, including the City of Ramsey, are looking to organics recycling as a means to reach this goal. Many residents wish to have the option of recycling yard waste with other organic waste, such as food scraps. Recycling both yard waste and food waste requires special equipment and waste hauling protocols, making it difficult for cities to accomplish. Students in SUST 4004: Sustainable Communities, taught by Amir Nadav, investigated how other communities have accomplished this mixed-organics recycling system by interviewing stakeholders and staff in communities that have implemented similar programs. Based on these interviews and other research, the student team assembled a collection of best practices and case studies. The students’ final report is available.