A lot of the trash we throw away gets buried in landfills or burned in the HERC incinerator in downtown Minneapolis, which is the biggest producer of toxic air emissions in the county, according to the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency. Much of what we toss can be recycled, composted, reused, repaired, given away, or maybe never purchased in the first place. Some of the recycling rules are complicated, so here are some tips to help! 

Curbside Recycling 

Plastic

• You can recycle plastic containers with the numbers 1, 2 or 5 inside the recycling triangle.
  • This includes most water, soda, juice, milk, ketchup, salad dressing, shampoo, yogurt, disposable plastic iced coffee cups, dish soap and detergent containers.
  • Items without numbers or numbers other than 1, 2 or 5 can’t be recycled.
  • Black plastic—no matter what the number is never recyclable. The laser sorters can’t read the numbers  and there is no use for recycled black so try to avoid buying stuff in black plastic, ask stores to stop using it  or find another use for it.
• Leave plastic caps on.
• Make sure to rinse items!
  • They can’t be recycled if they’re contaminated with food or other substances.

Glass

• Make sure your item is rinsed clean.
• Remove any metal or plastic lids.
• Drinking glasses, window glass and broken glass shouldn’t go in curbside recycling.
  • It could hurt the people who sort the recycling materials.

Aluminum & Metal

• Again, make sure to rinse out any food
• Leave metal lids attached or jammed inside
  • If not, lids are too small, fall through sorters and are thrown away.
    • Items smaller than 3×3 are usually also too small
• Do not crush cans
• Don’t recycle metal containers that held pesticides or similar chemicals

Paper & Cardboard

• Flatten cardboard
• Paper, envelopes and newspaper are all recyclable
• Loose, shredded paper is not recyclable
  • Put it inside a paper bag, staple it closed and write “shredded paper” on the bag before recycling.

Other Tips

• Don’t flatten anything except cardboard .
  • The laser sorters at the recycling center can’t tell what a smashed can is or what number a smashed plastic container is – so leave everything but cardboard in its original shape so it can be sorted properly.  
• Anything in a plastic bag gets thrown away.
  • Plastic bags jam up the sorting machines and the machines have to be stopped for hours to get the bags off the sorting rollers.

Other Recycling Sites 

Thin Plastic (You can poke your figure through)

• These items can be recycled at Cub or Target or placed in one of our Ridwell containers
  • Examples: plastic grocery bags, ziploc bags, cereal box liners, bubble wrap, bread bags, newspaper bags.
  • Don’t put these items in curbside recycling.

Crinkly Plastic or Multi-Layer Plastic

• These can only go in the Ridwell box for Multi-Layer Plastics, NEVER in curbside recycling or at grocery stores.
• Examples: candy wrappers, cookie bags, potato chip and snack bags, plastic bags fruits and veggies come in, coffee bags, ramen noodle packets, netting clementines or avocados come in, potting soil bags (if rinsed)
• Hard plastic blister packs (the ones that are impossible to open!!) can go in the Tare cycle box in the kitchen or downstairs near the RE classrooms.

Aluminum Foil & Metal

• Can be recycled at places like Express Metal
  • We will again be collecting all kinds of metals in May
    • Proceeds will go= to the youth trip to Boston,
• Rinse off sheets of foil and ball them all up.
• All other metals can also go to Express Metals

Styrofoam

• Goes in the orange Ridwell bags
• Examples: clean styrofoam cups, thin flex foam, packing peanuts, clean takeout containers (no meat trays)

Lightbulbs & Batteries

• LED, CFL and incandescents  all go in the Ridwell bin
• Batteries can be dropped off in the small bag inside the metal Ridwell bin
  • Also recyclable at drop off sites

Textiles

• Clothing, shoes, fabric scraps and other textiles can go to Ridwell.
• Clothing in good condition can be donated to shelters or thrift stores,or sold at garage sales and reused by someone else – that’s net zero waste!

Compost

• Composting is a process that changes kitchen and yard waste into nutrient rich soil.
• Compostable items for curbside collection:
  • Fruit peels, leftovers, meat and fish bones, oil, dairy products, flowers, banana peels, paper towels, pizza boxes, paper towels, napkins, tissues.
  • Some paper plates, cups and even cutlery if they are marked BPI certified.
• Disposable coffee cups typically are not compostable because they usually have a plastic lining.
• If you’re composting at home, don’t add meat, bones, oil or dairy products or large items like pizza boxes because they don’t get hot enough.
  • These compost items are okay for commercial compost facilities.
• Remember: if you can recycle something, don’t put it in the compost and vice versa, they’re not interchangeable.

Additional Tips

• Ridwell has special collections. Watch our Friday update for current special items.
• Google the Hennepin County Zero waste guide for info on what to do with lots of other items and how to get to a low-waste lifestyle.
• If you have usable items you no longer want, try giving them to someone who could use them!
  • Check out Buy Nothing Facebook Groups, Next Door, or local thrift stores.
• Check this Amazon website for info on what to do with packaging material from Amazon.
• You might think a broken appliance needs to be tossed, but that’s not true.
  • Many small household  appliances, clothing, electronics, mobile devices and more can be fixed at no cost through the Hennepin County Fix It clinics.
    • They occur the second Saturday of the month in various locations.
      • Check the Hennepin County Fix it clinic website for dates and locations.
      • Steve Zimmerman has also offered to try and fix items.

This includes sunglasses, and even broken wire-framed glasses! Remember the other categories include: plastic film, multi-layer (crinkly) plastic, clothes and shoes, light bulbs and styrofoam. PLEASE NO GARBAGE—recent finds in the bags included cigarette butts, so please be careful when bagging your items. Please separate them into plastic bags and store in correct bin. You can recycle mulch and compost bags for your yard, but they must be washed out and dry. If you are interested in Ridwell for your own home, let Kathy know. There are a limited number of ‘free month’ memberships available. Please contact Kathy Stuebner at 612.590.9606 or Sue Asinger at 612.703.2297 with questions.