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CC Regular Session
<br />Meeting Date: 11/12/2019
<br />By: Chris Anderson, Community
<br />Development
<br />Information
<br />5.7.
<br />Title
<br />Adopt Resolution 419-267 to Enter into a Residential Recycling Program Agreement with Anoka County
<br />Purpose/Background:
<br />Each year, Anoka County receives funding from the State of Minnesota pursuant to Minnesota Statute § 115A.557.
<br />The County distributes these funds, known as SCORE (Select Committee On Recycling and the Environment)
<br />funds, to municipalities within the county. In 2020, the allocation includes a base of $10,000 plus $5.00 per
<br />household. Ramsey's base allocation for 2020 is $56,055.00.
<br />The funding is intended to help municipalities achieve their recycling goals as established by the Anoka County
<br />Board of Commissioners. Ramsey's 2020 recycling goal, established by Anoka County, is 2,840 tons (this is up 63
<br />tons from the 2019 goal). The goal is based on 215 pounds per person (single family households, up to four [4]
<br />units) and 160 pounds per person for multi -tenant households (five [5] or more units). The City of Ramsey has
<br />traditionally used these funds to promote recycling and waste reduction education and awareness, notifying new
<br />residents of the recycling program components, to offset costs of the spring and fall recycling day events and other
<br />collection events/opportunities, and to fund the recycling coordinator position, which duties are a component of the
<br />City Planner position.
<br />To receive the SCORE funding, each municipality must enter into an agreement with Anoka County that outlines
<br />required components of a municipality's recycling program. These required components include providing
<br />households an opportunity to recycle at least four (4) broad types of materials, a public information program,
<br />recycling drop-off opportunities, and notifying new residents of the recycling program. Furthermore, municipalities
<br />are encouraged, but not required, to look at opportunities to expand its recycling program by offering additional
<br />drop-off events, enhance recycling at community events, enhance multi -family recycling opportunities, and/or
<br />develop opportunities for source separated organics collection.
<br />Observations/Alternatives:
<br />For the third consecutive year, the tonnage goal, which is based on both single family and multi -family homes, is
<br />being increased, from 2,077 tons (2019) to 2,840 tons (2020). The increase reflects the County's attempt to
<br />incrementally move toward the State's goal of recycling 75% of total solid waste generated (by weight) by 2030,
<br />which is a very optimistic benchmark.
<br />Other challenges to recycling have been growing throughout the last couple of years. China has implemented very
<br />restrictive thresholds for contaminants in bales of recycled materials that it will accept (0.5% contamination, about
<br />the equivalent of 9 pounds in an 1,800 pound bale). Furthermore, China has stated that by 2020 it will no longer
<br />import any recyclable materials. This is primarily impacting recycling of plastics and certain fiber (paper) products.
<br />The downturn in the plastics recycling markets has also brought into question what is truly recyclable. At this time,
<br />items such as black, plastic frozen dinner trays, refrigerator and freezer boxes, and fiber egg cartons, should not be
<br />put in the recycling cart as there is no longer a market for these materials (this is a change from past years).
<br />Due to the day to day changes in the recycling world, there needs to be a greater emphasis on the basic tenets of
<br />recycling, which would be to focus on fiber (paper and cardboard), aluminum and steel/tin cans, glass, and plastic
<br />containers, tubs, bottles and lids that have a 41 or 42 stamped on them.
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