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5. 8.
<br />CC Regular Session
<br />Meeting Date:
<br />Primary Strategic Plan Initiative:
<br />09/09/2025
<br />Identify and implement operational efficiencies, cost savings and additional
<br />funding sources.
<br />Title:
<br />Adopt Resolution #25-202 to Enter into a Residential Recycling Program Agreement with Anoka County for
<br />2026
<br />Purpose/Background:
<br />Each year, Anoka County receives funding from the State of Minnesota pursuant to Minnesota Statute §
<br />115A.557. Anoka County distributes these funds, known as SCORE (Select Committee On Recycling and the
<br />Environment) funds, to municipalities within the county. For 2026, the allocation includes a base of $10,000, plus
<br />$5.00 per household. Ramsey's base allocation for 2026 is $61,605.00. There are also additional grant funding
<br />categories that include: (1) Drop-off, (2) General Enhancement, (3) Organics, (4) Supplemental Funding (to help
<br />support waste abatement programs or program development), and (5) Labor and Staffing.
<br />The funding is intended to help municipalities achieve their recycling goals, which are established by Anoka
<br />County. Ramsey's 2026 recycling goal, also established by Anoka County, is 3,143 tons. The goal is based on
<br />225 pounds per person (single-family households, up to four [4] units) and 150 pounds per person for
<br />multi -tenant households (five [5] or more units). The City of Ramsey has traditionally used these funds to
<br />promote recycling and waste reduction education and awareness, notifying new residents of the recycling
<br />program components, to offset costs of various recycling events/opportunities, and to fund the recycling
<br />coordinator position, whose duties are a component of the Senior 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 with 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,
<br />municipalities are encouraged, but not required, to look at opportunities to expand their recycling program by
<br />offering additional drop-off events, enhancing recycling at community events, enhancing multi -family recycling
<br />opportunities, and/or developing opportunities for source separated organics collection. The proposed agreement
<br />is basically the same agreement that has been approved in previous years.
<br />Time Frame/Observations/Alternatives:
<br />Ramsey's tonnage goal for 2026 is 3,143 tons, which represents only a slight increase (19 tons) over the 2025
<br />goal. The increase is not surprising. Since 2019, the tonnage goal has generally increased year over year, except
<br />for 2021 to 2022, when it remained static at 2,858 tons. The generally steady increase in tonnage goals over the
<br />past several years reflects the County's attempt to achieve the very optimistic benchmark goal, set by the state of
<br />Minnesota, of recycling 75% of total solid waste generated (by weight) by 2030.
<br />Due to the continuing fluctuations in terms of what is actually recyclable, there needs to be a greater emphasis on
<br />the basic tenets of recycling, which would be to focus on fiber (paper and cardboard), aluminum and steel/tin
<br />cans, glass, and plastic containers, tubs, bottles and lids that have a # 1 or #2 stamped on them (essentially back to
<br />the basics of recycling).
<br />Education continues to be important to avoid the 'wish -cycling' mentality. Wish -cycling is the thought (or hope)
<br />that by placing a material or product in the recycling cart, somebody will find a way to recycle it. This is leading
<br />to excessive contamination of the recycling stream. The recycling motto has now shifted to 'when in doubt, check
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