One-Sort Recycling Collection
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Recycling Service:
- Recycling is collected every other week. The maximum weight for the 96-gallon large one-sort cart and its contents is 200 pounds.
- Your recycling cart must be at your collection point by 6 a.m. on your collection day each recycling week. To sign up to receive email reminders to place your recycling out at your collection point, visit the Find Your Recycling Day webpage.
- Customers are provided with a recycling cart, either a small or a large cart. City crews deliver and maintain all carts. If your cart is damaged, call Solid Waste & Recycling at (612) 673-2917 to request for your cart to be repaired.
- Extra recyclables may be placed next to the recycling cart in a cardboard box or in paper bags. If you consistently have extra recycling, call Solid Waste & Recycling at (612) 673-2917 to request an additional one-sort cart.
- Your collection day is assigned by the Solid Waste & Recycling Division. Routes are created so the Division operates in the most cost-effective way. Look up your collection day.
- In the winter, remember to shovel a 3 foot wide path to your cart, including snow left by the plow. See Snow Shoveling for specific shoveling requirements.
How to Prepare Your Recycling:
One-sort makes recycling easier! Simply rinse your containers and place all recyclables loose or in paper bags in your one-sort cart. Do not place plastic bags in your recycling cart. You may collect your recycling in plastic bags, but you must dump the recyclables out of the plastic bag into the cart and place the plastic bag in the garbage or bring it to a second hand store for reuse or a participating grocery store for recycling. You may also collect your recycling in a resuable bag and empty the contents into your one-sort cart for collection. Click here for a PDF version of the recycling guide.
Materials accepted for recycling include:
For more detailed information on paper and contianer recycling, visit the following pages:
Paper Recycling
Food, Beverage & Other Container Recycling
Old Blue and Green Recycling Bins:
We encourage you to keep your curbside bins and reuse them for an alternative purpose such as storing toys or lawncare supplies. Do not store any bins that you want to keep at your collection point. Any old bins left at your collection area will be collected by City crews for recycling and cannot be returned.
Educational Tag:
Our crews cannot pick up your recycling if there is a problem with it. Unacceptable recycling will be marked with an educational recycling tag. If you find a tag, please read it over to understand what the issue with the recycling is, correct the problem, and place your recycling out on your next recycling day.
Some reasons why your recycling may not be picked up include:
- Non-recyclable materials such as garbage and plastic bags were found in the recycling cart.
- Recyclables were contaminated: items must be rinsed before placed in the one-sort cart.
- Recycling cart was not shoveled and free from snow and ice.
- Recycling was not at the pickup area, next to the garbage cart.
- Recycling was not out for pickup on the correct recycling week.
- Recycling cart weighed over 200 pounds.
Missed Recycling:
If you do not find an educational tag and you believe your recycling was missed, please wait until after 3:30 p.m. on the day of pickup before calling Solid Waste & Recycling at (612) 673-2917. Sorry, but we will not return for recycling if your cart was not out on time.
Collection Time:
Your recycling will be picked up at any time starting at 6 a.m. on your collection day. You may notice your recycling is collected at about the same time every other week. Please understand that changes in weather conditions, crew assignments and equipment problems can change your pickup to earlier or later in the day. Please make sure your recycling is always out by 6 a.m. on your collection day.
Holiday Schedule:
When your collection day falls on or after a holiday, recycling collection will be one day later than normal. See the Holiday Schedule for more information.
Report Misuse of Recycling Service:
Recycling collection is a special service to our paying customers only. Taking or using another resident's collection point or cart is illegal. City Ordinance 225.10 states in part: "No person shall leave, throw, or deposit, or use or permit any other person to leave, place, throw, or deposit, any substances or materials of any kind at a city solid waste collection point for city disposal when the substances or materials were generated at a location other than the residence."
Frequently Asked Questions:
Q: What happens to my recycling?
A: Recycling is collected by City or contractor crews. The City contracts with a company to provide recycling processing and the sale of materials to market. Revenue of the sale of recyclables are shared by the City and contractor. To learn more about how one-sort recycling is sorted at the MRF (Materials Recovery Facility), watch Recycling 101 with Mr. Cool Can or Kare 11's All Access Pass to Recycling in the Twin Cities.
Q: Can I continue to collect my recyclable materials in brown paper bags?
A: Yes! If you want to continue sorting your materials in brown bags that is fine. Simply put all of the brown bags inside your new one-sort cart. Please do not place plastic bags (full or empty) in your blue cart. Plastic bags get tangled in machine gears at the MRF (Material Recovery Facility) requiring the MRF to stop operations to remove the bags. You may collect your recycling in plastic bags, but you must dump the recyclables out of the plastic bag into the cart and place the plastic bag in the garbage or bring it to a second hand store for reuse or a participating grocery store for recycling. See Plastic Bags in our What To Do List for more information.
Q: What types of items can be placed in the one-sort recycling cart?
A: The items collected for recycling are the same as with the multi-sort bins. The only change will be that all recycling items go into the cart together - no sorting required! There is a photo on the top of the one-sort cart lid explaining what can go inside. Garbage, plastic bags, and needles and syringes (Sharps) are not allowed in the one-sort cart.
Q: Why did the program change?
A: One-sort recycling is easier. The goal is to encourage more customers to fully participate, reducing the amount of garbage and increasing the amount of recycling collected. One-sort recycling is serviced more safely and efficiently by collection crews than multi-sort recycling.
Q: Does the one-sort method of recycling collection reduce the quantity of our materials?
A: No, the City has completed an in-depth study of dual versus one-sort methods and has found that the quality of our materials and their value will not change. The quantity is expected to increase significantly.
Q: What is going to happen to my old blue or green recycling bin?
A: We encourage you to keep the old bins for use inside your home or garage. They're a great storage container or tote for laundry, gardening supplies, tools, outside toys, etc. Do not store bins at your collection point. After you receive your one-sort recycling cart, any old bins left at your collection area will be collected by City crews for recycling and cannot be returned.
Q: I'm moving, should I take my new one-sort recycling cart with me?
A: No. Just like the garbage cart, these new recycling carts are the property of the City of Minneapolis. Do not take them with you when you move. Each cart is assigned to a specific property using serial numbers.
Q: What if I don't want that big cart? Is there a smaller one?
A: Yes, we do have a supply of 64-gallon one-sort recycling carts. Please give the 96-gallon cart a couple weeks before deciding you need a smaller cart. If you do determine a smaller cart will be better for your home, please call Solid Waste & Recycling at (612) 673-2917 for assistance.
Q: What happens if my cart is missing or damaged?
A: If your recycling cart is missing, take a look in your alley to see if your recycling bin was moved or placed at another house in error. If you find your recycling bin at another location, go ahead and take it back. If you cannot find it, please call the Solid Waste & Recycling at (612) 673-2917 and our staff will assist you in locating your recycling cart, or we will have another one delivered. Our crews will also repair or replace lids and wheels on damaged carts. Call Solid Waste & Recycling at (612) 673-2917 and our staff will schedule the repair. If the repair is not made or a replacement was not delivered within one month, please call again.
Q: Why doesn't my landlord offer recycling?
A: Contact your building manager for recycling program information. Minneapolis Ordinance 225.780 requires property owners of buildings with two (2) or more units to provide occupants with the opportunity to recycle, adequate recycling containers and recycling education. Call Solid Waste & Recycling at (612) 673-2917 and ask to speak with the Recycling Coordinator if service is not available at your building.
Q: What about when it snows?
A: All of our procedures will be the same when it snows. See Snow Shoveling for specific shoveling requirements.
If you have any additional questions, please call Solid Waste & Recycling at (612) 673-2917.
Last updated Oct 27, 2014
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