You’ll soon have a new way to recycle food scraps from home! This service will be available to all residents in Ramsey and Washington counties, with rollout beginning in 2023.
Food scraps make up about 20% of trash collected in Ramsey and Washington counties by weight. The counties are developing a new way to recover this material so that it can be turned back into soil. Recovering food scraps from trash will provide health, environmental and economic benefits to the community.
Food scraps will be collected from residents using special bags called “food scrap bags.” Food scrap bags will be collected with trash and then separated from the trash after collection. This system requires no additional carts or trucks.
Order your free supply of food scrap bags.
Collect your food scraps in the bags. Once a week or when the bag is full, tie a knot at the top to close the bag.
Place your bag inside your trash cart or dumpster for collection.
Done! The food scraps will be composted.
Food scrap bags are thicker than compostable bags currently used at county drop-off sites or that you might purchase in a store or online. They are designed to hold up on the trip in a garbage truck. They’re also designed to eventually break down along with their contents.
There will be no charge to residents for bags or program participation. Bag distribution will occur through an online ordering system with a call-in option available for those without internet access.
Food scrap bags are an efficient and cost-effective method of collecting food scraps from residents’ homes. Benefits of this method include:
See this page for program FAQ. You may also call 651-661-9393 for additional program information.
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