United States
Environmental Protection
Agency
Solid Waste and
Emergency Response
(5306W)
EPA-530-F-99-017n
October 1999
www.epa.gov/osw
Ramsey County,
Minnesota
47% Municipal Solid Waste Reduction
Overview
In 1996, Ramsey County diverted 47% of its municipal
solid waste from disposal (39% through recycling and 8%
through composting). The 17 communities reporting data to
Ramsey County each operate their own municipal solid
waste (MSW) management system. County MSW activities
include providing grants, technical assistance, and educational
resources; ownership of a material recovery facility and a
network of yard trimmings drop-off and processing facilities;
and tracking data about waste management activities. The
county requires trash haulers to charge both residential and
commercial customers pay-as-you-throw (PAYT) trash rates
and directs municipalities to assure curbside recycling is
available to all residents.
Keys to High Waste Reduction
Ramsey County's 47% waste reduction level is due to
commercial sector recycling, PAYT trash fees, state disposal
bans, and residential recycling requirements. The county
supports business recycling through the Ramsey County
Business Waste Assistance Program, which provides technical
assistance to help reduce waste. Residential and business waste
reduction is encouraged through PAYT trash fees. Haulers
must charge PAYT rates but these rates often vary among
haulers and by neighborhood. In Saint Paul, the largest
community in Ramsey County, trash haulers offer residents
four levels of PAYT service ranging from low-
volume/senior rates to unlimited/full
service. A Minnesota Statute effectively
bans leaves, grass clippings, garden debris,
and tree and shrub waste from state
landfills and incinerators. Recovery of
this material accounted for 8% of
Ramsey County's MSW in FY96.
The state also prohibits many other
materials such as tires, and major
appliances from disposal. Ramsey
RAMSEY COUNTY
POPULATION: 496,068
(1996)
HOUSEHOLDS:197,500
(1996, est); -138,250
single-family dwelling
(three or fewer units per
building), -59,250 multi-
family dwellings
BUSINESSES: 14,417
(1996, est.)
POPULATION: 270,441
(1996)
HOUSEHOLDS:100,327,
73,745 in 1-11 unit
properties, 26,582 in
apartment complexes with
12 or more
BUSINESSES: 7,794
(1996, est.)
PROGRAM SUMMARY
1991
1996
Tons Per Year
483,929
673,298
Percent Diverted
Recycled
Composted
41%
32%
9%
47%
40%
8%
Notes: Figures above cover Ramsey County total MSW. Numbers
may not add due to rounding. Per household generation and
cost data not available because the county does not track data
according residential versus institutional/commercial origin.
Source: institute for Local Self-Reliance, 1999.
This profile is part of the fact sheet Cutting the Waste Stream in Half: Community Record-Setters Show How (EPA-530-F-99-017).
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County directs municipalities to ensure that
curbside recycling is available to all residents. In
Saint Paul, for instance, the city contracts with
the Saint Paul Neighborhood Energy
Consortium and the Macalester Groveland
Community Council to provide residential
recycling services.
Saint Paul's residential recycling program
serving single-family homes includes a unique
program for durable household goods.
Residents simply bag reusable household
durables (such as textiles, books, working small
appliances, and toys) for donation and set them
out with their recyclables. Recycling
contractors collect these reusable items on the
same truck as recyclables. Goodwill processes
the goods for sale in its retail stores.
Cost-Effectiveness
According to a study performed by the
Saint Paul-Ramsey County Department of
Public Health, Ramsey County's single-family
households spent approximately $237 in 1996
CURBSIDE COLLECTION IN SAINT PAUL:
newspaper, magazines and catalogs, corrugated cardboard
mixed paper (mail, office paper, paperboard, and phone books)
cans
glass bottles and jars
durable household goods (including textiles, books, working small
appliances, hardware and tools, unbreakable kitchen goods, games, toys)
yard debris collection (for an extra fee)
DROP-OFF COLLECTION IN SAINT PAUL:
plastic containers
hard-to-handle materials at annual neighborhood clean-up events (such as
tires, furniture, appliances, concrete, brush)
DROP-OFF
COLLECTION
IN RAMSEY
COUNTY:
grass clippings,
leaves, and other
soft-bodied yard
debris
for regular municipal solid waste services.
Trash collection and disposal was $196 per
household; yard debris management was $3.70
per household; recycling collection and
processing was $28 per household; and
administration and education was $4.61 per
household. PAYT trash rates and low-cost
drop-off yard debris collection help residents
keep costs in check.
Since 1987, Saint Paul Public Works has
coordinated a neighborhood clean-up program
for hard-to-handle household discards (such as
tires, furniture, appliances, concrete, and brush).
The program offers an inexpensive disposal
option for citizens and maximizes recovery of
the materials dropped off. The city's 1996
expenditure of $108,700 was a fraction of what
residents would otherwise have paid for disposal
of items accepted at clean-ups. The program
recovered over 1,800 tons of materials in 1996,
saving an additional $75,000 in disposal fees.
Tips for Replication
Talk to your customers and
give the public feedback.
Keep promotion simple and
targeted to your audience. Repeat messages
in a variety of media.
Offer consistent, dependable, and cost-
effective recycling service.
Contacts
Cathi Lyman-Onka
Program Analyst, Environmental Health Section
St. Paul-Ramsey County Dept. of Public Health
1670 Bean Avenue, Suite A
Maplewood, MN 55109
PHONE: 651-773-4444
FAX: 651-773-4454
Hatti Koth
Recycling Outreach Coordinator
The St. Paul Neighborhood Energy Consortium
623 Selby Ave.
Saint Paul, MN 55104
PHONE: 651-222-7678
FAX: 651-221-9831
Rick Person
Solid Waste and Recycling
800 City Hall Annex
Saint Paul, MN 55102
PHONE: 651-266-6122
FAX: 651-298-4559
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