Adopt Resolution #24-305 to Enter into a Residential Recycling Program Agreement with Anoka County

Each year, Anoka County receives funding from the State of Minnesota pursuant to Minnesota Statute § 115A.557. Anoka County distributes these funds, known as SCORE (Select Committee On Recycling and the Environment) funds, to municipalities within the county. In 2025, the allocation includes a base of $10,000, plus $5.00 per household. Ramsey’s base allocation for 2024 is up to $60,310.  There are also additional grant funding categories that include: (1) Drop-off, (2) General Enhancement, (3) Organics, (4) Supplemental Funding (to help support waste abatement programs or program development), and (5) Labor and Staffing. 

The funding is intended to help municipalities achieve their recycling goals, which are established by the Anoka County Board of Commissioners. Ramsey’s 2025 recycling goal, also established by Anoka County, is 3,124 tons. The goal is based on 225 pounds per person (single family households, up to four [4] units) and 150 pounds per person for multi-tenant households (five [5] or more units). The City of Ramsey has traditionally used these funds to promote recycling and waste reduction education and awareness, notifying new residents of the recycling program components, to offset costs of various recycling events/opportunities, and to fund the recycling coordinator position, whose duties are a component of the Senior Planner position.

To receive the SCORE funding, each municipality must enter into an agreement with Anoka County that outlines required components of a municipality’s recycling program. These required components include providing households with an opportunity to recycle at least four (4) broad types of materials, a public information program, recycling drop-off opportunities, and notifying new residents of the recycling program. Furthermore, municipalities are encouraged, but not required, to look at opportunities to expand their recycling program by offering additional drop-off events, enhancing recycling at community events, enhancing multi-family recycling opportunities, and/or developing opportunities for source separated organics collection.  The proposed agreement is basically the same agreement that has been approved in previous years. 

Ramsey's tonnage goal for 2025 is 3,124 tons, which represents only a slight increase (24 tons) over the 2024 goal.  The increase is not surprising.  Since 2019, tonnage goals have generally increased year over year, except for 2021 to 2022, when it remained static at 2,858 tons. The generally steady increase in tonnage goals over the past several years reflects the County's attempt to achieve the very optimistic benchmark goal, set by the state of Minnesota, of recycling 75% of total solid waste generated (by weight) by 2030.

There have been growing challenges related to recycling over the past several years. First, China implemented very restrictive thresholds for contaminants in bales of recycled materials, which significantly impacted exporting recyclables overseas. Secondly, the fluctuations in the recycling markets have also brought into question what is truly recyclable. At this time, items such as black plastic frozen dinner trays, freezer boxes, and fiber egg cartons, should not be put in the recycling cart as there is no longer a market for these materials (this is a change from past years).

Due to the continuing fluctuations in terms of what is actually recyclable, there needs to be a greater emphasis on the basic tenets of recycling, which would be to focus on fiber (paper and cardboard), aluminum and steel/tin cans, glass, and plastic containers, tubs, bottles and lids that have a #1 or #2 stamped on them (essentially back to the basics of recycling).

Education continues to be important to avoid the 'wish-cycling' mentality. Wish-cycling is the thought (or hope) that by placing a material or product in the recycling cart, somebody will find a way to recycle it. This is leading to excessive contamination of the recycling stream. The recycling motto has now shifted to 'when in doubt, check it out', meaning if someone is unsure whether something can be placed in the recycling cart, they should contact either the City's Recycling Coordinator or the recycling hauler. 

Alternatives

Alternative 1: Enter into the Residential Recycling Agreement to receive $70,390.00 in SCORE funds from Anoka County. The funds will assist the City with efforts to meet the 2025 tonnage goal established by Anoka County. Staff supports this alternative.

Alternative 2: Do not enter into the Residential Recycling Agreement with the County. By not executing this agreement with the County, the City will not receive any SCORE funding for 2025. A portion of the Senior Planner position is funded through this allocation (duties related to managing the recycling program), as are all recycling related activities, including the spring and fall recycling events. Staff does not support this option.

Ramsey's recycling program and related staff time are funded with SCORE funds received from Anoka County annually and recorded under the Recycling Enterprise Fund.

Motion to adopt Resolution #24-305 authorizing the Mayor and City Administrator to execute the Residential Recycling Agreement with Anoka County to receive SCORE funds for 2025.