The City of Elk River has long been a leader in recycling participation and organics recycling involvement. In fact, the city was one of the first to implement single stream recycling and household organics collection in the state of Minnesota. Elk River organizes recycling collection for single family homes, splitting these residents between two haulers; the haulers deliver recyclables to different facilities, sometimes causing confusion between residents as to how their recycling process works. Also, the recycling industry changes frequently and rapidly, and city staff struggle to create a simple to understand process for homeowners. Also, organics recycling is voluntary for homeowners, and staff would like to see participation increase. Furthermore, landlords of apartment complexes and businesses organize their own recycling and compost collection systems, which do not follow a standard set of guidelines. Across these different constituencies, Elk River would like to improve city residents’ understanding of and participation in both recycling and organics collection.
Read the final student report delivered to the local gov/community partner.
Sustainable Communities Partnership Contact Info
University Faculty Contact
Angela Senander
Theology
Local Government / Community Contact
Kristin Mroz
Enviornmental Technician