Council advances bill to create Metropolitan Department of Waste Services with added recycling reporting

The Metropolitan Council on May 20 advanced an ordinance to create a standalone Metropolitan Department of Waste Services, approving the measure on its second of three readings after an amendment that adds recycling-reporting requirements and deletes a provision allowing certain changes by resolution.

Councilmember Parker Hill, sponsor of the ordinance (BL 2025-819), moved the bill and urged colleagues to support setting up an independent department to manage solid-waste functions. "I'm very pleased to have this legislation before us today, to prop up our solid waste department as a, full department," Parker said during discussion.

The Government Operations and Regulation and Transportation Infrastructure committees both recommended approval. The transportation subcommittee on solid waste, chaired by Councilmember Andrea Allen, voted unanimously to support the measure and proposed an amendment to strengthen recycling oversight. Allen told the council the amendment "simply adds some additional reporting requirements, specifically dealing with recycling," and also deletes section 9 which would have allowed certain administrative changes by resolution.

Council approved the amendment and then approved the ordinance as amended on second reading. Councilmembers and committee chairs framed the move as part of recent structural reorganizations intended to professionalize and centralize essential services such as collection and recycling; the administration had earlier managed interim operations while the new department structure was developed.

The bill will return for a third and final reading per council procedure.