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County waste‑sort finds jail trash is nearly half food waste; staff recommends organics recycling
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Summary
A county waste‑sort of one day’s jail and staff café trash found the jail sample was 47% food waste and staff café waste 11% food, prompting staff to recommend organics recycling, expanded recycling streams (milk cartons, textiles, film plastics) and increased education; staff estimated about 55 tons of food waste and 44 tons of recyclables could be diverted annually.
Sherburne County solid waste staff presented results of a one‑day waste sort of jail and staff café trash at the April 21 board meeting and recommended steps to reduce landfill disposal.
Maureen Mozak, environmental specialist with planning and zoning, told the board the jail sample was 47% food waste and about 31% “true trash” (items with no current recycling or composting option). The staff café sample differed: compostables, paper towels and napkins were a larger portion, with food waste at about 11% and true trash at 35%.
"As you can see in the pie graph, food waste makes up a largest portion of the waste collected at 47%," Mozak said, presenting the findings. She said the sample represented a typical day and staff conducted separate sorts for jail and staff café waste to get clearer recommendations.
Using the collected weights, Mozak said the county can project potential diversion: "We have the opportunity to divert about 55 tons of food waste in a year's time," and capturing misplaced recyclables could divert an additional "44 tons of recycling." Staff emphasized that using weight under‑represents bulky light items (for example, milk cartons) so volume considerations will be part of program design.
Recommendations included implementing organics recycling for the jail, expanding recycling streams to capture milk cartons, textiles and film plastics, increasing battery recycling, and improving education and signage at the government center to reduce contamination and increase participation. Solid waste staff offered to work with jail administration and building facilities to phase in changes.
Board members responded positively to the report; one commissioner called the findings "awesome" and another noted the results illustrate the scale of diversion potential from a single facility.
Next steps: solid waste staff will coordinate with jail and facilities staff on operational feasibility and possible pilot timelines. No binding vote was required for the report.
