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Scott County reviews recycling targets and looks to organics, partnerships to raise diversion
Summary
County and Dakota County officials told the Scott County Board that changes in state planning and counting methods help explain recent dips in measured recycling rates and urged expanding organics collection and regional partnerships to boost diversion toward the MPCA's 75% recycling-by-2030 goal.
Scott County commissioners spent an extended session hearing a presentation on regional recycling and solid waste management and pressing staff on what local action could move the needle.
"This project is going to be really appreciated by both Scott County and Dakota County citizens, and it's going to be much more cost-effective because of our partnership," said Dave Magnuson, Waste Regulation Supervisor for Dakota County, praising the long-running recycling-zone collaboration with Scott County.
County presenters, including Katie Monica of Scott County's Quality Improvement team and Solid Waste Coordinator Nick Graesch, told the board that recent changes in the state's metro plan and data-counting rules help explain why the measured recycling rate dipped slightly in 2024. Graesch said the state stopped allowing some industrial scrap tons to be counted in certain recycling tallies and moved targets among material categories; those technical changes, along with lighter packaging that reduces weight-based metrics, can lower a jurisdiction's apparent rate even when more items are being recovered.
Graesch and other staff singled out organics as a major opportunity. "The biggest low-hanging fruit to really move the needle with regards to increasing recycling is capturing organic waste, especially food waste," Graesch said, estimating food organics currently make up 25%–35% of what goes to landfill in the metropolitan municipal solid waste stream and stressing methane-reduction benefits.
Panelists described current and near-term local programs: Scott County operates a household hazardous waste (HHW) facility that began accepting cardboard, shredded paper and plastic bags; county staff are exploring additional drop-off capacity for cardboard; and counties and haulers are adapting label standards and paired-bin programs to reduce contamination. Magnuson said Dakota County's ordinance requires haulers to offer weekly recycling in most areas and that standardizing labels and collection frequency, plus producer-funded stewardship (EPR), should help fund and improve programs.
Commissioners asked for more geographic detail so the county can target education where residential recycling lags and pressed staff on logistics at material recovery facilities (MRFs), contamination rates and funding constraints. Staff cautioned that state SCORE grant funding covers a minority of program costs, and that counties currently spend more on solid waste programs than they receive in state grants.
What happens next: Scott County staff said they will continue outreach to cities and haulers, expand options at the HHW drop-off where practical, and coordinate with neighboring counties as the Metropolitan Council and MPCA refine regional plans and producer-responsibility rules. The board did not take an action item on programme changes at the meeting.
