About one-third of our trash is made up of organic materials, such as food scraps, food-soiled paper and certified compostable products. Composting these materials is a great way to reduce waste and create compost – a beneficial soil amendment in demand by landscapers and road construction crews. Starting March 31, New Hope’s curbside recycling program through Hennepin Recycling Group (HRG) will expand to include weekly organics recycling collection materials using a separate cart.
At the same time as the HRG program rolls out, garbage haulers will discontinue their organics recycling collection services and remove related charges from their monthly bills. This change aims to provide consistent service, lower costs and reduce heavy truck traffic from garbage trucks. Organics recycling materials will be collected weekly on the same day as regular trash.
HOW DO I REGISTER?
To participate in curbside organics recycling, residents must register online at
hrg-recycling.com/organics. If you sign up by March 9 carts will be delivered the week of March 24, with weekly service beginning the week of March 31. For registrations received after March 9, carts will be delivered in mid-April.
WHAT IF I’M ALREADY REGISTERED FOR CURBSIDE ORGANICS COLLECTION THROUGH MY GARBAGE HAULER?
Residents currently using curbside organics collection must register with HRG at
hrg-recycling.com/organics to continue the service, as garbage haulers will no longer provide this option. Starting with April's bill, garbage haulers will stop billing for organics recycling and will collect their bins by April 4.
ORGANICS RECYCLING CHARGES REQUIREMENT
When the program begins, residents will notice a fee of $2.90 per month added to their City utility bill. If enrollment in the program reaches more than 11%, the citywide rate will increase to $3.75 per month. The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency recently clarified Minnesota State Statute 115A.93, which prohibits waste haulers from imposing a greater charge on residents who recycle organic materials than those who do not.
Therefore, waste haulers must charge all residential customers a fee for curbside organics recycling collection regardless of participation status.
Residents may choose not to register for a cart but cannot opt out of the organics recycling charge.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
All households will receive a
postcard with additional information about the program from HRG in February. If you have any questions, please contact HRG at 763.493.8006 or
[email protected].