The City of St. Louis Park contracts with one hauler for collection of garbage, recycling and yard waste from single family homes. Collection for recycling occurs on the same day as your garbage collection. High density buildings such as apartments, condominiums and townhomes are required to provide weekly recycling opportunities for their tenants. The city is committed to helping all residents and businesses reduce waste and increase recycling. Businesses are encouraged to recycle and should Click Here for more information. Residents are given as many recycling bins as they need to minimize the amount of garbage they throw. Contact Public Works at (952) 924-2555 or pworks@stlouispark.org for additional recycling bins at no charge.

•   Recycling in St. Louis Park
•  Aluminum Can Recycling
•  Compact Fluorescent Light Bulbs
•  Disposing of hazardous waste
•  Electronics Collection Grants Available
•  Get caught recycling
•  Hennepin County Recycling Centers
•  Household Hazardous Waste Drop Off
•  Household Hazardous Waste Drop Off Event
•  How to dispose of prescription medicine.
•  How to reuse plastic bags
•  Junk Mail Opt Out
•  Plastic Bag Recycling
•  Recycle City
•  Recycle Guys!
•  Recycling bins
•  Recycling Related Links
•  Recyclopedia available
•  Reuse books
•  Reuse It, Don't Toss It
•  Shoe Donations

Recycling in St. Louis Park
Recyclables are collected from the curb or alley each week from all single family homes, as well as duplexes through fourplexes. Only two sorts are needed to prepare recyclables for collection.

Sort 1 - Cans, Glass and Plastics
Please Recycle -

• Plastic bottles with a neck (#1 & #2)
• Metal food cans
• Aluminum beverage cans
• Empty aluminum trays
• Clean aluminum foil
• Glass bottles and jars (blue, brown, green & clear)

Don't Recycle -

• Aerosol cans
• Paint cans
• Window glass
• Light bulbs
• Plastic bags or wrap
• Ice cream pails, margarine & yogurt containers (please reuse)
• Plastic food containers & tableware
• Microwave dinner trays
• Flower pots
• Safe disposal options for pharmaceuticals
• Safe disposal options for needles & syringes

Sort 2 - Mixed Paper

• Mail, office and school papers
• Magazines and catalogs
• Newspapers and inserts
• Phone books
• Shredded paper in closed paper bags (stapled or taped)
• Cardboard boxes, broken down to 3 feet by 3 feet & bundled
• Cereal boxes, cracker boxes, pasta boxes, cake mix boxes, shoe boxes, gift boxes and electronic boxes
• Boxes from toothpaste, medications and other toiletries

Don't Recycle -

• Pizza boxes, egg cartons, or boxes soiled with food
• Boxes from refrigerated or frozen foods
• Milk cartons & juice boxes
• Paper towels, napkins, cups and paper plates
• Gift wrap

Aluminum Cans
Download curriculums for various age groups around recycling the aluminum can that include fun classroom games, facts and more. For more information go to Can Central.

Compact Flourescent Light Bulbs
Use about 2/3 less energy than standard incandescent bulbs to provide the same amount of light, and last up to 10 times longer. Please recycle them as hazardous waste. Call Hennepin County at: (612) 348-3777 for proper disposal or go to http://www.hennepin.us. Go to Energy Star for more information on compact flourescent light bulbs.

Disposing of hazardous waste
For information on properly disposing of business hazardous waste such as fluorescent lamps, antifreeze and solvents, visit the Minnesota Pollution Control web site. Information can also be found in the A-Z How To Get Rid of It Guide

Electronics Collection Grants Available
Non profit groups, government agencies, schools and other public groups sponsoring recycling drives are invited to apply for grants between $500 and $1,500 from Best Buy. To appy for a grant, or to find out about the Best Buy recycling events, Click Here.

You could be the next "Get Caught Recycling" winner!
Each month, one household in St. Louis Park gets caught recycling and wins a $25 gift certificate to a local business, a $20 Blue Sky Guide and a Waste Management cloth bag. To find an award winner, a list of addresses is randomly generated by a computer. At 7:15 a.m. on collection day, the first address on the list is visited to verify that recyclables have been set out. If recycling is done correctly (no non-recyclable items are in bags or bins), this household wins the monthly award.

Congratulations to the April winner, Steve Kahlenbeck !
If recyclables haven't been set out or they're contaminated with non-recyclable goods, the next household on the list is visited. A congratulatory note is sent to the first household that has their recycling correctly set out. When the resident responds to the note, they schedule a time for Waste Management to drop off the award. For more information on the award, contact the Public Works Department at (952) 924-2555 or pworks@stlouispark.org .

2008 Get Caught Recycling Winners:
April: Steve Kahlenbeck
March: Wm. Shapiro
February: Paul Maggitti
January: Dentley Haugesag

Hennepin County Recycling Centers

• 8100 Jefferson Highway, Brooklyn Park
• 1400 West 96th Street, Bloomington
• Quantity limits

Before going, call (612) 348-3777 for directions, fees and to verify that they will accept the item you wish to dispose of

For more information on the county recycling centers visit their web site at www.hennepin.us.

Hours are -
Tuesday, Thursday, Friday: 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Wednesday: 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Saturday: 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Closed - Sunday, Monday and holidays
Call (612) 348-3777 for more information.

Where Can I Dispose of...

Tires -
Tires that are no larger than 4 ft. in diameter can be taken to a Hennepin County Recycling Center. There is a $3 fee for each tire.

Appliances -
Both Hennepin County Recycling Centers accept air conditioners, dehumidifiers, dishwashers, freezers, furnaces, garbage disposals, microwaves, ovens, stoves, refrigerators, trash compactors, washers, dryers and water heaters. There is a $15 fee for most appliances.

Remodeling Debris and Large Items -
The Brooklyn Park facility accepts mattresses, box springs, carpet cut into rolls less than 3 ft. long, and small amounts of remodeling debris. Call to verify fees and items accepted.

Batteries -
Dispose of household batteries by bringing them to city hall, the library, Knollwood or Snyder Drug stores. Take car batteries to a service station that sells batteries.

Motor oil -
Some service stations will accept up to five gallons of used motor oil. Pour motor oil into a plastic container, put the cap on, and bring it to the cash register. You may wish to call ahead to verify that the station will accept motor oil. You may also take motor oil to a Hennepin County Drop-off facility; call (612) 348-3777 for directions and fees.

Electronics
Computer monitors and other electronics contain mercury, a hazardous material. Call Hennepin County at (612) 348-3777 for information on disposal options.

Paint -
Dry paint can be disposed of with your household refuse. Open the can and let it dry out in a well ventilated area. Bring liquid paint to a Hennepin County Drop Off Facility; call (612) 348-3777 for details.

Plastic Bags
Although plastic bags are not collected through the city's curbside recycling collection program, some Twin Cities grocery stores accept used plastic bags for recycling. In St. Louis Park, you can bring clean, dry bags to special collection bins at Byerly's and Cub Foods. Recyclable bags include: grocery store bags, bags used to wrap newspapers or dry cleaning, and retail bags (as long as hard plastic handles or strings have been removed). Bubble wrap, sandwich and bread bags, and other plastic food packaging are not recyclable. The plastic bags are used to produce wood-polymer material for household decks and railings.

Plastic Bags - Ikea
Ikea charges 5 cents each for their "throw-away" plastic bags. The proceeds are donated to American Forests Conservation Organization to restore forests and help offset CO2 emissions in the US.

It's in the Bag
The Twin-Cities based "It's in the Bag" program provides a recycling outlet for consumer and business plastic film material. Click here for a list of collection locations and acceptable materials.

Railroad Ties
The creosote in railroad ties is considered hazardous waste, and they are not collected by Waste Management. The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency and Hennepin County Environmental Services recommend taking railroad ties to the Elk River or Burnsville landfills. Both landfills charge about $1.70 per foot to accept the ties.

• Elk River Landfill: 22460 Hwy. 169 NW
• (763) 441-2464
• Burnsville Landfill: W Cliff Rd.
• (952) 890-3248 2650

Two area businesses will also accept ties (neither will collect ties). J & J Recycling (651) 227-4457 will accept railroad ties at $1 per foot. It is located by the Lafayette Bridge at 607 Barge Channel Road, St. Paul. Buberl Recycling (651) 439-8399 , in Stillwater, will accept railroad ties at a cost of $5 per tie.

For a more complete list of how and where to dispose of items, click on Recyclopedia.

Household Hazardous Waste Drop Off
Hennepin County, in partnership with the City of St. Louis Park, is holding a household hazardous waste drop-off event. Electronics and household hazardous waste are accepted. For a list of accepted materials, other drop-off events in our area, and year-round drop-off facilities, call Hennepin County at (612) 348-3777, or visit www.hennepin.us, search: HHW Events.

• Thursday, June 12 to Saturday, June 14, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
• Louisiana Oaks Park, 3500 Louisiana Ave. (south parking lot)
• There is no fee; you must show proof of Hennepin County residence (Minnesota Driver's License or current utility bill).

Household Hazardous Waste Drop Off Event
Hennepin County and the City of St. Louis Park are sponsoring a spring community collection event for county residents to safely and properly dispose of their unwanted garden and household hazardous wastes. The collection event will be held from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., Thursday, June 12 through Saturday, June 14 at: Louisiana Oaks Park (south parking lot), 3500 Louisiana Ave. S. Items are accepted from households only, business waste cannot be accepted.

Call Hennepin County Environmental Services at (612) 348-3777 from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday, for a more complete list of what is accepted and what is not accepted at the collection or click here for more information.

How to dispose of prescription medicine
The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency recommends the following disposal procedure:
1) Keep medication in its original container, obliterating the patient's name on prescription medications.
2) Make the medication unusable by adding water (to pills or capsules) or salt or a strong powdered spice (to liquids) or by wrapping blister packs in duct tape.
3) Wrap the container in tape or hide it in an empty food container.
4) Discard in your household trash. The bottles cannot be recycled.
Informational Flyer: Pharmaceutical Waste

How to reuse plastic bags.
Wondering what to do with those plastic grocery bags? Click here.

Junk Mail Opt Out

It's in the Bag
The Twin-Cities based "It's in the Bag" program provides a recycling outlet for consumer and business plastic film material. Click here for a list of collection locations and acceptable materials.

Recycle City
Recycle City is an interactive site that takes a hands-on approach to teaching children about recycling adn includes a Recycle City scavenger hunt. Go to U.S. EPA.

Recycle Guys!
This imaginative Web site teaches students the ABC's about how to recycle.
Go to NC Dept of Environment and Natural Resources.

Recycling bins
Bins are supplied to each household at no additional charge. If you don't have at least one recycling bin, call Waste Management at (763) 783-5423 to arrange to have a bin delivered to you.

When you move, leave the recycling bin for the new occupants. Bins are the property of the City of St. Louis Park - not the individual resident.

Related Links

• "How to recycle practically anything" is an emagazine article featuring Minnesota's own Paul Gardner.
• "21 Things You Didn't Know You Could Recycle" from Co-op America Quarterly

Recyclopedia available
If you'd like some pointers on how to properly dispose of an item, take a look at St. Louis Park's Recyclopedia 2006-2007. The 2008-2009 Recyclopedia will be delivered in January 2008.

The booklet provides information on how to recycle, donate, or properly dispose of a wide range of materials. For a free copy, call Public Works at (952) 924-2555 or e-mail pworks@stlouispark.org with your request, name and complete mailing address. To view the electronic version of the 2008-2009 Recyclopedia, click here

Reuse books
PaperBooksSwap.com is a way to reuse your old books and get “new” ones for free. To view a news clip on how this reuse program works Click Here.

Reuse It, Don't Toss It
If you have useable household goods or clothing, don't toss it. Instead, please help the community and reduce waste by finding new uses for your unwanted items. Here's how:

• Donate useable clothing and household goods to charitable organizations.
• Buy items that can be reused instead of disposables.
• Buy well-designed and constructed products. They'll last longer and save you money over the long run, even if they cost more initially.
• Avoid impulse purchases.
• Share your stuff with neighbors and friends.
• Have a garage sale or share used items rather than throwing them away. Give magazines to friends or nursing homes. Donate household items to charitable organizations (some will pick these items up from your home).

For a more complete list of how and where to dispose of items, click on Recyclopedia. The Recyclopedia is published bi-annually. Hard copies are available at City Hall. Contact Public Works at pworks@stlouispark.org or 952-924-2555, if you would like one mailed to you.

Good for the Sole!
Soles4Souls™ facilitates the donations of shoes, which will be used to aid the hurting worldwide. Shoe companies, retailers, and individuals can donate footwear, both new and used. Soles4Souls is a 501(c)(3) recognized by the IRS and donating parties are eligible for tax advantages. For more information, visit Souls4Souls or call (334) TO-DONATE (334-863-6628).

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