Maple Grove To Provide Curbside Organics Recycling to All Residents
Residents in Maple Grove can get curbside organics recycling pick-ups every week from one hauler, Republic Services, starting in January.
The cost will be included as a separate charge on customers’ city utility bill. Once the program begins in 2025, individual garbage haulers will stop charging residents for organics collection.
The City of Maple Grove will offer curbside organics recycling for everyone from the same hauler, once a week, starting in January.
“Cities are moving in the direction of offering the comprehensive service city-wide rather than doing it with individual trash haulers,” said Derek Asche, water resources engineer with the City of Maple Grove. “It just seems to be a cost-saving measure to be able to do it that way, more flexibility for residents, and I think allowing residents to use the service, which is a weekly service.”
Republic Services will be the city-wide hauler, and Asche said customers can get a dedicated organics recycling bin from the city and the pick-up will be the same day as their normal curbside garbage pick-up.
“It just seems to be a cost-saving measure to be able to do it that way, more flexibility for residents,” said Asche.
Residents should sign up by December 13 to ensure a cart is delivered to their home by the January 6 start date.
“Food waste is compostable and can go in a compostable (receptacle). So can food-soiled paper and so can coffee grounds and coffee filters, so there’s a good amount of trash we feel like we can get out of the waste stream,” said Asche. “Organics can be reused as compost and topsoil and used on different projects, so what’s going in the trash today, the idea would be, we could reduce that, we can reduce our dependence on landfills and recycle organic material.”
Some residents had questions in the past about the smell of accumulating organic waste, and Asche recommends you store them in a ventilated area.
“It’s the same material that your trash has today, so if your trash has odor today, you’re just moving it to the compost bin,” he said.
For more information about the City of Maple Grove’s organics recycling program offerings, click here.
