The original item was published from July 11, 2023 1:49 PM to July 11, 2023 1:49 PM
Dear Minot:
It’s been a long journey to get here, but curbside recycling is finally upon us.
The City’s first recycling pickups will take place next week on Monday and Tuesday, but the discussion surrounding this program has been taking place for nearly a decade. The need for a recycling program has been debated by residents and elected officials alike for the past few years, with differing opinions. We’ve held public meetings, discussed the issue at length during City Council meetings, and heard comments from residents on both sides of the issue through phone calls, emails, text messages, and in-person visits.
As part of the overall process, we conducted a survey a few years ago, and found that 64 percent of residents surveyed supported the creation of a curbside recycling program. We’ve been moving forward ever since, leading to the kickoff of the program next week.
One of the most tangible benefits to our community is that recycling will extend the lifespan of our landfill. The more residents who participate in the program, the less “stuff” we’ll bury in our landfill cells, thereby stretching out the time before we’ll need to seriously look at a new site for a landfill. As a City, we’ve extensively studied this issue in past years, and locating a new site for a landfill will be expensive and time-consuming. Assuming suitable land is found and purchased (a big assumption), the design and permitting process will also be lengthy and expensive, not to mention the cost of construction. The monthly charge to participate in the recycling program is minimal compared to those costs, making the $2.50 monthly fee a good investment for our community.
Our goal is 100 percent participation, although we know there are residents who have already used their one-time opportunity to opt out of the program. But we’ve also had residents opt out, only to call the City and opt back in after they read the materials that were delivered with the blue-covered containers over the past couple of weeks.
The schedule will work like this:
Monday/Thursday collection days
Week 1: Monday – recycling. Thursday - garbage
Week 2: Monday – garbage. Thursday - garbage
Week 3: Monday – recycling. Thursday - garbage
Week 4: Monday – garbage. Thursday – garbage
Tuesday/Friday collection days
Week 1: Tuesday – recycling. Friday - garbage
Week 2: Tuesday – garbage. Friday - garbage
Week 3: Tuesday – recycling. Friday - garbage
Week 4: Tuesday – garbage. Friday – garbage
Other details of the program:
There is no charge for the service until Oct. 1. Residents who decide not to participate in the program can use their one-time opportunity to opt out, but must do so before the $2.50 monthly fee begins on Oct. 1.
Recyclable materials should be placed in the container loose, and should not be bagged. The program accepts plastic bottles, tubs, jugs, and lids numbered 1, 2, or 5; aluminum, steel or tin cans; food cartons; cardboard, food and beverage boxes, newspaper and other mixed paper. Plastics and cans should be rinsed and cardboard should be flattened. We do not accept glass, shredded paper, batteries, diapers, pet waste, plastic bags, film, sharp objects, hazardous items like motor oil, or tanglers such as hoses or extension cords.
I’ve witnessed first-hand the successes of a community’s curbside recycling program. Our sister city, Skien, Norway, has been recycling for years, something we saw during our visit to Skien earlier this year. They have found markets for materials that are recycled from across southern Norway, and a high participation rate has allowed their program to expand and even become profitable.
But we’re getting ahead of ourselves. For now, we’re excited to roll out our program beginning next week. We’ve received so many positive messages from residents who are anxious to start using the blue-topped bins to dispose of many items they would normally just throw in the trash.
When we’re finished, we will have delivered some 13,000 recycling carts to City of Minot sanitation customers. So far, the opt out rate has been far lower than expected, and we hope that trend continues. We’re asking residents who have already expressed a desire to opt out of the program to at least use the free trial period to see if the program works for them. After a couple months of free recycling, maybe you’ll still choose to opt out, but at least give it a chance.
It’s exciting to see the efforts of so many people finally paying off with the beginning of our curbside recycling program. We can’t wait for next week. You can find more information about the recycling program here: https://www.minotnd.gov/462/Curbside-Recycling.
You can find more about what’s happening at the City of Minot at minotnd.org, or find us on Facebook and Twitter. We’d also encourage you to sign up for our monthly electronic newsletter on our website.