Minneapolis May Require Recycling At Neighborhood Events

For all the efforts the City of Minneapolis and its taxpayers put into living "green" lives and building a "green" society, you might be surprised to know that at its largest events, recycling is not mandatory. 

When City Councilmember Betsy Hodges (Ward 13) heard that factoid from local environmental organizer Felicity Britton, she had the same reaction a lot of her fellow Southwest Minneapolis residents might have.

"That's not consistent with who we are as a city," Hodges said.

Tuesday, the Minneapolis City Council's Public Works committee takes up a measure, sponsored by Hodges, that would require large events like a parades, races, or big street fairs to provide recycling alongside the normal trash bins. Small events like National Night Out block parties won't be impacted.

On Monday, Hodges told Patch in an interview that while she's not sure precisely how much the new measure will cut down on trash sent to landfills, it will save event organizers money right away. Recycling bins, like the trash bins at events, will still be collected by city sanitation workers. However, unlike the trash bins, organizers won't have to pay a "tipping fee" to the city for collecting the trash.

The measure is expected to pass both the committee and the full council next week. When it does, Hodges said she'll be very happy.

"It's something I've cared about and worked on for a long time," she said.