A Resident's Push Makes Recycling a Reality

Liz Carmon said she was frustrated that her St. Louis Park apartment complex didn’t have recycling, so she worked to change that.

Carmon, who has lived at for about five years, saw the culmination of her efforts on Saturday with a recycling kickoff event outside the apartment. New recycling bins were brought out for people to use. Perhaps more important, however, was the outreach by officials from the city, Hennepin County and Project for Pride in Living, a nonprofit that owns a number of buildings at the complex.

“We’re hoping to get them to continue recycling,” said Shannon Hansen, a St. Louis Park public works staffer who works closely with the city’s recycling program.

A city ordinance requires apartment buildings to provide recycling to residents, but some complexes struggle to keep the service going. The city’s multi-family recycling rate lags behind the single-family rate, Hansen said. In many instances, she added, informational signs about recycling only come in English, while residents speak a number of languages. Also, residents often mistakenly fill recycling bins with material that isn’t recyclable, which keeps haulers from being able to do anything with the waste. Louisiana Court saw a previous hauler give up on the building—and the recycling service fizzle—for this exact reason.

Saturday’s event was designed to educate Louisiana Court residents about the materials that can be recycled. Demonstrators showed onlookers, including a large number of kids, how to sort through waste. Carmon was especially pleased to see the youngsters so engaged, saying they will continually remind their parents to recycle.

Though happy with the kickoff, Carmon says one event won’t be enough to change everyone’s habits. She and a number of other residents plan to voluntarily monitor the recycling efforts at their buildings. If they notice people throwing recyclables away or filling recycle bins with material that doesn't belong, they will make an effort to stop it. Recycling tips and information will also be added to the monthly PPL newsletter sent to residents.

“There’s so much wasted that can be recycled,” Carmon said. “It’s really important to have the community involved. This is our beginning.”