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As one of the largest nonprofit recyclers in the nation, Eureka Recycling is a leader in shaping recycling and waste management policy. We track national, regional and local developments, using our expertise to advocate for practices that optimally balance cost, convenience and environmental benefit. Recycling professionals as well as the general public can count on us for accurate information about recycling and waste reduction issues. Nalgene Bottles Recently there has been a lot of discussion about the safety of drinking water. Concerns about tap water, bottled water, and reusable plastic bottles like Nalgene brand water bottles, can be overwhelming. But, research and studies can be important tools to help you inform your decisions since the bottom line is you have choices to make about the water you drink every day. You can choose to continue using a reusable water bottle. You can buy bottled water. You can drink tap water in glass, plastic cup, or those new metal canteens that are all the rage. You can install a filter for your tap water. You can drink from public water fountains. All these options have different impacts on the environment and your health: some choices are better than others. It is up to you to decide what fits best in your life and what is important to you. A new collaboration has formed in the Twin Cities, calling themselves The Water Reclaimers. This collaboration is made up of people from local environmental nonprofits, water quality entities, art organizations, city government, restaurants, and more. Together, the Water Reclaimers represent a wide range of perspectives and expertise on the issues impacting our drinking water. Our goal is to creatively engage you in trusting our drinking water which sustains us and all life. This includes sharing information with you about water quality, bottled water, tap water, and water as a “commons.” You, too, can be a Water Reclaimer simply by learning how to trust our water! Learn more!
For more information about this collaborative: Contact Rachel Breen (On the Commons) (612)823-3217 or Dianna Kennedy (Eureka Recycling) (651) 222-7678. Zero Waste Ordinance Resource Guide Many communities around the country and around the world are adopting policies and strategic plans to move towards Zero Waste. In a zero waste system, materials are designed and managed to be conserved and recovered, rather than destroyed, buried or transformed in ways that limit our ability to safely reuse them for productive purposes. Communities and businesses currently in the process of adopting zero waste goals look to examples of ecological systems, where the output of one system becomes the input for another system, the way decomposition and decay form the basis of nourishment for new organisms. In 2005 Eureka Recycling convened the Saint Paul Environmental Roundtable. The work of the Roundtable, made up of residents from throughout Saint Paul, culminated in the passage of a resolution to set Saint Paul’s policy direction on six environmental issues: zero waste, food systems, cleaner energy, green building, open space and water stewardship. In 2006, as a result of the roundtable recommendations, the City of Saint Paul adopted the goal of being a zero waste city by 2020. Recognizing the need to provide all communities clear and concise examples for crafting zero waste policies and strategic plans to achieve zero waste, Eureka Recycling has compiled a Zero Waste Ordinance Resource Guide with nearly 70 examples from communities that are leading the way! The Zero Waste Resource Guide was first presented at the Alliance For Sustainability’s “Local Government Sustainability Workshop – Using Model Sustainability Ordinances to Implement your City’s Sustainability Goals” in Saint Paul, MN on April 16th, 2008.
Eureka Recycling joins coalition to call for a moratorium on bio-based bottles! 
Because new bio-based bottles are indistinguishable from existing petroleum-based bottles, they disrupt the existing recycling systems. The long term impacts of adding them to recycling programs is unknown and unstudied. Eureka Recycling has joined several recycling organizations to stop the emergence of bio-based bottles until key concerns are adequately addressed. See Press release (10/26), Letter to NatureWorks, and Fortune Article (11/2)
Updated February 13, 2006 The legacy of Minnesota as a leader on environmental issues is in jeopardy. The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency has released a draft of the 2005 Solid Waste Policy Report, which will be presented to the Minnesota Legislature in late February 2006. The purpose of the report is to summarize the current status of solid waste management in Minnesota, evaluate the effectiveness of policies and goals, and make recommendations for establishing and modifying new policies and programs. Eureka Recycling believes the current draft of recommended policies does not provide the direction necessary to significantly reduce waste in Minnesota. Specifically, it focuses heavily on conserving and increasing trash-burning capacity in Minnesota, while failing to offer strong recycling and composting goals, depriving the state of environmental and health benefits. We have submitted the following comments on the report, urging the state to enact policies that create a much stronger vision for Minnesota.
Sustainable Recycling in Minneapolis Updated November, 2008 Minneapolis Recycling Contract
Background information: Summary of the Issues: Four-page briefing (3/31/04) Fact Sheet: following the Transportation and Public Works Committee vote (3/1/04) Our Letter to Minneapolis Residents (02/10/04) Letter of Support from Saint Paul Councilmember Jay Benanav (02/06/04) Initial Fact Sheet: following the first staff recommendation (1/04) Press Coverage Star Tribune (4/3/04) At last, city picks recycling contractor. Minneapolis council spends 2 more hours sorting through options
Panel unable to agree on recycler
Recycled recommendation: city staff sticks with garbage giant in recycling deal
It’s Not about the money. In the bidding war over the city’s new recycling contract, cost doesn’t carry much weight Southwest Journal (
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The Benefits of Nonprofit Recyclers Do the waste haulers who pick up your garbage see the value in recycling? Waste haulers and true recyclers have very different motivations. We've gathered the perspectives of recyclers in Michigan, Colorado and Saint Paul on this issue. Read about how nonprofit recyclers, such as Eureka Recycling, Recycle Ann Arbor and Eco-Cycle, combine the advantages of a true recycler - an interest in making recycling more successful than disposal - with the advantages of a nonprofit organization: mission-driven activities that invest all profits back into the community. Article "True Recyclers Save Recycling" (PDF) For more about trends in the recycling industry, see "Fighting Waste Industry Consolidation with Local Ownership of Recycling Facilities," Peter Anderson et. al, Institute for Local Self-Reliance, Washington, D.C., 2002. Curbside Recycling Collection Methods Eureka Recycling recently completed a study comparing five different curbside collection methods, including source-separated, two-stream and single-stream collection. The study recommends that Saint Paul move to weekly two-stream collection in 18-gallon bins. See the Studies page for more information, or read a report on the study printed in Resource Recovery: “Downstream of Single Stream,” Resource Recycling, November 2002. Plastics Eureka Recycling supports reduced use of plastic in favor of materials that are more easily recyclable. Read more about the complications presented by recycling plastic and Eureka Recycling’s position on curbside collection of plastic in Saint Paul:Recycling Plastic: Complications and Limitations fact sheet (PDF) The County Environmental Charge (CEC) is Ramsey County’s new way of collecting fees to pay for garbage disposal. Starting in April 2003, the old Waste Management Service charge, which has been billed on Ramsey County property tax statements, is renamed the County Environmental Charge and is collected directly from the waste hauler. Read more about this change and Eureka Recycling’s reasons for supporting it: Letter to Community Councils, November 4, 2002 (PDF) Public Collection of Solid Waste Eureka Recycling expressed support for public collection in spring 2002, when Ramsey and Washington Counties were exploring changes in the waste collection system. This debate resulted in the implementation of the County Environmental Charge (see above). For our position on public collection, read the letter to community papers below: Public collection letter to editor, March 8, 2002, printed in the Villager, March 13, 2002 and the East Side Review, April 15, 2002. (PDF) Links to Other Recycling Organizations
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