Hennepin County Studying Waste To Expand Recycling Program
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- Officials in Hennepin County were digging through the trash Thursday.
It's part of a new waste study. Hennepin County is hoping to recycle 75 percent of all waste by 2030.
To do that, they're looking in the trash to find out what could be recycled now, but isn't. Right now, Hennepin County only recycles about half of its waste.
Officials say a big reason is that people forget about recyclables that don't come from the kitchen.
"You don't just generate recycling in your kitchen, you generate recycling throughout your home," said Paul Kroening, Hennepin County recycling program manager. "I think things that people miss frequently are plastic bottles that aren't generated in your kitchen, like your laundry room. Toothpaste boxes and things like that that you generate in your bathroom."
Kroening says food waste is another area where the county can improve. He says they'll be working on programs for that over the next few years, and that should be a big help.
The results of the study will be released later this summer.
