Are your Lawn Bags Compost Friendly? This Year, They Must Be
Rethink Recycling helps consumers understand new policy and use of compostable bags
MINNEAPOLIS (April 1, 2010) — A new law went into effect on Jan. 1, that will change the way Twin Citians who currently bag their yard waste and dispose of it in a curbside collection program. Waste haulers will now only accept yard waste carts, paper bags or compostable plastic bags. As the go-to recycling resource in the Twin Cities, Rethink Recycling has the answers for what consumers need to know about the new law.
“With the new law affecting the way folks manage their yard waste, there are a lot of questions and concerns,” said Angie Timmons, communications manager for the Solid Waste Management Coordinating Board. “Our goal is to help inform consumers about this new law so this can be a smooth transition and so they can understand the benefits of this change in policy.”
Timmons recommended visiting the information pages and RethinkRecycling.com blog to learn more about the new compostable bag law. She also recommends that metro-area residents contact their waste haulers directly with more specific questions about the requirements.
The residents of Anoka, Carver, Hennepin (excluding the City of Minneapolis), Ramsey, Scott and Washington counties will be affected by the new law. City of Minneapolis residents are not required to use compostable bags until Jan. 1, 2013, and residents of Dakota County are already required to use compostable bags for curbside yard waste pick up.
Twin Cities residents are not affected by the law if they are already using yard waste carts. Timmons recommends residents contact their haulers to see if yard carts are available. Also, for residents who currently take their yard waste to a yard waste collection facility, they will still need to debag the yard waste at the facility and take the bag with them, even if they are using a compostable paper or plastic bag.
For more information on ways to save and reduce your impact on the environment, visit www.RethinkRecycling.com and sign up for the Green Tips Newsletter. You can also follow us on Twitter (twitter.com/RRTwinCities) and Facebook!
About Rethink Recycling:
The Solid Waste Management Coordinating Board (SWMCB) launched its first education outreach campaign in 2003 to help citizens living in the six-county Twin Cities metro area (the counties of Anoka, Carver, Dakota, Hennepin, Ramsey and Washington) understand the urgent need to make environmentally responsible purchasing and disposal decisions in their daily lives. By giving citizens the information needed to make these decisions, we can reverse the ever-growing waste stream and protect the environmental health of the six-county Twin Cities metro area. The SWMCB was formed in 1990 to increase the efficiency and environmental effectiveness of the region's solid waste management system. The SWMCB is proud to sponsor its current campaign, RethinkRecycling.com. For more information, visit RethinkRecycling.com
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