Okay, now what?

[dreamshark]

The City of Minneapolis just sent us a thick packet of information about the Organics Recycling program (which has been running in other parts of the city for several years, but not in our neighborhood). There's a list of items that can and cannot be included in the Organics bin, helpful suggestions for how to organize your trash inside your house, and even a free pack of organic recycling bags. All very nice.

Missing from all of this information is what we are supposed to DO with the organic waste once it is collected. Are they going to bring us a 3rd bin to put out in the alley? Or are we supposed to go out and buy one on our own? Or pick up a free one from someplace? When is the city going to start collecting organic waste in our neighborhood? Or have they been doing it all along but never told us about it?

Comments

[murumatsu.livejournal.com]

they do bring you another bin, it's green. (I live in NE Minneapolis, which was the first area of the city in the organics program)

[fmsv.livejournal.com]

We've had organics waste collection for some years now, and we have a third bin in the alley. I expect the city will deliver one to you sometime soon. (When it expanded from a Linden Hills pilot program to a city-wide program, they replaced the bin we'd previously had with a different one.)

[pameladean]

They'll bring you a new bin. Organics are collected weekly on your garbage day. I imagine they will start collecting ithem once the bin is actually there.

We got no warning about ours; Raphael just came home one day and said, "We can haz organics recycling!" because the bin had simply appeared next to the garbage carts.

P.

[quility.livejournal.com]

What they said.
I've been glad for it. The part i struggle(d) with the most is that the bag disintegrates when there is too much moisture in our counter top collector. I started with a plastic pail and thought that was the problem. But even the designed counter top collector has that problem. Now i don't put really wet stuff in and i am careful to dry it out each time i replace the bag.
I think they recommend putting the wet stuff in a pail in the freezer until time to take it out. .. But i haven't done that.
I hope you enjoy your new compost option (once it actually starts)!

[mle292.livejournal.com]

If you are the type of person who uses a lot of paper towels, you won't have much trouble with the bag disintegrating from moisture. If you're a more enviornmentally responsible person (than me) who uses dish towels and rags, you should do what quility said.

[dreamshark.livejournal.com]

Do you put the used paper towels into the organics pail?

[mle292.livejournal.com]

Yes. They degrade just fine, and are probably on the list of things you can include.