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Curtis Gilbert
ST. PAUL, Minn.

Minneapolis saves with single-sort recycling

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A new recycling program in Minneapolis is proving popular with residents.

Areas of the city that have switched to single-sort recycling have seen a 60 percent increase in their recycling rates. The city collected 400 additional tons of recycling in just six weeks, even though less than a third of households have been switched over.

With the single-sort system residents can throw all their recycling into one bin, rather than having to sort paper, plastic, metal and glass into separate bags. Residents are each provided a 95-gallon rolling cart for their recyclables. Recycling manager Dave Herberholz says the method is easier for everyone.

"It's been well received by the public and also our personnel, just because of the ease in participation from the residents standpoint and then the ease of collecting from our employees standpoint," Herberholz said.

Minneapolis switched over about 30,000 households last fall. The rest of the city will make the transition by the end of June.

It cost about $9 million for Minneapolis to make the switch, but Herberholz expects it will eventually save money.