Why Recycle

It's State Law

As of January 1, 2016, owners of commercial property in the seven-county metro area need to have recycling services along with garbage collection. The new law (Minn. Stat. 115A.151) applies to most commercial buildings that have service for 4 cubic yards (or more) of trash per week, and requires at least three material types be recycled.

More information on the law and what types of businesses are affected can be found on the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency’s commercial recycling page.

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Potential Cost Savings

Even if the law does not apply to you, it is still an opportunity to increase recycling. Most businesses don’t think about how much their trash is really costing them, trash is taxed, recycling is not. With a 17 percent state tax on garbage, trashing recyclables can be expensive.

Good for the Economy

Minnesotans spend a lot of money throwing away recyclables every year. When they could be adding additional value to the economy. 

  • 1.2 million tons of recyclable materials are thrown away every year in MN
  • Those materials are worth $285 million
  • It costs $200 million to throw it all away
  • The lost value of the materials plus the cost to toss them in a landfill is nearly half a billion dollars

Customers Expect It

Many businesses find recycling good for business, as customers increasingly support companies committed to sustainable practices in their operations.

Setting up recycling can take some work, but help is available. AnokaBizRecycle offers technical assistance, signage, training and a grant program to purchase recycling and organics collection containers.  More information about assistance available through Anoka County is available here.  You can also contact Commercial Recycling or call 763-324-3481 for more information on the business recycling assistance program.