Otter Tail County is one of seven recipients of more than $1.1 million in grant funding to Greater Minnesota
The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) announced today a $250,000 grant to Otter Tail County to support its transition to countywide, curbside collection of single-sort recyclables.
The single-sort recycling program would increase recycling by an estimated 2,000 tons a year, divert more waste from landfills, and provide an easy system of recycling to all Otter Tail County residents. According to a 2020 MPCA report, Otter Tail County had a recycling rate of 45.2%, one of the highest rates in Greater Minnesota.
“Recycling turns waste into a resource, which is good for our environment and our economy,” said Katrina Kessler, MPCA commissioner. “Otter Tail County’s consistent leadership has been recognized throughout the state and embraced by residents and businesses like Lund Boats and Lake Region Healthcare. This state-county partnership is a more than $500,000 investment in the region’s environment and economy.”
While two cities in Otter Tail County, Fergus Falls and Perham, already provide curbside single-sort recycling, the rest of the county currently operates a source-separated recycling program where materials such as paper and metal must be separated into different bins.
Funding from this grant will support the county in planning the transition to single-sort recycling, including expected revisions to county ordinances, meetings with haulers, and engagement from the public. The grant will also help the county determine the best method of hauling recycling materials to recycling facilities for processing and will fund infrastructure improvements needed for larger amounts of recyclables.
Funding was awarded as part of MPCA’s Greater Minnesota Recycling and Composting Grants, which support communities in making reuse, recycling, and composting programs more efficient and effective. Otter Tail County provided $283,260 in matching funds, for a total of $533,260 in funding.
“Otter Tail County recently completed a Solid Waste Master Plan establishing a 30-year road map on a path towards zero landfilling,” said Chris McConn, director of the Otter Tail County Solid Waste Department. “Countywide, single-sort recycling is one of the first milestones on that path, and the MPCA grant is helping us get there.”
The grant is the latest in a series of awards Otter Tail County has received from the MPCA. In 2021, Otter Tail County received $190,000 to start an organics collection pilot program for organizations that generate large amounts of organic waste, as well as a backyard composting program for residents. The previous year, in 2020, the county received $232,000 to expand its regional film plastic recycling program.
Over $1 million awarded in 2022 grant round
The 2022 Greater Minnesota Recycling and Composting Grant program awarded a total of $1.12 million in MPCA funding to seven projects committed to reuse, recycling, or composting. Including matching funds from the recipients, the grants represent a $1.73 million investment in sustainable solid waste practices.
In addition to Otter Tail County, the grant recipients included:
- City of Hutchinson, $86,000: Develop an education program to increase organics recycling participation and remove non-compostable materials from the organics stream.
- City of Red Wing, $141,000: Conduct a feasibility student for a regional organics program that includes partnership with surrounding communities and organizations.
- Grand Portage Reservation, $196,000: Mechanize cardboard processing and provide storage for recyclables as well as reuse, problem, and bulky materials and equipment.
- Dodge County, $120,000: Construct a building for reusable materials and share materials with a reuse store in Rochester for public resale.
- Aitkin County, $91,000: Pilot an on-demand curbside recycling pickup program in part of the county as an alternative to traditional weekly pickup.
- Lake County, $235,000: Fund a community and county-run rural program for recycling and composting in a remote part of Lake County.
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