School waste prevention and recycling

There are two waste reduction and recycling grants available to schools:

School recycling mini grant

Eligible applicants including preschools, K-12 schools, colleges and universities in Hennepin County may select up to $5,000 worth of containers and BPI-certified compostable bags from the county’s product list. Compostable bags are only available to applicants starting new organics for composting programs to line their containers, not organics programs that are already in place.

Applications will be accepted on an ongoing basis until Thursday, October 15, 2026, or until the annual program budget is exhausted, whichever occurs first.

Attend an information meeting

A virtual information meeting about the school recycling mini grants will be held on Thursday, February 19 from 2 to 2:30 p.m. Register for the mini grant information meeting.

To apply:

1. Review the mini grant flyer (PDF, 1MB) and mini grant guidelines (PDF, 1MB) for more information about the program, eligible project activities, and allowable expenses.
2. For application materials, submit a school recycling and waste reduction inquiry form.

School waste reduction and recycling grant

Hennepin County provides grants for preschools, K-12 schools, colleges, and universities to start or improve programs to divert recycling and organic materials, which includes food and compostable paper, from the trash. Grant funding can also be used to take steps to prevent waste, including wasted food. There are two rounds of funding for this grant:

Funding round one

The first round of funding is available to two-year colleges, Head Start programs, and preschools and K-12 schools where at least 50% of students are eligible for educational benefits, such as the former free or reduced lunch program. Individual schools may apply for up to $15,000, and public schools may apply for up to $45,000 across the district.

Applications for round one are due on March 12, 2026.

Funding round two

The second round of funding is open to any K-12 school, preschool, college, or university in Hennepin County.

Applications will be accepted on a rolling basis from April 2, 2026 through October 15, 2026, or until the annual program budget is exhausted, whichever occurs first.

Attend an information meeting

A virtual information meeting about the school waste reduction and recycling grant will be held on Wednesday, February 11 from 9 to 10 a.m. Register for the school grant information meeting.

To apply:

1. Review the grant flyer (PDF, 1MB) and grant guidelines (PDF, 1MB) for more information about the program, eligible project activities, and allowable expenses.
2. For application materials, submit a school recycling and waste reduction inquiry form.

Contact us

You are encouraged to contact the grant program staff at schoolrecycling@hennepin.us to discuss your project ideas and for assistance with developing your project proposal.

Recently awarded school waste reduction and recycling grants

In 2025, Hennepin County awarded six grants totaling $50,450 to schools to reduce waste and expand recycling and organics programs. Grant recipients include one public school district, two charter schools, two preschools, and one university.

Casa de Corazón Centennial Lakes, Edina

$1,700 to start collecting organics in the classrooms and kitchen.

Fraser School, Richfield

$12,250 to improve their recycling program and start collecting organics in the kitchen, classrooms, and bathrooms.

Lincoln International High School, Minneapolis

$14,400 to add recycling containers in classrooms and offices and start collecting organics in the kitchen and cafeteria.

Noble Academy, Brooklyn Park

$7,100 to reduce cafeteria waste by introducing stainless steel trays and trash lids with magnetic catchers, as well as expanding their reusable flatware inventory.

Roosevelt High School, Minneapolis Public Schools

$1,300 for the Roosevelt Culinary Arts to provide reusable to-go containers to students and eliminate single-use disposables in the classroom.

University of Minnesota, Minneapolis

$15,000 to improve waste sorting practices at the 3M Arena at Mariucci through unified collection bins.

Request assistance

Our committed staff is ready to help you reduce or prevent waste, reduce food waste or donate food, and start or improve recycling and organics at your school.

Schools in Hennepin County can request assistance by submitting a school recycling inquiry request form.

Order educational materials and recycling signs

Schools in Hennepin County can order free recycling, organics recycling and trash signage and other supplies. A variety of signs that work in office, cafeteria, hallways, classrooms and more are available.

Opportunities for schools

Hennepin County Environment and Energy has many resources available to schools, including grant programs, educational materials, curriculum, and experiential education opportunities. Reference this list (PDF, 1MB) to review all available opportunities.

Vendor list

For help finding vendors that sell recycling and organics recycling supplies as well as products to help reduce waste in the cafeteria, refer to this vendor list for schools (PDF, 1MB). The list provides options for where to purchase stainless steel sorting tables, magnetic flatware retrievers, countertop compost bins, reusable trays, condiment dispensers, and more.

Purchasing products with Minnesota Cooperative Purchasing

The State of Minnesota manages a Cooperative Purchasing Venture (PDF, 1MB) that is available to public entities including school districts and charter schools. The state contracts with vendors to provide goods and services at competitive prices. Contracts are available for compostable bags, reusable and compostable food service ware, and waste and recycling containers. First, check with your purchasing department to see if you already have an agreement in place, either with a janitorial supply company or another buying cooperative.

Setting up a recycling program

The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency's page on starting a school recycling program is a great resource including step-by-step instructions for setting up recycling at your school.

Benefits of recycling programs

Implementing recycling and organics collection in schools provides environmental, educational and financial benefits:

• Environmental: By recycling, new products are made from materials being discarded. Diverting organic waste means that leftover food is donated to help people in need, fed to animals, or turned into compost.
• Educational: Recycling and organics recycling presents hands-on environmental education opportunities that provide a forum for teaching many scientific topics, such as decomposition, pollution, habitat loss, microbiology, chemistry, soil ecology, manufacturing and engineering.
• Financial: Schools can reduce disposal costs and taxes associated with solid waste disposal.

School waste study

A school waste sort study (PDF, 2MB), conducted by the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency, Hennepin County and City of Minneapolis, gives some key insights into waste generation at schools, including that nearly 80 percent of school waste could be recycled.

Waste sort guide

Interested in learning more about the amount and type of waste produced at your schools by conducting a waste audit or waste sort?

Check out our how-to guide for conducting a waste sort (PDF, 2MB) for step-by-step instructions for conducting a waste sort, including how to organize and set up the sort, what equipment you will need, and how to collect data with sample data sheets.

Locker cleanout guide

Use the locker cleanout guide (PDF, 4MB) to help prevent waste and maximize the reuse and recycling of materials during locker cleanout at the end of the school year.

Diverting organic materials, which includes food, napkins and other compostable products, at schools is a significant opportunity to put waste to better use. Options for leftover food include food donation, food-to-animals, or organic composting programs.

Preventing food waste

In the United States, about 40 percent of food is wasted somewhere along the supply chain. Grocery stores, restaurants and institutions are responsible for about 40 percent of this waste. Wasted food is the most prevalent material in the trash by far, representing about 20 percent of the trash by weight. When food is wasted, the water, energy, fertilizer and cropland that went into producing the food is wasted, too.

You are protected from liability

Food donors are protected by the Bill Emerson Good Samaritan Food Act, which was passed into federal law in 1996. Organizations that donate food in good faith to a nonprofit for distribution to food insecure individuals are not subject to civil or criminal liability that arises from the condition of the food.

Sharing tables

If your school does not already have a sharing table in the cafeteria, set one up! Students put unwanted food and beverages on the sharing table which other students can take.

• Learn more in our sharing table guide (PDF, 1MB).
• Order laminated and print-yourself sharing table signs at no charge.

Food donation

Some schools in Hennepin County donate surplus prepared food from the kitchen, and others donate items from the cafeteria. Items that are accepted on a sharing table have the potential to be donated.

If your school is interested in pursuing food donation, the following organizations can schedule regular pick-ups for donated food.

• Loaves & Fishes
• Feeding America’s Meal Connect program

Resources

• To explore food rescue options, including sharing tables, please see the food rescue guide for schools (PDF, 1MB).
• For more detailed information on sharing tables, see the sharing table guide (PDF, 1MB).
• Order a printed food rescue guide and sharing table signs.

Organics recycling

Common organic wastes at schools

Organic waste in schools is commonly collected in the kitchen, cafeteria, restrooms, and faculty lounge.

The most common organic waste collected at schools is food waste and paper products. See the organics recycling at schools guide (PDF, 1MB) for more details on materials accepted.

Organics recycling options

• Food-to-people programs: Donate edible food to organizations that help people in need.
• Food-to-livestock programs: Have your food processed into feed for livestock.
• Organics composting: Have your food scraps and food-soiled paper products turned into valuable compost.

Efficiently operated organics recycling programs can pay for themselves. Significant cost savings can result from:

• Reduced trash service because pick-ups can happen less frequently.
• State and county solid waste tax exemptions. Trash is taxed at 38.5 percent, while there is no tax for organics recycling.
• Reduced tipping fee on organic waste. Tipping fees for trash are generally twice as much as organics per ton.

Learn more about organics recycling at schools

• See the organics recycling in schools best practices guide (PDF, 8MB) for more information and tips on getting started with an organics recycling program.
• Learn more about food to animals and organics recycling options including haulers.

Most of the waste produced at schools can be recycled or composted. The following resources can help you start or improve a recycling program at your school.

Order signs, labels, and guides for your school.

Recycling and organics recycling at school guides

Includes an overview of what is and is not accepted for recycling and organics recycling at schools, plus tips to improve recycling.

• Recycling at schools guide (PDF, 1MB)
• Organics recycling at schools guide (PDF, 1MB)

Composting correctly: sorting organics at school video

The "composting correctly" video (YouTube) (2:35) is geared toward schools that collect organics in their cafeteria. The video covers how organics become compost, what you can and cannot compost, and why composting is important.

Sorting lunch waste at school video

Our sorting video (YouTube) (3:08) is intended to help students learn how to sort and properly recycle their lunch waste. The video gives a brief overview of why recycling and organics recycling is important, then instructs students how to sort their waste into recycling, organics recycling, and trash. The video is intended to be generic enough to be used by schools throughout Hennepin County.

Videos about recycling

• Richfield Dual Language School:
  Spanish recycling song with English subtitles (YouTube) 

• Hennepin County and South View Middle School:
  Milk Cartons and Juice Boxes Recycling (YouTube)

Sustainable schools meetings provide an opportunity for school staff and volunteers to learn about environmental topics and share successes and challenges related to their recycling and organics programs.

Meetings are typically held twice during the school year.

Fill out this form to be added to the contact list.