School recycling

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.

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) to review all available opportunities. 

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.

Hennepin County awarded five grants totaling $30,300 to schools to reduce waste and expand recycling and organics programs. Grant recipients include one public school district and four charter schools.

El Colegio, Minneapolis

$10,500 to provide recycling bins for classrooms and offices throughout the school as well as outdoor recycling bins.

Northeast College Prep, Minneapolis

$14,800 for reusable trays and utensils to reduce waste from single-use items.

Notre Ecole, Golden Valley

$2,400 to set up a sharing table and start collecting recycling in the cafeteria. They will also start composting on-site.

Osseo Area Schools, Independent School District 279

$1,400 to expand recycling to the cafeteria and collect food scraps in the kitchen to compost on-site.

Watershed High School, Richfield

$1,300 to start a food donation program and compost on-site.

Hennepin County has grants for K-12 schools to start or improve programs to reduce waste and keep recycling and organic materials, including food and non-recyclable paper, out of the trash.

Eligible organizations include public and non-public K-12 schools in Hennepin County. Grant funding can be used to purchase equipment and supplies and staff time for project implementation. 

• See the grant flyer (PDF) for an overview of the program.
• Review the grant guidelines (PDF) for more information about the program, eligible project activities and allowable expenses.

Application timeline

Grant applications are closed and will reopen in January 2024.  

Eligible expenses

Grant funding can be used to fund staff time for project implementation as well as to purchase equipment and supplies including:

• Recycling and organics recycling containers
• Sorting stations
• Reusable food service ware
• Bulk condiment dispensers

Review the grant guidelines (PDF) for more information about the program, eligible project activities and allowable expenses.

How to apply

Grant applications are closed and will reopen in January 2024.  

1. Review the grant guidelines (PDF)
2. For application materials, submit a school recycling and waste reduction inquiry form.

Information meetings

Virtual information meetings are a chance to find out more about the grant program, hear about and share project ideas, understand the application process, and get questions answered.

Watch a recording of the 2023 grant information meeting held on February 16:

Contact us

You are encouraged to contact the program manager, Kira Berglund, to discuss project ideas at kira.berglund@hennepin.us or 612-596-1498.

Grant program evaluation and changes

In 2022, county staff evaluated the school recycling grant program. We gathered feedback from school staff, volunteers and students through surveys, phone interviews and an online feedback session. We also analyzed the results and reach of past grant projects. Based on our findings, we made some updates to the program and the eligible expenses.

Eligibility changes

We adjusted eligibility requirements for the grant to help address disparities for students and schools. The initial round of grant funding will only be open to schools where 50% or more students qualify for free or reduced lunch to apply until March 15. Applications will be accepted on a rolling basis from any K-12 schools from April 3 through November 15, or until the annual program budget is exhausted, whichever occurs first.

Organics program changes

An additional requirement has been added to apply for organics program funding in a cafeteria to prevent contamination in the organics. To receive funding to start collecting organics in a cafeteria in 2023, schools:

• Must serve food in bulk using reusable or compostable food ware.
• Cannot provide foods in individual plastic wrappers, plastic utensils, or condiment packets.

Eligible expenses changes

Funding staff time

Many school representatives listed staff capacity as one of the top barriers to taking on a grant project in their school. To address this barrier, the grant program will now fund staff time for project implementation (up to 75% of the total grant amount).

Equipment and installation funding

Dishwasher installation costs have been added as an eligible expense to remove the cost barrier of installation.

Refrigerator funding has increased from $500 to $1,000 per school/cafeteria. Funded fridges are used to store milk or other perishable items on a sharing table or to store food and beverages prior to donation. This change was made due to industry research that showed most fridges that fit our criteria start at around $1,000.

Expenses that are no longer funded

The following expenses will not be funded through the grant program in 2023. The funds that previously went to these items will go to other new expenses, like staff time.

• Water bottle fillers will not be funded in 2023. There are other grant programs that cover water bottle fillers, and they are not tied as directly to waste reduction as other items funded in the grant program.
• Compostable food ware to replace disposable food ware will not be funded in 2023. This change was made because reusable food ware is preferred and to avoid cost barriers in maintaining inventory of compostable food ware when grant funding ends.

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, as much as 40 percent of food is wasted. 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).
• Order laminated and print-yourself sharing table signs at no charge here.

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).
• For more detailed information on sharing tables, see the sharing table guide (PDF).
• 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) 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

• For more information and tips on getting started with an organics recycling program, see the organics recycling in schools best practices guide (PDF).
• See the organics recycling at schools guide (PDF) for more details on materials accepted.
• Order organics recycling signs, labels, and guides for your school.
• Learn more about food to animals and organics recycling options including haulers.

Minnesota cooperative purchasing for compostable bags and products

The State of Minnesota manages a Cooperative Purchasing Venture (PDF) 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.

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.

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)
• Organics recycling at schools guide (PDF)

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 recycling 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.

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 thrown away. Diverting organic waste means that leftover food is donated to help people in need, fed to animals or recycled 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.

Setting up a recycling program

The recycling guide for Minnesota schools (PDF), published by the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency, is a great resource for setting up a school recycling program.

School waste study

A school waste sort study, 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) 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.

School reuse and cleanout day guide

The school reuse and cleanout day guide (PDF), from Rethink Recycling, has ideas to help prevent waste and maximize the reuse and recycling of materials during cleanout at the end of the school year.

Videos

• 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)

School recycling 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 held every other month during the school year. Meetings are typically held on Friday mornings in September, November, January, March, and May.

Contact Kira Berglund at kira.berglund@hennepin.us to be added to the contact list.