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5 <br /> <br /> <br />Description of SSO Collection Services at the Arden Hills Yard Waste Site <br /> <br />Collection <br />SSO collection will consist of a designated area with one or more covered collection containers (“dumpsters”) <br />in which residents place SSO brought to the site in compostable bags. Acceptable materials include food <br />waste/scraps and various types of soiled/low-grade/non-recyclable paper (plus other minor items typically <br />accepted in SSO collection programs, such as tea bags). The County will provide compostable bags at the yard <br />waste site at no cost to residents. The site will also accept other, commercially-available, compostable bags as <br />long as they are BPI-certified bags. Food waste and other wet SSO will be accepted only if delivered in a <br />compostable bag, whereas dry SSO, such as pizza boxes, can be placed directly into the SSO container. SSO is <br />accepted from Ramsey County residents only and also from local community event coordinators that generate <br />SSO from small events. <br /> <br />Site Hours <br />Site hours will be expanded to accommodate year-round collection of SSO and to coincide with hours at the <br />other six County yard waste sites to include weekends during the winter months (December – March). The <br />site will continue to be open Monday, Wednesday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday during spring, summer, and <br />fall. <br /> <br />Sanitation <br />The program is designed to prevent adverse outcomes, such as odor and rodent problems by requiring wet <br />SSO to be bagged, providing covered containers, and by requiring regular collection of SSO: Ramsey County <br />contracts with a waste hauling vendor to empty vendor-provided collection containers on a weekly hauling <br />schedule or more frequent basis, if necessary. SSO is hauled to a properly permitted SSO composting facility. <br />The SSO collection area will be completely separate from yard waste operations. <br /> <br />Education and promotion <br />A promotion and education program will accompany launch of SSO collection at the Arden Hills site, both to <br />inform and generate interest in the program to residents, and to educate residents about which materials are <br />acceptable. SSO collection at the Arden Hills site with also be included in ongoing media promotions at the <br />other Ramsey County yard waste sites and any additional County-sponsored collection locations. <br /> <br />The Ramsey County Master Gardener program will be an important player in this campaign, assisting in <br />communicating about SSO collection, as well as assisting with education at the yard waste sites (Saint Paul – <br />Ramsey County Public Health has on ongoing contract with the Master Gardener program). <br /> <br />Labor <br />Existing staff (yard waste monitors) will serve as quality control for SSO that is dropped off by residents. <br /> <br />Permits and licenses <br />All seven yard waste locations are permit-by-rule sites approved by the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency <br />(MPCA). Ramsey County will submit an application to the MPCA to add SSO drop-off to amend the existing <br />Arden Hills yard waste site permit-by-rule.