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The Official City Newsletter for Arden Hills Residents December 2017 The discarded materials are sorted based on quality and condition. The top quality materials are sold to local thrift outlets; mid-grade items are exported to interna- tional markets; and “unusable” items are processed for raw materials. One questioner asked if it is not better to donate directly to local charities and thrift stores. That is an excellent option, but accord- ing to Simple Recycling, 85 percent of clothing does not get donated or recycled but ends up in landfills. The new textile recycling program has been up and running in Arden Hills for a few months now and is going well. Some questions have been asked by residents about this operation, so here are some things you need to know. Simple Recycling is the company that picks up clothing, shoes, and small house- hold items curbside on the same day as your trash and other recycling trucks ar- rive. There is no cost to residents or to the City for this service. Simple Recycling is a for-profit company. Textile recycling—some things you should know GreenStep Cities is a voluntary challenge and assistance program run by the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency that helps cities achieve their sustainability and quality of life goals. The program is based upon 29 best practices in the categories of buildings and lighting, land use, transportation, environ- mental management, and economic and community development. Cities are able to advance from Step 1 to 5 based on the number of best practices implemented and by demonstrating improvement in city performance metrics. There are currently 118 cities in the state that participate in the program. Arden Hills joined the program in 2016 and is now a Step One city. Participation in the program will assist the City in accom- plishing a number of the policies included in the Environmental Conservation and Sustainability chapter of the City’s 2030 Comprehensive Plan. Over the last few months, staff has reviewed the programs and activities Arden Hills has in place already that are accomplishing the best practices identified by GreenStep Cities. Information on each of the completed ac- tions can be seen on the program’s website: https://greenstep.pca.state.mn.us/. To date, the City has completed or started imple- menting 23 actions under 14 separate best practices categories. Going forward, the City will be reviewing other recommended best practices and discussing which initia- tives to pursue. Becoming a GreenStep City Learn more at: greenstep.pca.state.mn.us The company provides bags for your dis- cards, which should be placed on the curb, not in your recycling barrel. New bags will be left for you, or you can order more, as well as see a list of accepted items, at simplerecycling.com. Learn more at: simplerecycling.com