7B, Ramsey County Be Active, Be Green Recycling Container Project

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EN �[ILLS MEMORANDUM DATE: September 13, 2010 TO: Honorable Mayor and City Council Members Patrick Klaers, City Administrator FROM: Michelle Olson, Parks and Recreation Manager SUBJECT: Ramsey County "Be Active! Be Green! Recycling Container Project" Back�round In April 2010, Jean Buckley from the St. Paul-Ramsey County Department of Public Health met with City staff to encourage the City of Arden Hills to begin a recycling program within our Parks. The City has researched the possibility of offering recycling in the past within our parks. However, the collection of the recycling, maintenance involved in the collection and cost of the recycling bins were factors in the decision to not offer recycling. In en effort to encourage recycling, Ramsey County met with all Cities in the County to discuss a new program they were sponsoring, "Be Active, Be Green, Recycling Container Proj ect. The recycling container proj ect would provide containers to all Cities for their park system. Ramsey County asked each City to identify the number of containers they would need to start a recycling program for their parks and to research and facilitate a plan for recycling. The Parks and Recreation Manager and Public Works Superintendent researched recycling collection possibilities and also, the appropriate number of bins to utilize for each park. Staff researched utilizing Eureka Recycling to pick up recycling at all City parks. However, they currently do not offer pickup for parks and trails. Our Public Works staff pick up garbage from all of the parks and utilize a dumpster from Allied Waste at Perry Park. Staff researched adding an additional dumpster from Allied Waste for recycling. The cost for the additional dumpster is $25.00 with two scheduled pickups per month. The Public Works staff could collect the recycling at the same time as the gaxbage. The recycling containers will be locked and will have recycling bags. The collection should be fairly quick and all recycling would be dumped into the dumpster at Perry Park. In May 2010, Ramsey County sent an application to all interested Cities for the Recycling Container Proj ect. This letter of interest asked the Cities to order the number of containers they were interested in, asked that the City indicate that they have a plan in place to utilize these containers and asked if the City was able to empty and recycle commingled items by either using municipal staff or contract hauler/recycler? Staff ordered 28 recycling bins for I I Met�o-inet. us I ardenhills I PR&P W I Pa�ks I Memos I Council Memos 109132010 Be Active, Be G�een Recycl ing Container Project. doc