Instead of the City's licensed garbage haulers providing organics recycling collection services, beginning January 7, 2025, Waste Management (the City's current curbside recycling provider) will now handle organics recycling through a contract with the City of Long Lake.
Already recycling organics with your garbage hauler? You’ll be automatically enrolled in the new city program and will receive a cart from Waste Management.
New to organics recycling? It’s easy to get started. Just sign up with the city (see below) to receive an organics cart.
When the city program starts in 2025, garbage haulers will remove the mandatory charge residents are currently paying for organics collection. All households will then pay for organics recycling through their city utility bill. Our service contract with Waste Management will allow the city to provide the required organics collection service at a reduced rate. Households, including multi-family developments, can choose to opt in and participate in the city's curbside organics recycling program.
Curbside organics will be collected weekly on the same day as your usual biweekly recycling (Tuesdays, except during certain holiday weeks), which will continue to be picked up every other week.
Ready to start? Sign up to receive your organics cart by emailing jmoeller [at] longlakemn.gov (jmoeller[at]longlakemn[dot]gov), or by calling Jeanette at 952-473-6961 x1.
Background on the organics requirement
Hennepin County requires that cities make organics recycling available to all households with curbside recycling service. This requirement was part of revisions the County made to its recycling ordinance (Ordinance 13) in November 2018 and became effective in January 2022. Hennepin County's position is that significantly increasing the collection of organic material is important to achieving zero waste and climate action goals. The County is committed to achieving a zero-waste future, which the County defines as diverting 90% of waste from landfills or incinerators.
Why do I need to pay for this if I don’t plan on participating?
Minnesota has a state statute (Minn. Stat. §115A.93, subd. 3c) requiring that residents who participate in an organics recycling program are not charged more than those who do not participate. Cities are required by Hennepin County to make organics collection available to residents, and state law requires that all residents must be charged for organics recycling service in communities where the service is available. The intent is that making organics recycling service available and paid for by everyone makes the service more affordable for residents overall - and keeping prices affordable encourages residents to participate in an organics collection program.
Households aren't required to participate, but unfortunately, households are not able to opt out of paying for the program. Under state law, all residents help cover the cost of the recycling programs to make recycling accessible to all households.