Organics Recycling FAQs

• Are frozen food boxes, fast food wrappers or to-go coffee cups accepted in organics recycling?

  No. These products have a thin plastic lining to keep grease and liquids from penetrating the paper. The plastic is not compostable and is difficult to remove from the finished compost. The only food packaging items accepted are those certified compostable by BPI.

• Are pizza delivery boxes and egg cartons compostable?

  Yes. These items are acceptable for organics recycling. Be sure to remove any delivery stickers usually found on the sides of the pizza box and egg cartons must be paper only.

• Can I opt out of organics recycling?

  Households are not required to receive organics carts, but are not able to opt out of paying for the program.

• Can I use regular plastic bags to collect organics?

  No. Plastic bags are not compostable and are a contaminant.

  You can use:

  • Brown paper bags
  • Certified compostable plastic bags.
    These bags are often carried in grocery stores, hardware stores, large retail stores and sometimes garden stores. You can also search online for “BPI-compostable plastic bags.” Compostable bags come in sizes including mini (3-gallon), standard (13-gallon), lawn and leaf (30-gallon), and sometimes a larger 60-gallon size for businesses.

  Plastic bags that claim to be compostable should include the BPI-compostable logo on both the box and the bags themselves. If buying bags online, visit BPIWorld.org to verify they are certified compostable.

• How do I tie my compostable bags shut?

  • First, do not overfill your bag, tie it up when it is just over two-thirds full
  • Start by grabbing the opposite sides of the top of the bag, twist them a couple times and then tie a knot using the two twisted areas you just created
  • Tie a knot one more time and place the bag in your organics cart
  • Please do not use twist ties because they are not compostable

• How is organics recycling different than backyard composting?

  You can compost more materials curbside than in your backyard compost bin. Because the organics are taken to a commercial composting facility, there are items that can be collected people should not compost in a backyard pile, including meat and dairy products, other greasy foods, paper towels, napkins, and certified compostable products like disposable cups, bowls and plates. The heat from the commercial composting process is able to break down these items more quickly. Backyard composting is still a great option for turning fruit and vegetable scraps and yard waste into a soil amendment that can be used at home.

• What about using my garbage disposal for food scraps?

  Putting food scraps down the garbage disposal places extra processing burdens on wastewater treatment facilities. It takes energy and resources to process solids, including food waste, at wastewater treatment plants.

  Composting food scraps through the organics program or backyard composting is a better option as finished compost puts valuable nutrients back into the soil.

• What happens to organic material once it has been collected?

  Organics material is composted at a commercial composting facility. Compost can be made using items that can’t be easily composted in a backyard, such as bones, fish skins and dairy products. Organics become compost in just 180 days after you put them out for collection.

• Who sets the organics recycling fee?

  Your waste hauler determines the fee charged for organics recycling as part of its cost for services.

• Why do I need to pay for organics recycling if I do not plan on participating?

  Hennepin County Ordinance 13 required cities with more than 10,000 residents make organics recycling available to residents by 2022.

  Minnesota State Statute 115A.93 requires licensing authorities, like the City of Eden Prairie, to require that residents who recycle organics and regular recycling must not pay more than residents who do not recycle organics or regular recycling. Therefore, the City is required by Hennepin County to offer organics and state law requires that in communities where organics recycling service is available, all residents must be charged for the service.

• Why is organics recycling important?

  1. Organics make up a lot of our trash. A Minnesota Pollution Control Agency study [PDF] shows that organic materials, including food and compostable packaging, make up about 25% of the trash stream. Diverting organics from our trash to composting facilities will slow down the rate at which our landfills are growing and will avoid the long-term costs and environmental consequences to burying them or burning them.
  2. Recycling organics reduces greenhouse gas emissions. Organic materials decomposing in landfills generate methane, a potent (and smelly!) greenhouse gas. When diverted to composting facilities, those organics produce far less methane and fewer odors.
  3. Composted organics improve soil and protect water. Compost added to soil reduces the need for fertilizers and increases water retention. That increased retention not only helps to conserve water, it also reduces runoff and erosion that can pollute our water.
  4. Backyard composting can't handle all organics. Some organic waste, including meat, bones, fats, and dairy products require higher temperatures to decompose than what a backyard compost pile can produce. Curbside organics recycling services, however, can take those items.
  5. Composting supports local economies. Minnesota’s composting industry supports about 700 jobs and produces $148 million in gross economic activity per year. The composting industry supports four to eight times more jobs on a per ton basis than landfilling operations.

• Will I still need to have separate yard waste service?

  Yard waste is not accepted in curbside organics recycling carts. Residents still need to subscribe for separate yard waste services or use the Eden Prairie Yard Waste Site.

• Will my organics container smell?

  Organics won't smell any more than your regular garbage smells, as you're simply moving the organic materials from your garbage cart into your organics cart.

  Help prevent odors in your home by using a collection container that has a vented lid. Food waste starts to decompose and creates odors more quickly when access to oxygen is cut off. You can purchase a pre-made kitchen pail with a vended lid (with or without a carbon filter), or you can make one using an ice cream pail or other container.

  Consider collecting your "wet" organics (food scraps, meat trimmings, etc.) in a large yogurt or cottage cheese container or ice cream pail and keep that container in your refrigerator or freezer. Dump the wet organics into a compostable bag and place the bag in your organics cart the night before your collection day.