Update on the future of a residential curbside Organics program in Hopkins; Hove\Work Session Memo 03.14.17
Memorandum
To: Honorable Mayor and Members of the City Council
From: Pam Hove, Solid Waste Coordinator
Cc: Mike Mornson, City Manager
Date: March 14, 2017
Subject: Update on the future of a residential curbside Organics program in Hopkins
Staff would like to update the Council on the status of a future residential curbside Organics
program in Hopkins. Unfortunately there has not been much progress since our last report in
September 2015. Please see the attached spreadsheet of communities in Hennepin County who
have residential curbside Organics programs.
The predominant method that cities are using is Organix Solution’s Blue Bags, co-mingled and
collected with MSW. Staff continue to feel this is also the best program for Hopkins. However,
Hopkins is different than any of the cities listed in that we self-haul. As you can see, Randy’s
Sanitation dominates the programs currently in place.
Hennepin County does not accept co-mingled Blue Bag and MSW loads at their transfer station.
Our contract with them expires December 31, 2017. Randy’s Sanitation operates their own
transfer station in Delano which is where they haul co-mingled loads. If Hopkins chose to start a
residential curbside Organics program January 1, 2018 using Blue Bags, and take our loads to
Delano, it would be an extra 19 miles roundtrip. Council should be aware that our garbage truck
driver makes two trips to the transfer station 3 out of the 4 days we have garbage service, so the
additional mileage and drive time would add up quickly.
Hopkins’ other option would be to take loads to the Dem-Con transfer station in Shakopee. They
also accept and process co-mingled Blue Bag and MSW loads. The difference in the distance to
Dem-Con versus the Hennepin County Brooklyn Park transfer station is only 7.6 miles roundtrip.
There are other factors to consider however. According to Bill Keegan, President of Dem-Con, we
can anticipate a tipping fee of $75-80 per ton for co-mingled loads. Our current rate at the County
is $55 per ton. Taking our loads to the Dem-Con transfer station would result in an annual
increase in tipping fees of $54,653.75.
Organix Solutions and SET (Specialized Environmental Technologies) have been working with
Waste Management to accept co-mingled Blue Bag and MSW loads at their Maple Grove transfer
station. This is the best option for Hopkins, it is only 1.6 miles roundtrip further than the Brooklyn
Park transfer station. Waste Management has gone so far as to submit paperwork to Hennepin
County and the MPCA to change the use of their site for this program. SET was hopeful that
Public Works Department
\Work Session Memo 03.14.17
Waste Management would be operational in this capacity beginning January 1, 2017, but that has
not happened as of yet.
Therefore, staff recommends waiting to move forward on a residential curbside Organics program
to see if Waste Management’s Maple Grove transfer station becomes an option.
\Work Session Memo 03.14.17
\Work Session Memo 03.14.17