’
SAINT PAULS
COMPOST TO
ZERO WASTE
PLAN
ST
COMPOST
HE
GET IT IN T
.
2013 BUDGSESTED!
GET IT PA
COMPO
TAKE ACTION
Call us for more information on zero waste
and how we can get this plan in the
2013 budget and get it passed!
PREVENT
RECYCLE
Protecting the environment and saving
money begin with preventing wasted
food and composting at home.
Together we can really recycle more.
Preventing wasted food by using smart shopping, food storage, and
preparation tips can help you use the food you buy. This saves an
average Saint Paul family up to $96 monthly on grocery bills.
Backyard composting saves money on your garbage bill and
creates a great soil amendment for your food and flower gardens.
This plan reduces the use of fertilizers...
by generating soil, enough to replace the use of petrochemical
fertilizers equivalent to 330,000 gallons of gas each year.
COMPOST
(651) 222-7678
www.MakeDirtNotWaste.org
www.EurekaRecycling.org
Adding more plastics is good, and making sure they really
get recycled is better. Markets have finally expanded to
accept and recycle some of the plastics (but not all) that
have long plagued us. Single-stream collection allows the addition of more plastics
and composting without adding more trucks on the street!
Some of our biggest challenges with single-stream have
been addressed now that glass can be sorted.
This plan recycles another 1,260 tons
of material each year...
and it reduces waste to the incinerator and landfills.
As taxpayers, we are taxed on every ton of waste, and
the result of the disposal pollutes our air, water, and land.
k!
Loo irt!
d
Pay
COMPOST
©2012 Eureka Recycling
WHAT DOES ZERO
WASTE LOOK LIKE?
COMPOST
ZERO
WASTE
GRASSROOTS
ACTION
Composting reduces garbage, and it saves us money on our
trash bill. Composting at home is best: It means less to collect
by truck. But not everything can be composted at home.
IN
SAINT PAUL
TODAY
RECYCLE
THIS PLAN
TOMORROW
47%
75%+
100%
RECYCLED
RECYCLED &
COMPOSTED
OF ALL OF OUR WASTE
OF ALL OF OUR WASTE
Wasting less feels great and is good
for all of us.
WASTE-FREE!
What We’ve
Done Together
What This
Plan Includes
What’s Needed
to Get to Zero
• Recycled 239,308 tons in
the past 10 years, reducing
emissions equivalent to
removing 114,056 cars
from the road for one year
• Eureka Recycling has
returned over $3.3 million
to the city in revenue from
the sale of recyclables
• Saint Paul Environmental
Roundtable resulted in
our city adopting goal
of zero waste by 2020
• Tips and tools for
preventing wasted food
• Neighborhood volunteer
teams helping with
backyard composting
• Curbside composting
collection, same day
as recycling
• Recycling more plastics
• Recycling simplified
to single-sort to add
composting and plastics
with no additional trucks!
• Manufacturers must
change designs of
products and packaging
• Grassroots action calls
for these changes
• Creating local and selfreliant choices for the
things we want and need
This plan reduces harmful emissions...
that impact our children, aging parents and grandparents,
and our friends and family who struggle with chronic
disease.The annual total reduction for this plan is 6,210
tons of CO2 equivalent, which is comparative to the annual
emissions from 1,105 cars.This is in addition to the
benefits we already receive from our current recycling efforts.
GRASSROOTS
ACTION
We are ready to do more.
As a community, we already take one of the fastest
and most effective grassroots actions to reduce our
environmental footprint: recycling! We can do more:
• Recycle more, more simply
• Learn how to reduce wasted food
• Save money
• Compost at home
•Put remaining compostable materials
at the curb for collection with recycling
One of the best parts of this plan...
is that neighbors help neighbors, and from what we
hear, they really enjoy helping each other reduce waste.
COMPOST
PREVENT
COMPOST
BENEFITS FOR ALL IN SAINT PAUL!
COMPOSTING
& RECYCLING
Saint Paul is a leader
in quality-of-life initiatives.
• More plastic items are actually recycled
• Simpler sorting means no additional trucks,
which means cleaner air and less wear and tear
• Recycling and composting collected on the
same day and in the same truck
SAVES MONEY
This plan will cost $1.90 per household
per month. You can get all of these new
environmental services and still save money.
Here’s How
Families can reduce their garbage service, cutting
costs by an average of $2.50 per month.That is
a direct savings of $7.20 per year.
Wow, this is
dirt cheap!
COMPOST
• Cleaner alternative fuels
• No additional trucks on the road
RECYCLE
MORE
LOCAL
ECONOMY
& SELFRELIANCE
• 50% more dollars stay local when
we use local services
• Some uses of finished compost can grow
a single dollar of compost into plants
and food worth 6 local dollars
• Nonprofit partnership with Eureka Recycling
means all proceeds stay in the community
• Creates blue/green local jobs
• Supports our local food systems
• Improves soil safety and the
quality of our neighborhoods
• Community-level actions
have global impact
HEALTHIER
PLACES TO
LIVE & PLAY
Breathe Easier
The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency reported
unhealthy air quality from emissions for 217 out of 365
days in 2009. By composting and not incinerating, our
community reduces pollution and saves an average of
$691,831 in health and remediation costs.
Healthier, Safer Soil
We are exposed to contamination in soils where we live,
work, and play, and compost has been identified as the most
cost-effective method of remediating lead-contaminated soils.
SUPPORT THIS
PLAN TODAY!
Call your city council member and
Mayor Chris Coleman.
Ask them to get the composting plan in Saint Paul’s
2013 budget and get it passed this year.
To learn more about this plan
and how to contact your elected officials,
call Eureka Recycling at (651) 222-7678
or visit us online at www.EurekaRecycling.org.
HE
GET IT IN T
.
2013 BUDGSESTED!
GET IT PA
Every year, this plan will generate approximately 5,500
tons of nutrient-rich compost that will improve soil in
Saint Paul gardens, playgrounds, and common spaces.That’s
more than three-and-a-half acres, a foot deep, every year!