Dakota County, Minn., Aims to Increase Recycling

StarTribune.com

Dakota County has been campaigning full-bore — billboards, classes, door hangers, television ads — to get residents to recycle more.

One year and more than $681,500 later, the amount of properly disposed hazardous materials and electronics has increased by 9 percent, or 350,000 pounds, among other things. But reducing the number of batteries and light bulbs in landfills is just one piece of a larger challenge.

Last year, the Minnesota Legislature passed a law requiring metropolitan counties to increase the amount of recycled material — from 50 percent of all waste generated to 75 percent by 2030.

Dakota County is trying to figure out how to meet that requirement. It is already better off than many areas of Minnesota.

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