Hennepin County taxpayers are subsidizing Minneapolis's organic waste recycling program to keep garbage bills low and support environmental goals. The county board approved a four-year, $180,000 annual subsidy for the program.
The subsidy is necessary because Hennepin County lacks capacity to handle the 5,000 tons of organic waste generated by Minneapolis annually. In 2022, the county spent $1.2 million managing organics, only recovering $650,000 in fees, leaving a $550,000 taxpayer subsidy. This translates to roughly $1 per household.
The program's popularity and a county mandate for curbside organics pickup increased organic material recycling to 18,000 tons in 2022, a 25% increase. Composting and anaerobic digestion of organic waste avoids landfill space and greenhouse gas emissions.