02-07-1994 WS - Laserfiche WebLink

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RECOMMENDATION TO THE CITY COUNCIL REGARDING RECYCLING IN MULTI-FAMILY BUILDINGS One of the City Council's 1993 goals for the Environmental Quality Commission was to "review resident needs versus current services" in the area of recycling and solid waste management. The EQC found that the area of greatest need is recycling service (or lack thereof) in multi-family buildings of four units and above. Mounds View City Code requires that_garbage haulers make recycling services available to - apartment complexes. It does not, however, require that apartment owners purchase the service. Currently, most of the larger apartment complexes are providing recycling in some form; however, most of the smaller apartment buildings, particularly four-plexes, are without the service. The City Council also asked the EQC to make a recommendation on whether dumpsters used for recycling should be subject to enclosure requirements. RECOMMENDATIONS: Provide waste education to residents of multi family buildings that emphasizes waste reduction as an more desirable alternative to recycling. As important as recycling is to the management of solid waste, the EQC recommends that emphasis also be given to the practice of waste reduction. Since waste reduction is a more economical and environmentally-friendly method of managing waste, it should be an integral part of any waste management plan for multi-family buildings. Require that apartment owners provide recycling service to tenants in multi family buildings. The EQC believes that it is important that all residents of multi-family buildings be given the opportunity to recycle their waste. Given Mounds View's high percentage of rental housing, the potential for increased material diversion and participation is excellent. Apartment owners are currently responsible for arranging and paying for garbage collection service. The EQC recommends that these owners also be required to arrange and pay for the separate collection of recyclable materials, starting with newspaper, glass, and metal cans. The provision for requiring service could be placed in Chapter 93 (the housing code) and made a requirement of apartment registration renewals.