Program to provide free single sort recycling for 18 months

By Chad Koenen

Publisher

A new free program could provide an even easier way for residents in the southeast portion of Otter Tail County to recycle.

No longer will residents be required to bring their recyclable materials to one of nearly 30 blue collection bins in the county to deposit each items into the appropriate bin, but licensed haulers will pick up recyclable material at higher density properties throughout the southeast portion of the county, including the City of Henning. No longer will residents need to sort their recyclable items, yet they will be able to throw every item into one large bin that will be sorted at a recycling facility at a later time. 

The hope is that by making recycling more convenient for property owners that the county will see an increase in recycling and decrease in waste.

“The long-term plan for OTC Solid Waste Department is to try to reduce as much land filling as we can. In order to do that we can get as many people to recycle as possible so that kind of stuff gets taken out of the mainstream,” said Brooks Anderson, recycling manager for Otter Tail County.

Beginning on January 1, 2026, the southeast corner of Otter Tail County will have the opportunity to have free single sort recycling at their doorsteps, for at least the next 18 months. The area covers the city’s of Henning, Battle Lake, Parkers Prairie, as well as Blanche Lake, Clitherall Lake, Eagle Lake, East Battle Lake, East Leaf Lake, Middle Leaf Lake, Stuart Lake, West Battle Lake, West Leaf Lake and Silver Lake. Approximately 3,000 recycling canisters were purchased for the southeast portion of the county as part of the grant. 

The recycling will be picked up at the doorstep of properties at a minimum of every other week. Each property owner will receive a free 95 gallon tub to utilize for the recycling program, and thanks to the grant the county received, there will be no cost to property owners for at least 18 months. Should the county not receive additional grant funding after 18 months, the cost could fall back onto property owners to continue the single-stream recycling at their property moving forward. 

Anderson said in other communities in the county the cost for having the single-stream option is around $8-15 per month, depending upon demand in the community. The county is still seeking bids from licensed haulers, which may or may not include the current garbage hauler in a community, before awarding the bid for its latest single stream recycling implementation. 

“We will do a contract for 18 months, and after that contract is over, ultimately the residents can choose if they want to stay with the contractor that have been hauling it,” said Anderson.

Even though the grant will provide the canister and cover the cost for the next 18 months, Anderson said residents and property owners can still opt out of the new single sort recycling program.

“You don’t have to do this. If you want to opt out there is an opt out clause in the letter too,” he said. “The ordinance doesn’t force anyone to recycle. We are just trying to make it more convenient for residents”

As far as what can be accepted as part of the new program, all #1-7 plastic, aluminum cans, tin cans, cardboard, office/newspaper/magazine paper, boxboard and glass. By going with a single sort option, property owners do not need to sort their items before hauling the canister to the curb for pick up. All of the items can be put into one cart and hauled to the curb like they would with their garbage pick up each time.

While collection will not begin until after the first of the year, Anderson said the plan is to deliver the free recycling canisters beginning in September to make sure residents who leave for the winter will receive theirs before heading south.

While single-sort recycling will not be coming to Henning and the surrounding areas until next year, the program itself dates back to a Solid Waste Master Plan that was adopted by the county in 2021. The plan identified curb side single stream recycling as one of the highest priority goals for solid waste management. 

According to Scott Bjerke, Assistant Solid Waste Director for Otter Tail County, county-wide recycling is desired by the public and complements the principals of the Master Plan and the county’s larger Long Range Strategic Plan by protecting natural resources and moving the county on a towards zero land filling. Similar single-stream recycling programs have already been implemented in Fergus Falls and Perham. 

The program picked up steam in 2022 when Otter Tail County Solid Waste department was awarded a Minnesota Pollution Control Agency grant to develop and implement curb side single stream recycling throughout the county. Bjerke said the county expected to increase landfill diversion of recyclable materials by 2,000 tons by transitioning to a county-wide single stream recycling program. 

As part of the grant the county opted for a hybrid collection model in which Otter Tail County will require licensed haulers to provide curb side single stream collection to cities with a population over 500. This would also apply to a list of lakeshore areas with high population density. 

In addition to the single stream option, the county will continue operate the separated collection bins at their current locations, but that may be adjusted down the road as well. 

“The goal of this grant is to increase recycling, divert more waste, and provide an easy system of recycling to all citizens in Otter Tail County, while doing it in the most cost-effective and environmentally friendly way,” said Bjerke.

Currently, Otter Tail County has 29 public drop sites, but with an area of 2,225 square miles, that means there is only one public drop site for every 76 square miles in the county. In essence, just there is just one public drop site for every two townships in the county.

The hope is by providing single-sort curb side recycling throughout the county, seasonal and full-time residents will have additional access to recycling that could keep items out of the dump and used in another way down the road.