The city’s recycling contractor, Republic Services, will now offer weekly curbside organics collection to all Plymouth households beginning in early March 2024.

All households pay for organics recycling through their utility bill, like regular recycling. Residents must sign up to receive an organics cart to get started. Sign up opportunities are ongoing. Residents who sign up for service will receive their cart a few weeks after they sign up.

For more information about cart delivery or other service related questions, contact Republic Services at 763-972-3335 or email newplymouthresident@republicservices.com.

Mandated Charge for Organics

Due to state law and county mandate, all Plymouth residents will be charged for curbside organics collection in 2024. Following a community engagement initiative that largely supported city-led organized organics collection (including food scraps and other compostable materials), the Plymouth City Council approved a contract extension with Republic Services to add curbside organics.

Collection Schedule

While curbside organics will be collected weekly, single-sort recycling collection (plastics,  paper, cardboard, etc.) will continue every other week. For those who sign up, weekly organics collection will take place the same day as garbage/recycling day.

To determine which day is collection day, view the gray/blue recycling map at plymouthmn.gov/recyclingschedule.

Plymouth residents also have the option of dropping off organics at the Recycling Drop-Off Site adjacent to the Plymouth Maintenance Facility, 14900 23rd Ave. N. The site is open daily and is accessible to Plymouth residents at all hours.

Plymouth Recycling Drop Off Site

Plymouth residents also have the option of dropping off organics at the Recycling Drop-Off Site adjacent to the Plymouth Maintenance Facility, 14900 23rd Ave. N. The site is open daily and is accessible to Plymouth residents at all hours.

 

Hennepin County Drop Off Facility 

Organics are accepted from households and businesses at the Hennepin County Recycling Center and Transfer Station at 8100 Jefferson Highway in Brooklyn Park. For hours and more information, visit the Hennepin County Drop-off Facilities webpage for more details.

Organics must be in BPI-certified compostable bags, and there is a limit of five bags per person per day. View the Organics Recycling Guide (PDF) for a list of accepted materials.

Additional Guidelines

• Businesses must self-haul recycling
• There is no material redemption service at these facilities
• If materials are in plastic bags, they must be emptied at time of drop-off (bags may be recycled separately)
• A pick-up load or less of recycling per week is accepted
• Drop off is recommend Tuesday-Thursday during afternoon hours, which are the facility's least busy times – allowing staff to provide the best customer service
• Please refrain from bringing materials 10-11 a.m. Tuesday-Friday

The table below displays the monthly pricing for curbside organics collection. Fees are based on participation percentage. Both recycling and organics collection fees will appear on residents utility bill.

Pricing will be updated twice a year based on participation percentage. Rates will be posted to this page as they become available.

Note: The City of Plymouth bills residential customers for utilities every other month.

Maximum Participation Percentage (% of homes with an organics cart)	Monthly Price Per Home (all 26,000 homes)
10%	$3.00
15%	$3.50 (current pricing as of July 1, 2024)
20%	$4.00
25%	$4.50
30%	$5.00
40%	$5.50
50%	$6.00

FAQs

To help residents better understand weekly curbside organics collection in Plymouth, this page contains answers to some frequently asked questions.

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How big will the organics carts be?

The curbside organics collection carts will be a smaller sized cart (35 gallons). This size is required to allow the trucks to pick up the cart from the curbside. View an example image of a Republic Services organics cart (PDF).

What if I live in an apartment complex?

Weekly curbside organics collection through the city is not available to those who live in an apartment complex.

When will I receive my curbside organics cart?  

Residents who sign up for weekly curbside organics collection will receive their cart a few weeks after signing up.

Who does this impact?

The mandated charges for organics apply to all Plymouth households (excluding apartments, non-profits, businesses and churches). It is the owners responsibility of each non-profit, business, apartment etc. to ensure their individual waste collection is done properly, and in accordance with the city code, Hennepin County Ordinance 13 and state statutes.

I have concerns that my organics cart will smell.

Collection of organic material shouldn't smell any more than regular garbage. With organics collection, residents are simply moving the organics contents from their garbage cart to their designated organics cart. Utilizing compostable bags (BPI Certified) will help ongoing cleanliness of the organics cart. Additionally, because curbside organics collection is weekly, materials will be picked up in a timely manner to help prevent smell issues.

How do I deter bugs from my organics cart?

Bugs are naturally attracted to the contents of both garbage and organics carts. However, to help minimize odors and mitigate the presence of flies, ants, maggots or other insects in organics carts, the city recommends periodically cleaning your cart by rinsing it with warm water and a biodegradable detergent. Residents should also make sure to place their cart out for pick up each week, even if their cart is not full.

Additionally, using compostable bags (BPI Certified) will help contain materials and promote ongoing cleanliness of the organics cart.

Where can I find BPI certified compostable bags?

Compostable bags can be found at many online stores, most local household goods, home improvement, grocery, and drug stores compostable bags to purchase. Due to the recent rise in popularity in the Plymouth organics program, it has been noted that the store shelves can run out quickly, but often a person doesn’t need to go far outside of Plymouth to find compostable bags. 

Where can I find a collection container to use in my home? 

In-house collection containers can be found at many online stores, most local household goods, home improvement, grocery, and drug stores. Due to the recent rise in popularity in the organics program, it has been noted that the store shelves can run out quickly, but often a person doesn’t need to go far outside of Plymouth to find in-house containers. For more ideas, we encourage you to view a presentation provided by Hennepin County for setting up organics recycling at home.

Why does the cost increase as the participation rate increases?

As the number of curbside organics recycling participants grows, Republic Services will need to utilize more resources to provide the service.

I've never participated in organics collection before. Where can I learn more?

See information below provided by Hennepin County on how to participate in organics recycling:

• Hennepin County Organics Recycling for Residents
• Organics Recycling Basics (PDF)
• Setting up Organics Recycling at Home (PDF)
• Organics Recycling Guide (PDF)

Accepted Items

For organics recycling programs to be successful, participants must be committed to ensuring that only accepted materials are placed in the organics carts. Materials accepted in organics carts include:

• All food
  • Fruits and vegetables
  • Meat, fish and bones
  • Dairy products
  • Eggs and egg shells
  • Pasta, beans and rice
  • Bread and cereal
  • Nuts and shells
    
    
• Certified compostable products
  • Compostable paper and plastic cups, plates, bowls, utensils and containers (must be labeled BPI or Cedar Grove Compostable)
    
    
• Food soiled paper
  • Pizza delivery boxes
  • Napkins and paper towels
  • Paper egg cartons
    
    
• Other compostable household items
  • Coffee grounds and filters
  • Hair and nail clippings
  • Cotton balls, swabs with paper stems
  • Houseplants and flowers
  • Wooden items such as chopsticks, popsicle sticks and toothpicks

Not Accepted

Yard waste, bandages, diapers, animal and pet waste, litter or bedding, cleaning or baby wipes, grease or oil, Styrofoam™, dryer sheets, regular recyclable items (cartons, glass, metal, paper, plastic), frozen food boxes, shredded paper, tissue paper, wrapping paper, microwave popcorn bags, gum, fast food wrappers and products labeled biodegradable. 

Background Information

Due to state law and county mandate, all Plymouth residents will be charged for curbside organics collection in 2024.

When licensed garbage haulers were required by Hennepin County to begin offering curbside organics recycling collection as an option for residents in 2022, haulers independently determined rates and pricing structure. Some haulers only charged customers who signed up for curbside organics collection, while some charged everyone for the service.

The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency provided clarification to the county in 2023 regarding the state law, which requires garbage haulers to charge all residential customers a fee for curbside organics recycling collection – regardless of whether they utilize the service. The law, Minnesota Statute 115A.93, is aimed at prohibiting solid waste collectors from imposing a greater charge on residents who recycle, which includes source-separated organic materials.

Community Engagement Results

To help shape the future of organics collection in Plymouth, the city encouraged residents to participate in a survey to share feedback, offer suggestions and more. The surveys presented two options for organized organics collection. One option proposed residents continue to coordinate collection services and varying fees with garbage haulers. The second option proposed city-led organized organics collection with one contracted hauler, similar to the city's curbside recycling program. 

Results of both surveys were presented to the Plymouth City Council at the Tuesday, Sept. 26 meeting.

View the curbside organics collection survey results (PDF)

View the PowerPoint presentation (PDF)

Watch a replay from the Sept. 26 city council meeting which discusses the recycling contract extension with the addition of curbside organic collection (agenda item 8.2).

City Council Decision 

Following the community engagement initiative that largely supported city-led organized organics collection, the Plymouth City Council voted at its Tuesday, Nov. 28 meeting to extend the curbside recycling contract with Republic Services through 2027, as well as add curbside organics collection beginning in March 2024. 

Watch a replay of the Nov. 28 Plymouth City Council Meeting.

Preventing Food Waste from Reaching the Landfill

Minnesotans throw away over 3 million tons of waste each year. Food waste represents about 18 percent of all the material that goes into landfills. In order for Minnesota to reach its goals of 75 percent waste reduction by 2030, Minnesotans must reduce the organic and food waste they dispose of.

Save the Food

According to Save the Food, a partnership between Ad Council and Natural Resources Defense Council:

• An average American family of four spends more than $1,500 per year on food it doesn’t eat.
• Across the food production and consumption change, up to 40 percent of food in the United States never gets eaten.

A partnership between Ad Council and Natural Resources Defense Council, Save the Food is a national public service campaign to combat food waste. Save the Food is endorsed by Hennepin County, which provides grant funding, resources and oversight for the City of Plymouth’s recycling program.

View recipes, storage advice, meal-planning help, tips and more at savethefood.com.

Turn Organics into Compost

Organics can be turned into compost – an organic-rich soil amendment that is used to improve soils, prevent soil erosion and runoff, and capture carbon dioxide for climate protection.

Compost can be used as a:

• Natural mulch for trees, lawn and garden plants.
• Soil amendment that improves the texture and moisture-holding capacity of the soil.
• Source of nutrients for plants.
• Potting medium when added to soil and sand.

Backyard composting is a great way to reduce waste.

Backyard Composting

The City of Plymouth has a backyard composting ordinance that allows residents to compost materials such as grass clippings, leaves, weeds, wood chips, small twigs, evergreen cones and needles, garden waste, uncooked food and vegetable scraps. View the Backyard Composting Guide.

Want to take matters into your own hands compost in your backyard? View more information about backyard composting.