Countywide Single Sort Planning

History of single sort recycling in Otter Tail County

Until 2017, all recycling in Otter Tail County was source separated, an industry term for having all of your materials sorted prior to pick up or drop off. Single sort, or sometimes single stream, recycling refers to recycling that can all go together and does not need to be sorted.

Thanks to a MPCA Environmental Assistance grant, the cities of Fergus Falls and Perham began single sort curbside recycling pickup in Fall of 2017. The grant allowed the purchase of new 95 gallon recycling carts for both cities. Single sort recycling has dramatically improved recycling participation and increased the percentage of recyclables being collected in both communities. This project was piloting single-sort recycling in Otter Tail County, with the goal of expanding the program for other residents in the future. Currently single-sort recycling makes up 22% of the recycling collected in Otter Tail County, the rest of the volume comes from source-separated drop off sites and a dedicated cardboard collection route.

Single Sort In Small Towns Report (2017)

Countywide single sort project

In fall of 2022, work began on another MPCA grant-supported project: Countywide Single-Sort Recycling. This project will initiate the planning process to increase access to single sort for more Otter Tail County residents and businesses. Otter Tail County Solid Waste is working with Burns & McDonnel consulting firm to carry out the initial project planning and implementation. Changing a recycling program requires careful planning, stakeholder input, additional infrastructure, and new ways of managing a larger volume of recyclables, and the project will likely roll out in several stages over multiple years. The project is expected to make possible the collection of an additional 2,000 tons of recyclable materials every year, an important step on the path toward our goal of Zero-Landfilling.

This planning also includes an update to the Solid Waste Management Ordinance and an Implementation Plan.

Project milestones accomplished

Fall of 2022: Develop stakeholder committee

Spring of 2023: Evaluate collection models & meet with stakeholders

2022 and 2023: Meet with licensed haulers

2023: Meet with communities with population over 500 for input

Remaining project schedule

Fall 2024: Public hearing for proposed ordinance

Fall 2024: Purchase capital equipment (compactor and trailer) for single sort loadout in Henning