Zero Waste Management

About the Program

Category: County Resiliency (Best in Category)

Year: 2018

Hennepin County is a national leader in waste reduction and recycling. In response to a new state goal of 6 percent waste reduction and 75 percent waste diversion, the county developed the Zero Waste Challenge in 2016. Participants in the Zero Waste Challenge undertake an eight-month-long look at the goods they buy and the waste they generate to identify opportunities and challenges to increasing recycling and reducing waste. With the assistance of staff and trained volunteers, participating households commit to low-waste behavior changes that fit their lifestyles and track and report the amount of recycling and trash generated in their homes. The first set of participating households reduced their total waste by 20 percent and achieved an average diversion rate of 62%. Additionally, almost half of the households started diverting their organics for composting.