Organics Recycling Drop Sites

Take your properly bagged organics to a drop site near you.

• Alexandria (Central) – Temporary drop site due to closure of Jefferson Street drop site
  • Open Monday, Tuesday, Thursday & Friday 8-4. Closed Wednesdays. Open 2nd & 4th Saturday 8-2. Closed major holidays.
  • Located on the south side of Aagard Fabrication Center parking lot – closer to Bremer Bank side of lot.
• Alexandria (North)
  • Open 24/7/365
  • Located at the Habitat for Humanity/ReStore parking lot
• Garfield/Ida Township Area
  • Open 24/7/365
  • Located at the Ida Township Hall in the parking lot
• Brandon Area
  • Open 24/7/365
  • Located at the Veteran’s Park on the south side of the park storage building – across street from water tower.
• Miltona Area
  • Open 24/7/365
  • Located at Faith Lutheran Church – west of Miltona Community Center
  • Place organics in carts on concrete pad adjoining parking lot.
• Starbuck Area
  • Open 24/7/365
  • Located at the City Hall/Fire Dept/Community Center parking lot.
• Villard Area
  • Open 24/7/365
  • Located at rear of City Hall/Garage/Community Center
• Long Beach Area
  • Open 24/7/365
  • Located at Minnewaska House’s parking lot
• Osakis Area
  • Open 24/7/365
  • Located at the City Maintenance Shop parking lot
• Glenwood Area – COMING SOON – Final location pending City Council approval

More locations to come!

• Is your community interested in hosting a location to set secured carts to collect organics recycling?
• Contact Pope/Douglas for more information.

Organics collected will be taken to the Glacial Ridge Compost Facility, where it will be turned into compost, a nutrient-rich soil additive.

Reduce what you put in the garbage cart by participating in organics recycling.

Household Organics Recycling Brochure

Collecting organics in your kitchen.

• Reuse an old coffee can or bucket.
• Purchase a countertop organics container.
• Reduce mess and odor by lining the container used with a paper bag or certified compostable bag.
• Make sure any compostable bags used have the BPI or Cedar Grove logo.

Accepted

• All food, food scraps, peels, pits, etc.
• Coffee grounds, filters and teabags
• Paper towels, napkins and tissues
• Paper towel and toilet paper rolls
• Paper egg cartons
• Certified compostable products: Items with the BPI (Biodegradable Products Institute) certified compostable logo on the product or packaging
• Hair and fur
• Popsicle sticks and toothpicks
• Houseplant trimmings and flowers

Not accepted

• Yard waste including pumpkins and garden plants
• Plastic bags
• Pet waste, litter or bedding
• Fast food wrappers
• Frozen food boxes
• Microwave popcorn bags
• Paper plates, bowls and cups without BPI or Cedar Grove certification
• Single-serve coffee pods (i.e., K-Cups® )

Reduce mess and odor by lining the container used with a paper bag or certified compostable bag.

If you are using a compost/food scrap bucket provided by Pope/Douglas – use 3 gallon or larger compostable bags.

Stop by one of these local stores to purchase compostable bags.

• Ace Hardware – Alexandria (763-5200)
• Elden’s Fresh Food – Alexandria (763-3446)
• Grain Bin – Alexandria (763-6876)
• Tom’s Market – Glenwood (634-4554)
• Tom’s Market – Starbuck (239-2811)
• Osakis True Value – Osakis (859-4621)
• Various on-line options also exist

Not all bags are the same.  Make sure any compostable bags used have the BPI certification logo.  ‘Degradable’ is not the same as compostable as those bags will break down into smaller bits of plastic – which contaminates the finished compost.

Look for either of these logos below on packaging to ensure the bag is fully compostable.

Certified compostable products (plates, bowls, cups, straws, cups, and utensils) must be used as part of your organics recycling.

Paper items that look shiny or have a smooth surface are typically coated with plastic layer, which is not accepted in your organics recycling, unless they are identified as being certified compostable.  Using only compostable products ensures that the finished compost does not contain items that did not break down in the composting process.

If certified compostable products are not used, simply toss them in the garbage.

BPI (Biodegradable Products Institute) certified products list

Look for these logos below on packaging.

Pope/Douglas wants to make it easy for you to get started!

Stop by the Pope/Douglas Household Hazardous Waste Facility to pick up your FREE starter kit.

Starter kit will include:

• Organics collection pail (3 gallon size)
• Starter supply of compostable bags
• Informational brochure

Composting in your backyard is an affordable way to manage your yard waste and food scraps year-round. Backyard composting is not suitable for meats/bones and soiled papers as they don’t break down as readily.

Commercial composting operations adhere to strict processing procedures that allows those type of operations to accept meat/bone for composting.  Backyard composting is not the same in that composting does not reach a sustained temp to kill pathogens.

Get more information below.

• Minnesota Pollution Control Agency on backyard composting
• University of MN Extension Composting and Mulching: A Guide to Managing Organic Yard Waste

Pope/Douglas does not sell compost bins.  There are options below.

• RAM (Recycling Association of MN) hosts several events annually (selling compost bins and rain barrels).

Don’t live in Pope or Douglas Counties? Check out organics recycling and/or yard waste programs where you live.

Stevens County

• Commercial Organics Recycling & General Info
• Organics Drop Sites

Grant County

• Contact the Coordinator’s Office for more information

Otter Tail County

• Commercial Organics Recycling & General Info
• Organics Drop Sites

Stearns County

Todd County

Setting up organics recycling (food scraps, etc) is an important step.  The use of finished compost that is created from the composting process and growing local foods is even better!

Build your own raised beds at your place of business, home or wherever to increase access to local foods, eat healthier and use the nutrient rich compost.

Required Materials

• Four 8 foot long 2-by-6s
• Two 8 foot long 2-by-6s cut in half
• One 6 foot long 4-by-4 cut into four 16” tall corner posts
• Weed suppressing landscape fabric
• 32 3” screws
• 32 cubic feet of finished compost

How-To-Guide

1. Prepare the location by removing grass and weeds.
2. Outline the bed dimensions on the ground using chalk or string.
3. Dig along the outline using vertical strokes to bury about half of your first wood board.
4. Put down a layer of newspaper or weed-suppressing landscape fabric that extends to the outside edges of the outline.
5. Set a 4-foot 2-by-6 on its thin edge on pavement, and place a 16” post at one end. Secure post with two 3” screws. Repeat at other end of board. Repeat with other short board.
6. Join short sides with an 8-foot board; and secure with two screws. Add other long side. Add second layer of 2-by-6s.
7. Place the bed into the outline made in step 3.
8. Fill the bed with potting soil.
9. Alternative: amend soil with completed compost.

Pope/Douglas Solid Waste is in the planning stages of developing a regional organics composting site to have local access to compost for use in gardening and landscaping projects.