Woodbury tackles holiday waste with new county programs
The Woodbury City Council discussed several waste management initiatives during its December meeting, including a new free food scraps pickup program and guidelines for properly disposing of holiday items. The updates reflect the city's effort to reduce household waste during the busy holiday season.
Ramsey and Washington Counties have partnered to launch a no-cost food scraps pickup program for Woodbury residents. The initiative comes in response to a significant increase in household food waste during the holiday season, when families generate more organic waste than usual. Residents can participate at no charge, making it an accessible option for managing holiday cooking scraps and food waste.
The council also provided guidance on holiday waste recycling. Certain types of wrapping paper cannot be recycled through standard programs, and residents with broken string lights and extension cords should bring them to the Washington County Environmental Center rather than placing them in regular recycling bins.
A separate initiative highlighted during the meeting was the success of a two-year mattress and box spring curbside pickup pilot program. Working with Ramsey Washington Recycling and Energy and Second Chance Recycling, the program collected over 2,600 mattresses and box springs from nearly 1,500 households, diverting 130,000 pounds of material from landfills.
The council also addressed residential rental licensing, reminding property owners that all rental properties in Woodbury must obtain or renew a rental license annually. The requirement is designed to maintain housing quality and safety standards for tenants and neighbors.
Looking ahead, the city will activate aeration systems at Battle Creek and Kby Lakes in early January, weather permitting. These systems oxygenate the water during winter months to sustain fish populations in the lakes.
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[0:01] hi Woodberry I'm Ashley and here's the
[0:03] [Music]
[0:05] Scoop during the holiday season
[0:08] America's produced up to three times
[0:10] more household waste especially food
[0:12] waste between Thanksgiving Day and New
[0:14] Year's Day to combat this issue Ramsey
[0:17] and Washington Counties have partnered
[0:19] to provide a new way to recycle food
[0:20] scraps from home called the food scraps
[0:23] pickup program to learn more or to sign
[0:26] up for this program at no additional
[0:28] cost visit food scraps pickup
[0:31] wrapping paper that contains foils
[0:33] glitter or metallic decorations is not
[0:35] recyclable and should be disposed of in
[0:38] the trash after use to reduce waste
[0:40] during gift giving consider using
[0:42] reusable gift wrap Fabric or paper
[0:45] Alternatives that are recyclable there
[0:47] are also many eco-friendly options
[0:49] available that are both beautiful and
[0:51] sustainable don't toss your broken or
[0:54] unwanted light strings and cords holiday
[0:56] string lights and extension cords are
[0:58] made from valuable materials like
[1:00] aluminum and copper which are recyclable
[1:03] however they cannot go in your regular
[1:05] recycling cart instead bring them to the
[1:07] Washington County Environmental Center
[1:09] in Woodbury for responsible Recycling
[1:12] and proper disposal the city in
[1:14] partnership with Ramsey Washington
[1:16] Recycling and energy and second chance
[1:19] recycling organized a curbside pickup
[1:21] pilot program for mattresses and box
[1:23] spring collection and recycling the
[1:26] program ran for approximately 1 month in
[1:28] 2023 and in 2024 a total of
[1:32] 2,626 mattresses and box springs were
[1:35] collected from
[1:37] 1,487 households diverting approximately
[1:41] 130,000 from the W stream over the
[1:43] 2-year pilot period if you let for rent
[1:46] a residential property in the City of
[1:48] Woodbury be sure to obtain or renew your
[1:50] rental license by the end of the year a
[1:53] license is required to let for rent
[1:55] single dwellings Town Homes condominium
[1:57] units as well as multiple dwell ings
[2:00] such as Apartments Senior Living
[2:02] complexes and similar structures the
[2:05] goal of rental lure is to maintain the
[2:07] quality and stability of rental housing
[2:10] and to help the city ensure owners
[2:12] operators and managers are taking
[2:14] reasonable steps to provide a safe
[2:16] secure sanitary and reasonably
[2:18] well-maintained environment for tenants
[2:21] and neighboring residents to learn more
[2:23] visit Woodbury mn.gov
[2:26] renal thin ice and areas of Open Water
[2:29] may be found all winter on Battle Creek
[2:31] and kby lakes due to the Iration systems
[2:34] operated by the city the systems
[2:36] circulate the water in the lakes to
[2:38] oxygenate them keeping the fish alive
[2:40] through the winter the Lakes were
[2:42] selected for aration because their
[2:44] shallow depth results in low oxygen
[2:47] levels the perimeter of each Iration
[2:50] system will be posted with orange and
[2:52] white reflective signs the aeration
[2:54] systems will be turned on in early
[2:56] January weather permitting and that's a
[2:58] quick update from the city of wood B
[3:00] have a great day
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Other Topics from This Document
Holiday Waste Recycling Guidelines
Mattress and Box Spring Curbside Pickup Pilot Program
Residential Rental Licensing
Lake Aeration Systems
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