By Thomas Fraki
A Minneapolis-based nonprofit will soon be taking over the city’s recycling management needs, including the processing and marketing of commingled recyclables.
The City Council approved a five-year contract Friday for Eureka Recycling to assume all of the city’s recycling processing. The council decided in favor of the local business instead of continuing with Waste Management, the nation-wide company that currently holds the city’s contract for processing recycling.
The recommendation to approve Eureka, which already services St. Paul, Lauderdale and Roseville, was based on its ability to provide the lowest processing fee. Along with offering the lowest bid, Eureka also agreed to waive its portion of revenue in the event that the material value of recyclables drops below its own cost of processing.
Residents, however, said that support for Eureka is due more to the company’s focus on a zero-waste strategy and the benefits it provides to its workers. Eureka currently offers paid sick and safe time, health insurance and long-term disability to all of its workers.
“There was a lot of community involvement and input in this decision. I was surprised by the enthusiasm that I heard from the community, city and residents about the potential of having Eureka get this contract for recycling,” Council Member Cam Gordon said during the meeting. “There is a sense that Eureka can do amazing things. I share some of that excitement.”
A significant portion of the support by Eureka proponents has been due to the company’s adherence to a zero-waste policy. The nonprofit is specifically focusing on helping local businesses utilize recycled products to reduce waste. Currently, 89 percent of the recycled material that leaves Eureka’s facility is used in the Twin Cities area to create new products, according to Eureka.
“This is a company that represents a new way of doing business that supports the community, the state and the planet by providing ingenious ways of moving toward the goal of zero waste,” Joshua Kapellen said in a public comment filed with the council. “This contract will add to the ever-growing list of things many cities around the U.S. (and world) have come to envy about our progressive and increasingly sustainable city.”
The approval followed proposals by both Eureka Recycling and Waste Management of Minnesota, Inc., the current recycling provider for Minneapolis. The request given to the council stated that both companies “have time-tested, successful recycling processing and marketing operations, with established facilities within Minneapolis and have been operating here for more than a decade.” After consideration, Eureka was deemed the more economical of the two choices.
In response to the council’s decision, Eureka expressed its appreciation in a post on its webpage. “It’s been amazing to see the amount of community interest in this important contract, and we know that whatever advocacy happened on Eureka’s behalf wasn’t only about Eureka. It was a part of a movement that recognizes the justice issues at play in how communities achieve their environmental goals and we are happy to be a part of this grassroots effort.”