School waste prevention and recycling

Hennepin County has grants for schools to start or improve programs to reduce waste and keep recycling and organic materials, including food and non-recyclable paper, out of the trash.

Eligible organizations include preschools, K-12 schools, colleges and universities in Hennepin County. Grant funding can be used to purchase equipment and supplies and staff time for project implementation. 

• See the grant flyer (PDF, 500KB) for an overview of the program.
• Review the grant guidelines (PDF, 540KB) for more information about the program, eligible project activities and allowable expenses.

Application timeline

Applications are being accepted for 2025 school waste reduction and recycling grants. 

The first round of funding will be available to two-year colleges, Head Start programs, and preschools and K-12 schools where more than 50% of students are eligible for educational benefits, such as the former free or reduced lunch program. Applications are due by 4 p.m. on Thursday, February 27. Schools may apply for up to $20,000 in the first round.

Rolling applications of up to $15,000 from any K-12 school, preschool, college, or university in the county are accepted in the second round from March 18 through October 15, or until the annual program budget is exhausted, whichever occurs first.

Eligible expenses

Grant funding can be used to fund staff time for project implementation as well as to purchase equipment and supplies including:

• Recycling and organics recycling containers
• Cafeteria sorting stations
• Reusable food service ware
• Bulk condiment dispensers

Review the grant guidelines (PDF, 540KB) for more information about the program, eligible project activities and allowable expenses.

How to apply

1. Review the grant guidelines (PDF, 540KB) 
2. For application materials, submit a school recycling and waste reduction inquiry form.

Information meetings

Virtual information meetings are a chance to find out more about the grant program, hear about and share project ideas, understand the application process, and get questions answered.

Watch the recording of the information meeting held on January 29, 2025 (YouTube) 

Contact us

You are encouraged to contact the grant program staff at schoolrecycling@hennepin.us to discuss your project ideas and for assistance with developing your project proposal.

Recently awarded grants

In 2024, Hennepin County awarded nine grants totaling $98,320 to schools to reduce waste and expand recycling and organics programs. Grant recipients include two public school districts, one private school, four charter schools, one preschool, and one university.

Andersen Middle School, Minneapolis Public Schools

$7,900 to improve the recycling and restart organics in the cafeteria and kitchen.

Aurora Charter School, Minneapolis

$7,800 to improve and expand the recycling program in classrooms, the cafeteria and common areas.

Bloom Early Learning at Messiah United Methodist Church, Plymouth

$12,300 to start an organics program.

Eagle Ridge Academy, Minnetonka

$3,400 to improve their recycling program and provide reusable trays and condiment dispensers to reduce waste in their cafeteria.

Hope Academy, Minneapolis

$20,000 to supply their building expansion with recycling and organics bins and their new cafeteria with reusable food ware to reduce waste.

Richfield Public Schools

$4,500 to set up sharing tables at four elementary schools and the middle school.

Spero Academy, Brooklyn Park and Minneapolis

$7,500 to install a dishwasher and start using reusable trays and utensils to reduce waste at their Brooklyn Park location. They will improve recycling in the cafeteria at their Minneapolis location and start recycling and organics in the cafeteria at their Brooklyn Park location.

Stonebridge World School, Minneapolis

$20,000 to improve their recycling program, start organics, and reduce waste by installing a dishwasher and using reusable food ware.

University of Minnesota, Minneapolis

$14,920 to improve recycling and organics collection at Williams Arena.

Request assistance

Our committed staff is ready to help you reduce or prevent waste, reduce food waste or donate food, and start or improve recycling and organics at your school.

Schools in Hennepin County can request assistance by submitting a school recycling inquiry request form.

Order educational materials and recycling signs

Schools in Hennepin County can order free recycling, organics recycling and trash signage and other supplies. A variety of signs that work in office, cafeteria, hallways, classrooms and more are available.

Opportunities for schools

Hennepin County Environment and Energy has many resources available to schools, including grant programs, educational materials, curriculum, and experiential education opportunities. Reference this list (PDF) to review all available opportunities.

Purchasing compostable bags and products with Minnesota Cooperative Purchasing

The State of Minnesota manages a Cooperative Purchasing Venture (PDF) that is available to public entities including school districts and charter schools. The state contracts with vendors to provide goods and services at competitive prices. Contracts are available for compostable bags, reusable and compostable food service ware, and waste and recycling containers. First, check with your purchasing department to see if you already have an agreement in place, either with a janitorial supply company or another buying cooperative.

Setting up a recycling program

The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency's page on starting a school recycling program is a great resource including step-by-step instructions for setting up recycling at your school.

Benefits of recycling programs

Implementing recycling and organics collection in schools provides environmental, educational and financial benefits:

• Environmental: By recycling, new products are made from materials being discarded. Diverting organic waste means that leftover food is donated to help people in need, fed to animals, or turned into compost.
• Educational: Recycling and organics recycling presents hands-on environmental education opportunities that provide a forum for teaching many scientific topics, such as decomposition, pollution, habitat loss, microbiology, chemistry, soil ecology, manufacturing and engineering.
• Financial: Schools can reduce disposal costs and taxes associated with solid waste disposal.

School waste study

A school waste sort study, conducted by the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency, Hennepin County and City of Minneapolis, gives some key insights into waste generation at schools, including that nearly 80 percent of school waste could be recycled.

Waste sort guide

Interested in learning more about the amount and type of waste produced at your schools by conducting a waste audit or waste sort?

Check out our how-to guide for conducting a waste sort (PDF) for step-by-step instructions for conducting a waste sort, including how to organize and set up the sort, what equipment you will need, and how to collect data with sample data sheets.

Locker cleanout guide

Use the locker cleanout guide (PDF) to help prevent waste and maximize the reuse and recycling of materials during locker cleanout at the end of the school year.

Diverting organic materials, which includes food, napkins and other compostable products, at schools is a significant opportunity to put waste to better use. Options for leftover food include food donation, food-to-animals, or organic composting programs.

Preventing food waste

In the United States, about 40 percent of food is wasted somewhere along the supply chain. Grocery stores, restaurants and institutions are responsible for about 40 percent of this waste. Wasted food is the most prevalent material in the trash by far, representing about 20 percent of the trash by weight. When food is wasted, the water, energy, fertilizer and cropland that went into producing the food is wasted, too.

You are protected from liability

Food donors are protected by the Bill Emerson Good Samaritan Food Act, which was passed into federal law in 1996. Organizations that donate food in good faith to a nonprofit for distribution to food insecure individuals are not subject to civil or criminal liability that arises from the condition of the food.

Sharing tables

If your school does not already have a sharing table in the cafeteria, set one up! Students put unwanted food and beverages on the sharing table which other students can take.

• Learn more in our sharing table guide (PDF).
• Order laminated and print-yourself sharing table signs at no charge.

Food donation

Some schools in Hennepin County donate surplus prepared food from the kitchen, and others donate items from the cafeteria. Items that are accepted on a sharing table have the potential to be donated.

If your school is interested in pursuing food donation, the following organizations can schedule regular pick-ups for donated food.

• Loaves & Fishes
• Feeding America’s Meal Connect program

Resources

• To explore food rescue options, including sharing tables, please see the food rescue guide for schools (PDF).
• For more detailed information on sharing tables, see the sharing table guide (PDF).
• Order a printed food rescue guide and sharing table signs.

Organics recycling

Common organic wastes at schools

Organic waste in schools is commonly collected in the kitchen, cafeteria, restrooms, and faculty lounge.

The most common organic waste collected at schools is food waste and paper products. See the organics recycling at schools guide (PDF) for more details on materials accepted.

Organics recycling options

• Food-to-people programs: Donate edible food to organizations that help people in need.
• Food-to-livestock programs: Have your food processed into feed for livestock.
• Organics composting: Have your food scraps and food-soiled paper products turned into valuable compost.

Efficiently operated organics recycling programs can pay for themselves. Significant cost savings can result from:

• Reduced trash service because pick-ups can happen less frequently.
• State and county solid waste tax exemptions. Trash is taxed at 38.5 percent, while there is no tax for organics recycling.
• Reduced tipping fee on organic waste. Tipping fees for trash are generally twice as much as organics per ton.

Learn more about organics recycling at schools

• See the organics recycling in schools best practices guide (PDF) for more information and tips on getting started with an organics recycling program.
• Learn more about food to animals and organics recycling options including haulers.

Most of the waste produced at schools can be recycled or composted. The following resources can help you start or improve a recycling program at your school.

Order signs, labels, and guides for your school.

Recycling and organics recycling at school guides

Includes an overview of what is and is not accepted for recycling and organics recycling at schools, plus tips to improve recycling.

• Recycling at schools guide (PDF)
• Organics recycling at schools guide (PDF)

Composting correctly: sorting organics at school video

The "composting correctly" video (YouTube) (2:35) is geared toward schools that collect organics in their cafeteria. The video covers how organics become compost, what you can and cannot compost, and why composting is important.

Sorting lunch waste at school video

Our sorting video (YouTube) (3:08) is intended to help students learn how to sort and properly recycle their lunch waste. The video gives a brief overview of why recycling and organics recycling is important, then instructs students how to sort their waste into recycling, organics recycling, and trash. The video is intended to be generic enough to be used by schools throughout Hennepin County.

Videos about recycling

• Richfield Dual Language School:
  Spanish recycling song with English subtitles (YouTube) 

• Hennepin County and South View Middle School:
  Milk Cartons and Juice Boxes Recycling (YouTube)

Sustainable schools meetings provide an opportunity for school staff and volunteers to learn about environmental topics and share successes and challenges related to their recycling and organics programs.

Meetings are typically held twice during the school year.

Fill out this form to be added to the contact list.