The City of Hopkins provides refuse collection services using City personnel and equipment. These services are provided to all single family, duplex and triplex household units. Refuse service consists of weekly collection of household trash, bulk items, yard waste and brush. Solid waste collected by the City is taken to the Hennepin County Transfer Station in Brooklyn Park. It is then delivered to HERC where it is incinerated and used to produce energy.
Recycling collection is also offered weekly through a separate contract. Materials collected for recycling include; newspaper, miscellaneous paper, 4 C's and cardboard, metal cons, glass bottles and jars, and plastic bottles. Recyclable material collected is marketed by the contracted hauler. Revenue sharing options exist when market prices exceed $40 for new and $800 for aluminum simultaneously.
Multi-family housing and commercial properties must contract for the disposal of their solid waster and recycling. To encourage waste reduction the City implemented a mandatory recycling ordinance in 1990. This ordinance mandates the separate collection of solid waste and recyclables generated by both residential and commercial properties. To assist residents and businesses with recycling the City operates a recycling drop-off center jointly with the City of Minnetonka.
Household hazardous waste programs are administered by Hennepin County. Residents and small businesses have two year round facilities where they can dispose of household hazardous wastes and certain small business hazardous wastes. Mobile collection sites are also hosted twice per year in nearby communities.
Refuse generation rates started to decline in 1989 after the City implemented the curbside recycling program and continued to decline until 1996 at which time we began seeing fluctuating increases each year. Some of the fluctuation can be attributed to weather factors.
Hopkins has been collecting yard waste and brush separate from regular refuse since the 1970's. Material collected through the City's yard waste and brush programs are composted or chipped for use by residents of Hopkins and nearby communities.
The City's solid waste collection system encourages residents to reduce waste through our mandatory recycling ordinance, volume based pricing structure, and added fees for extra refuse and bulk. Additionally the City regularly provided promotional materials and activities to educated residents on waste reduction, reuse, recycling and purchasing recycled products. Our current in-house purchasing policy advocated the purchase of products made with recycled content.
The following chart shows the City of Hopkins single family, duplex and triplex, refuse, yard waste, brush, and recycling tonnage for the past five years.
| 1994 | 1995 | 1996 | 1997 | 1998 | 1999 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January-June Tons | 1246 | 1255 | 1234 | 1247 | 1301 | - |
| July-December Tons | 1381 | 1301 | 1338 | 1460 | 1428 | - |
| Yard End Tons | 2627 | 2556 | 2572 | 2707 | 2729 | 0 |
| Tons Difference | -52 | -71 | 16 | 135 | 20 | - |
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| Yard Waste Tons Pick Up | 829 | 665 | 544 | 548 | 394 | - |
| Yard Waste Tons Drop Off | - | - | - | 446 | 283.29 | - |
| Total Tons Yard Waste | - | - | - | 994 | 677.29 | 0 |
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| Brush Tons Pick Up | 526 | 625 | 490 | 632 | 493.16 | - |
| Brush Tons Drop Off | - | - | - | 185 | 108.5 | - |
| Total Tons Brush | - | - | - | 817 | 601.66 | 0 |
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| Recycling Tons Curbside | 959 | 864 | 837 | 920 | 1136 | - |
| Recycling Tons Multi-Family | 514 | 299 | 212 | 230 | N/A | - |
| Recycling Tons Drop Off – MF | - | - | - | - | 110 | - |
| Recycling Tons Drop Off – CS | 193 | 191 | 218 | 170 | 107 | - |
| Recycling Tons Total | 1666 | 1354 | 1267 | 1320 | 1353 | 0 |
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| Bulk Programs | Drop Off | Drop Off | Drop Off | Drop Off | Drop Off | Drop Off |
| Tons Collected Refuse – Spring | 103 | 109 | 102 | 93 | 129 | - |
| Tons Collected Refuse– Fall | 89 | 109 | 103 | 123 | 111 | - |
| Tons Collected Curbside | - | - | - | - | 34 | - |
| Tons Collected Recycled*** | 37 | 30 | 40 | 36 | 21 | - |
| Total Tons Collected | 192 | 218 | 205 | 216 | 274 | 0 |
| *** Recycled portion mostly appliances which are included in recycling tons listed above. | ||||||
The City of Hopkins collects refuse from 2780 households and recycling from 3311 households. Hennepin County estimated that with our population of 16,529 our yearly waste generation is 7,393 tons or 2.45 lbs. Per person per day.
- Continue to provide residential refuse collection necessary to ensure public health and safety.
- Continue to encourage residents to reduce their solid waste generation.
- Continue to provide recycling services to all single family, duplex and triplex household units and enforce mandatory ordinance.
- Maximize efficiency with regard to refuse and recycling collections.
- Support alternatives to disposal which emphasize the reuse of materials whenever possible.
- Keep the community clean.
- Provide adequate, reliable and effective waste disposal and recycling at reasonable cost to residents.
- Continue to advocate waste reduction activities and the use of recycled products within the City offices.
