Minnesota Waste Wise offers waste sorts (also called a waste stream analysis) to determine the materials in your organization's waste stream. A waste sort involves the physical collection, sorting, and weighing of a sample of your organization's waste. It will identify and quantify material that can be removed from the waste stream by waste reduction, reuse, or recycling. Waste Wise staff will conduct the onsite waste sort and prepare a written proposal that includes data gathered from the sort and includes recommendations on how to reduce waste, find recycling outlets for materials and save money on disposal fees. Waste Wise offers sorts for LEED certification, as well as for businesses who want to improve their waste management programs. Waste sorts are a sliding fee-based service.

For more information on waste sorts, click here. To schedule a waste sort for your business or organization, contact Minnesota Waste Wise at (651) 292-4675.

Member Success

Fairview Health Services, a Waste Wise member, has been making ongoing improvements to its waste reduction and recycling initiatives in the last year, saving the company money, reducing waste and increasing recycling, and boosting employee morale. In early 2009, Waste Wise performed environmental sustainability assessments and waste sorts at two Fairview locations. The data obtained from the waste sorts was a visible record of what was actually going into the trash at the hospitals despite recycling programs for several waste streams. Fairview is now recycling 20-25 tons/month of commingled cans, bottles, glass and cardboard. According to Crystal Saric, coordinator of waste services and waste reduction for Fairview, "[The high volumes of commingled recycling] is because we were able to see, from the sort, that we had too many recyclables in the solid waste stream and were paying 31% tax on them." She adds, "We found a cost-neutral way to move them out of solid waste and into the tax-free recycling stream."