Eureka Recycling uses a zero-waste approach in all of its work and is grounded in the belief that there really is no waste. Public space recycling is part of the path to zero waste by providing the opportunity to capture the recyclable materials we dispose of on-the-go and creating awareness that waste is also generated away from home.
The City of Saint Paul and Eureka Recycling have a long tradition of leading on challenging recycling issues (such as apartment recycling) and protecting the valuable materials that residents entrust to the program for the greatest environmental benefit. Before launching blindly into public space recycling, the City and Eureka Recycling committed to first learning more about how to make public space recycling successful, cost-effective, environmentally beneficial, and consistent with the values reflected in the diverse public spaces throughout the city. We set out to learn what it takes to implement an authentic recycling program in public spaces, to ensure the materials really get recycled. Como Park Zoo and Conservatory and Public Art Saint Paul joined this partnership to launch and test public space recycling in Saint Paul.
Report by Eureka Recycling, 2011.