Dive Brief:

• In a move to reduce waste production, the Herrepin County Government Center in Minneapolis, MN gave employees mini waste bins. The receptacles can hold one quart of waste.
• As reported by the Star Tribune, when using the miniature bins, the county's Public Works environmental services department announced that waste generation fell 12% at the government offices last year, for a total savings of $11,000.
• The city's Solid Waste Management Master Plan was established in 2012, and calls for bringing the county's recycling rate to 45%, up from 38%, by 2015, with recycling anticipated to reach a rate of 54% by 2030.

Dive Insight:

Due to the positive results, the county will now place the down-sized bins in other county offices. The bins helped bring the waste disposed at landfills down to 3%. Minneapolis has its sights set on waste reduction across the board, and is working to establish a yard waste composting program and organics collection service later in 2014.