Community Partnership | Millennium Recycling, SD & MN
Foodservice Packaging Materials Accepted
Paper cups*Aluminum foil containers
Paper take-out containers
Paper bags
Molded fiber carriers/take-out containers
Molded fiber egg cartons
Pizza boxes
*New items added during partnership
Background
Millennium Recycling Inc., a material recovery facility (MRF) based in Sioux Falls, serves the upper Midwest, catering to communities in South Dakota, Nebraska, and Minnesota. Within Sioux Falls, South Dakota, curbside single-stream recycling collection is provided to around 181,000 residents.
The city of Sioux Falls establishes yearly recycling standards that haulers must achieve to avoid incurring fees. In 2019, Sioux Falls had a recycling standard of 18.7 percent. In addition to that minimum requirement, the City set a recycling goal of 35.1 percent to encourage higher levels of diversion. Haulers who successfully attain this recycling goal are eligible for a rebate.
Operational and End Market Planning
Millennium Recycling is responsible for processing approximately 50,000 tons of recyclables each year and was eager to collaborate with FPI to expand its acceptable materials list by including paper cups.
Following the FPI’s market-based approach, the parties communicated regarding the proposed change in Sioux Falls' recycling program to ensure alignment between Millennium Recycling and its partner mill, WestRock in St. Paul, Minnesota.
Concerns over the pulpability of paper cups had to be addressed, given the widespread understanding that they were not traditionally recyclable due to their polycoat lining. FPI provided reassurance by referencing past studies that showed paper cups could be recycled. Furthermore, in 2018, FPI expanded its network of mills that accepted paper cups within their feedstock, with eight mills owned by WestRock joining that list.
In light of this assurance, Millennium Recycling began incorporating paper cups into its mixed paper bales. The resulting high-quality fiber underwent transformation into 100% recycled paperboard, which found application in various packaging products, including cereal and tissue boxes.
Outreach & Education
FPI awarded Millennium Recycling a communications grant to support an outreach campaign informing its customers about the new recyclable item added to the recycling program. This included an updated recycling guide flyer, updates to Millennium’s recycling website, active engagement on social media platforms, and media coverage through newspaper articles.
Following the commencement of paper cup recycling at the second of two MRFs serving Sioux Falls, the City also updated its recycling website to reflect paper cup acceptance.
Results
Facebook posts shared during the campaign through Millennium’s social media profile received almost 800 clicks and made nearly 8,500 impressions. Millennium also saw a notable increase in paper cups in its recycling stream without an increase in contamination.
Next Steps
Millennium Recycling and the City of Sioux Falls continue to encourage residents and businesses to recycle properly and reduce their waste to help the City meet its 2023 goal of 45% emission reduction and their 2050 net-zero emissions goal. In March 2022, Sioux Falls released a Draft Sustainability and Climate Action Plan for public comment, and the City hopes to bring it forth to the City Council in 2023. A key aspect of the plan is to increase recycling rates and ensure that paper products, like paper cups, are diverted to recycling facilities.
November 2022
