Mpls Downtown Improvement District

Outdoor recycling on the sidewalks of downtown Minneapolis will soon be more convenient than ever. The Minneapolis Downtown Improvement District is expanding the 2011 pilot program to include receptacles on Nicollet Mall from Washington Ave S to Grant Street, as well as Hennepin Avenue between 5th and 10th Streets S. 
The 2011 pilot saw a 72% capture rate of recyclable material in locations that featured paired recycling and trash containers. This success inspired a challenge grant from Hennepin County’s Environmental Services division to expand the program. Contributions from the Minneapolis DID and other downtown corporate partners met the challenge. “We hope to raise the capture rate of recyclables with the expanded program, and keep more valuable raw materials from entering the waste stream,” said Hennepin County Environmental Services. “This public private partnership is just the kind of opportunity the DID strives to create, pooling resources for the betterment of Downtown,” said Beth Shogren of the Minneapolis DID.

“The DID Ambassadors work hard to make Downtown shine, and this recycling program will help keep our city clean in a more environmentally friendly way than ever before,” said Shogren. The recycling program is just one way the DID is working to create a more vibrant Downtown that’s cleaner, greener, and more sustainable.”

Pedestrians will find 67 blue-and-green recycling containers along the length of Nicollet Mall and 33 containers on Hennepin in the Theater District. The containers can be used to recycle plastic, glass, cans, and mixed paper. DID Ambassadors will collect the recyclables as part of their regular trash pickup. Minneapolis DID hopes to slowly expand the program throughout downtown; with coverage on 124+ blocks by 2015.