Free Yard Waste Collection at SMSC’s Organics Recycling Facility Draws 2,350 Drop-Offs From Local Residents

Each Saturday during the months of April, May, September and October 2013, the Organics Recycling Facility (ORF) accepted yard waste free of charge from the residents of Prior Lake, Shakopee, and Savage. The ORF’s owner, the Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community (SMSC), announced today that 2,350 residents took part in the free drop-offs in 2013.

“The free drop-off events help ensure that residential yard waste from our local communities is disposed of properly and turned into compost at the ORF,” said Operations Manager Al Friedges. “This is good news for our environment, because compost is an ideal resource for adding organic material to soils and helping plants absorb water and nutrients.”

The residential drop-off events complement the ongoing partnerships that the ORF has with the cities of Prior Lake, Shakopee, and Savage to deliver their leaves, brush, food scraps, and other organic waste free of charge. Other ORF partners include local waste haulers, food manufacturers, grocers, and school districts.

The ORF uses the waste materials to produce compost and other soil amendments, which the SMSC uses and makes available for purchase. For more information, visit www.smscorf.com.

The SMSC opened the ORF in 2011 to support its strong commitment to the environment and the global need to reduce the amount of organic waste going into landfills. It is one of the SMSC’s many initiatives aimed at protecting and preserving the environment for generations to come. Other initiatives include prairie, forest and wetland protection; an organic garden (Wozupi); beehives; a state-of-the-art Water Reclamation Facility; clean energy solutions including a wind turbine, solar cells, geothermal temperature control; and more.