An indicator of Anoka County's economic growth: Garbage

For signs of economic hope in Anoka County, look to the curb.

After a few years of decline, solid waste and recycling numbers are on an upswing in the county.

In large part, that change can be credited to an economic upturn, said Carolyn Smith, the county's solid waste abatement specialist. The garbage we produce is largely made up of packaging for the food, electronics, household goods and other things we buy and bring into our homes.

"If you look back to when our numbers started to go down, it was when the economy started to falter," Smith said. "When people aren't buying things, there's less to recycle. ... It makes sense that you won't buy a new TV or refrigerator if you don't have money to do that. And when things are better, you're more apt to buy it."

After dropping more than 2 percent from 2007 to 2009, refuse tonnage has started to rebound, increasing by about 4 percent, to 191,117 tons, by 2011. Just about all that can't be recycled or reused goes to the Great River Energy plant in Elk River, where it is fuel to create electricity.

Recycling rise

At the same time, overall recycling decreased about 6 percent from 2007 to 2009 but picked up more than 3 percent by 2011, to 141,052 tons.

Although the county is on track to meet its goals for the recycling-to-refuse ratio, there is a state requirement for counties to reach a 60 percent recycling margin by 2030. Anoka County now is at just over 42 percent.

The county doesn't track participation numbers among residents and business, but Smith said it's her sense that more people are choosing to recycle when possible.

In the past, confusion about what can and can't be recycled has been a barrier for some, she said, as were requirements to sort by material.

Numbers for this year aren't yet available, but Smith hopes for continued recycling increases with rule changes that did away with sorting on the resident's end, and more recent advances that allow them to recycle a broader range of plastics.

Anoka County Commissioner Jim Kordiak predicted that the single-sort trend alone can bump recycling participation up as much as 30 percent. That's a big boost in an area where growth often is measured incrementally, he said.

Picking new targets

Kordiak said he'd like to make it easier for Anoka County residents to dispose of more difficult items, such as old televisions and furniture, with a centrally located recycling center.

He said he'd also like to see ongoing education aimed at a couple of populations where recycling has yet to gain a toehold: apartment complexes and small shopping centers. In both cases, tenants and management often are fluid, and opportunities and space for recycling are inconsistent.

"Yet they are an important location where waste is generated by customers or businesses," he said of the shopping centers. "We'd like to do a better job with that."

He also sees great potential in organics recycling to decrease the amount of solid waste generated in the county.

"I'm kind of hoping that when people find out they could maybe live a little bit simpler, that they will feel that's OK," she said. "In our society we're valued on how much we buy. I think when you start to see the garbage go down, that's kind of a good thing."