Master Recycler/Composter 2020 Report

Our Mission

To bridge the gap between awareness and action by motivating people to reduce waste in their homes and workplaces.

Program background The Master Recycler/Composter (MRC) program provides training on waste reduction, recycling, composting and solid waste. The program extends over a 6-week period, with one 2.5-hour class each week. Participants receive a training handbook, engage in hands-on demonstrations, hear presentations from local and regional experts, and go on a half-day field trip to relevant sites. The program offers two trainings per year in the spring and fall, rotating locations throughout Dakota County.

Graduates agree to volunteer 30 hours putting their skills to work to help others learn how to reduce waste. Volunteers have staffed informational booths, made presentations, and have worked on special projects in their neighborhoods, schools and workplaces. MRC graduates share their time, knowledge, and skills to build positive change and help reduce waste in Dakota County.

COVID-19 Effect The COVID-19 pandemic took hold of everything the month before the spring class was to start. With half the class full, we asked those registered if they would be willing to move online. Most agreed and the first completely online class of MRC was held with 30 participants. Each class was recorded and is available for future participants if they are absent for a class. The fall course was held in-person at Dodge Nature Center but had a capacity limit of 15 due to social distancing requirements. Although small and masked, the class was interactive and successful.

Master Recyclers rely on many events and programs throughout the year to complete their volunteer hours. All events were cancelled after March. To fill some of this void and to help fellow county residents, we allowed volunteering at food shelves and thrift stores to count towards hours. These places rely on volunteers and keep donated food and materials out of the trash. Even with a lack of volunteer opportunities, 13 Master Recyclers completed their hours.

Presentations and Field Trips The course would not be as successful without the support of regional experts. Field trips provide participants a first-hand experience to learn more about waste management. Unfortunately, all field trips were cancelled in 2020. As field trip locations open up again, Master Recyclers will be invited to attend future visits.

Organization Representative Topic(s)

Dakota County Kristi Otterson Waste history Household hazardous waste

Jenny Kedward Social Behavior Change Residential recycling Payback requirements Wasted food prevention

Gena Gerard Multifamily recycling Kirsten Wahlberg Multifamily recycling

Dakota Valley Recycling Jackson Becker Event recycling The Mulch Store Jake Duame Commercial composting

Highlights Number of classes - 2

Locations Spring— Virtual Fall—Dodge Nature Center

2020 Participants - 44 Spring—30 Fall—14 with 3 staff and a MN GreenCorps member

Overall Participants - 334

Volunteer hours – 514

City of West St. Paul Cassandra Johnson

Event recycling

The Open Door Food Pantry Adam Hoffman Audrey Lomax

Food recovery

MN Pollution Control Agency/ ReUSE MN

Annika Bergen Waste prevention and reuse

Tim Smit Backyard composting WasteWise Erin Hertog Business recycling

SPRING 2020

SPRING 2020

Communications The best way to reach all Master Recycler/Composters is through e-mail. Monthly e-mails (see appendix) give updates, remind participants to report hours, and list volunteer opportunities. A new format using the county’s listserv management system started to be used in May, which gives analytics each month.

A webpage on the Dakota County website intended for current MRCs lists volunteer opportunities, how to report hours, and general resources.

Master Recycler/Composters use the Facebook group regularly (189 members). Only people invited or approved can be in the private group. In 2020, 181 items were posted with 1,196 reactions, and 565 comments on posts.

Send Date Main Topics Sent to Unique

Views % engaged Click Thrus

Jan 31

Recycling Zone changes Spring class Hastings food challenge 50th Fix-It Clinic

242 117 48% 65 clicks

Mar 2

Fix & Swap Annual report Discount on MRC, tours Earth Day activities

241 145 60% 32 clicks

Jul 23

Volunteering & COVID-19 Food distribution Material drop-off updates Hastings organics site

234 131 56% 66 clicks

Sept 17 Recycling Guide updates MRC fall class BroTex carpet update

260 151 58% 72 clicks

Oct 27

Political sign collection Pumpkin disposal Multifamily recycling America Recycles Day

274 154 56% 121 clicks

Dec 17

New mailer Holiday recycling Call for 2020 hours Bugs on holiday greenery

274 150 55% 15 clicks

“The entire course was valuable, but I loved hearing directly from so many other professionals who work in local organizations to reduce waste.” Fall 2020 Participant

Continuing education Past MRCs have expressed interested in continuing their education. All refresher events were recorded and shared with MRCs who couldn’t attend.

• Aug. 18 – Recycling Refresher (online)

Participants

Eagan 25%

Apple Valley 12%

Work in DC 11%

Burnsville 8%

Inver Grove Heights7%

Lakeville 6%

Mendota Heights 6%West St. Paul 5%

Rosemount 5%

Farmington 4%

Hastings 3%

South St. Paul 3%

Lilydale 2%Sunfish Lake 1%

Mendota 0%

Outside of county 1%

GEOGRAPHIC DISTRIBUTION OF ALL MRCS

The participants in the MRC program range in age, background and where they live in Dakota County. The following graphs highlight what we know about Master Recycler/Composters.

18-2918%

30-3916%

40-4920%

50-5923%

60 and over23%

2020 MRC Particiant Age Range

18-2916%

30-3913%

40-4919%

50-5923%

60 and over29%

Total Participant Age Ranges

Knowledge

One of the main purposes of the Master Recycler/Composter program. Participants fill out a pre- and post-class test to see if they gained basic recycling knowledge.

► The spring class answered 88% of the answers correctly after the course compared to 72% before.

► The fall class participants increased their knowledge to answer 86% of questions correctly after the course (67% before)

Recycling certain paper and plastic items are the most challenging for residents to understand based on anecdotal outreach and surveys of residents and Dakota County staff. Two questions in the pre- and post-class test focused on these items. Participants were asked to choose items in two categories that would go in a home recycling cart. Images were added to the name of each item to make it clear what was meant.

Volunteering A key component of the Master Recycler/Composter program is volunteering. By having educated residents at events and helping to coordinate recycling projects, county and city staff are supported and able to expand programs and run events more smoothly.

MRCs had a 59% decrease in the amount of payback hours reported over the previous year. Many MRCs often forget to log their hours, so they are missing from these totals. Also, often MRCs stop reporting after they complete their 30 hours even though they continue to volunteer.

Year Total Hours Hourly Cost Value**

Direct Contact with residents

2020 514.08 $13,983 7,729 2019* 1244.26 $33,843 12,345 2018* 1087.18 $29,571 10,290

2017 716.75 $19,496 7,812 2016 769.00 $20,917 11,134 2015 637.50 $17,340 10,451 2014 502.75 $14,164 10,229

Total 3,583.18 $149,314 49,916

Top 5 Ways MRCs Volunteered in 2020

1. Relabeling containers in schools (28%)

2. Helping at food shelves (19%)

3. Fix-It Clinics (16%) 4. Waste stations (12%) 5. Booths at events (7%)

*Hours adjusted from previous report due to late submission of data. **Hour valued at $27.20

New Certified Master Recycler/Composters

Thirteen (12) Master Recycler/Composters completed their obligatory 30 hours of volunteering. One in five of all graduates have completed their payback hours (69 total). Overall, half (47%) of MRCs have reported some hours. A full list of payback activities reported in 2020 can be found in the appendix.

Thank you to the following Master Recycler/Composters who gave 30 or more hours of their time to make our world better in 2020.

• Jean Abbott • Lou Ann Arenz • Joan Coffey • Nicole Anderson Davis • Andrea Dobberman • Amanda Drews • John Duerr (more than 100 hours) • Jerry Farlee (more than 50 hours) • Helen Hatlevig • Robert Hatlevig • Sue LeGros (more than 50 hours) • Marcia Lewis (more than 50 hours) • Larry Moehring (over 300 hours) • John Peschman • John Peschman • Sandy Scott (more than 500 hours) • Tim Smit (more than 50 hours) • John Smith • Sarah Wall

Highlights

Master Recyclers had to get creative after events were cancelled due to COVID-19. Two MRCs made educational videos about composting and what to recycle from student lunches. They shared the videos with their friends and family.

Volunteers helped with the first political sign collection and recycling project. Three Master Recyclers sorted hundreds of signs and metal stakes which kept over 1,100 pounds of the landfill.

BIN LABELING

SIGN SORTING

SIGN SORTING Master Recyclers were instrumental in helping the School Recycling Program staff label all the recycling, trash, and organics containers in schools of three school districts. About 8,400 containers were labeled using 466 volunteer hours.

Food recover is important to waste reduction. For the first time, Master Recyclers were able to receive hours from working at organizations that handle donated food. This helped many in need during the turbulent year.

EDUCATION FOOD SHELVES

Evaluation Each class is sent an online evaluation to gather feedback and test their knowledge. MRCs gave their opinions on the overall class structure, handouts, presentations, and field trips. Below are key questions pulled from the survey; the complete evaluation can be found in the appendix.

As a result from the MRC class, I understand*: Agree Not sure Disagree How to influence recycling behavior of others 91% 9% 0% Waste management in the county 100% 0% 0% How to reduce waste 100% 0% 0% What to do with HHW 95% 5% 0% How to instruct others to recycle 91% 9% 0% What plastics are and are not recyclable 91% 9% 0% Where I can check out education materials 100% 0% 0% How to increase recycling in the a workplace 100% 0% 0% How to coordinate event recycling 91% 9% 0% How to compost at home 100% 0% 0%

Question: What did you find was the most valuable part of this course?

(Full list of feedback in appendix)

• The interaction with other class members and the speakers. • I think that the most beneficial part of this course was to have the presenter come to discuss

their roles in the recycling/composting/waste reduction world. Previously, I was naive about the complexities of the recycling process.

• I really enjoyed when we talked about how a MRF worked. It makes it much easier for me to understand what is recyclable and what is not because I know what the process of recycling actually is.

• I’m extremely impressed with all the programs and resources the county has in place. I really had no idea before the course. I’m also excited about how receptive Dakota County is to ideas from residents.

• Learning about the new county ordinance 110 was really interesting! It was also great to learn about what can/cannot be recycled.

• Learning how to encourage more sustainable behaviors and the resources available to us to accomplish that

Appendix 2020 Monthly e-mails to Master Recycler/Composters

January 31

March 2

July 23

September 17

October 27

December 17

2020 MRC Reported Activities

Month Title of Event/Activity Directly engaged

Attendees at Event

Prep Hours

Outreach Hours

JANUARY 3 Patterson Bin Labeling 4 2000 0 5 6 The Open Door Food Pantry 4 12 0 3 9 Patterson Bin Labeling 6 2000 0 4

10 The Open Door Food Pantry 4 12 0 2.5 12 Grace Lutheran Health Fair 60 200 2 4.5 14 Recycling presentation and prep 117 17 2 2 15 Recreated the sign for the lunch sorting area. 600 600 0 1 16 MN Zoo Adult Night Out 250 770 3 5 16 The Open Door Food Pantry 12 40 0 1.5 18 Waste stations at church event 30 30 0.5 2 19 1.19: Fix-It Clinic - Burnsville 42 42 43.75 21 The Open Door Food Pantry 2 14 0 3.5 24 Trails By Candlelight at Thompson County Park 20 25 Lakeville Friends of the Environment Fair 15 35 1 4 28 Patterson Companies Wellness Expo booth 100 100 0 3.5 29 The Open Door Food Pantry 10 25 0 2.5 30 The Open Door Food Pantry 2 36 0 2

FEBRUARY 2 Super Bowl Greener Clean presentation 5 5 1 2 5 The Open Door Food Pantry 8 20 0 2.5 7 Trails By Candlelight at Spring Lake Park Reserve 17.5

11 Save the Food Challenge recruitment 30 30 0 2.5 12 Recycling Expo South Saint Paul 125 150 0 11 12 The Open Door Food Pantry 12 25 0 2.5 13 Open Gym ECFE booth 20 40 1 2 13 Save the Food Challenge recruitment 15 15 0 3 15 2.15: Fix-It Clinic: Farmington 38 38 26.5 19 The Open Door Food Pantry 15 25 0 2.5 20 Minnesota Zoo Adult Night Out 200 970 2 5 25 The Open Door Food Pantry 3 15 0 3 29 Lets Get Growing 325 275 3 18.5

MARCH 2 The Open Door Food Pantry 10 15 0 2 2 Church Sustainability committee planning 250 8 0 1.5 5 DFL SD57 meeting waste station 35 35 1 1.5

10 The Open Door Food Pantry 2 2 0 2 31 The Open Door Food Pantry 2 2 0 2

APRIL 16 The Open Door Food Pantry 1 1 0 2 21 MN Zoo Waste Workshop 1 50 4 1 21 Virtual Earth Week at Oak Ridge 50 500 8 1 22 Recycling at Home presentation, Eagan High School 10 200 2 0.75 27 Compost video for social media 100 100 10 10

MAY 13 Presentation: "Lazy Guide to Composting" 25 25 0.5 1

JUNE 20 6.20: Fix-It Clinics - virtual 6 6 6 23 The Open Door Food Pantry 1 1 0 2 30 Rosemount 360 Food Pantry - June hours 22

JULY

17 Boeckman Middle School relabeling 2 0 0 4 18 7.18: Fix-It Clinics - virtual 6 6 3 23 Farmington High School/District Office relabeling 4 0 0 4 27 IGH Food Truck Day 50 500 0 4 27 Riverview Elementary relabeling 1 0 0 6 28 Eastview Elementary relabeling 1 0 0 4 29 Impact Academy at Orchard Lake relabeling 3 0 0 8 30 Lakeville School District Container Labeling 0 0 0 2.5 30 JFK Elementary relabeling 3 0 0 8

AUGUST 5 Oak Hills Elementary relabeling 3 0 0 6.5 6 Century Middle School relabeling 3 0 0 4 6 MRC refresher course 20 20 1 7 Kenwood Trail Middle School relabeling 3 0 0 4

11 Video about how to recycle kids snack packaging 43 0 5 0.5 12 Huddleston Elementary relabeling 2 0 0 4 13 Lakeville North High School relabeling 4 0 0 4 14 Lakeville South High School relabeling 5 0 0 4 17 Lake Marion Elementary relabeling 3 0 0 4 18 Neill Elementary relabeling 2 0 0 4 20 IGH Food Truck Day 50 250 0 3.5 20 Rahn Elementary relabeling 3 0 0 8 20 The Open Door Food Pantry 1 10 0 2 21 Sky Oaks Elementary relabeling 3 0 0 7.5 24 Vista View Elementary relabeling 2 0 0 8 25 Burnsville School recycling 0 3 0 2.75 26 Nicollet Middle School relabeling 3 0 0 8 26 Burnsville School relabeling 0 6 0 2.83 26 Nicollet Middle School relabeling 3 0 0 4 27 Burnsville High School relabeling 3 0 0 8 28 School for Adults/Diamondhead Ed Center relabeling 3 0 0 12 31 BEST Transition Program relabeling 1 0 0 8

SEPTEMBER 1 Burnsville Alternative High School relabeling 0 0 0 4 2 MAI Warehouse relabeling 0 0 0 4

19 IGH Annual Clean Up Event 500 500 0 9.75 24 The Open Door Food Pantry 2 2 2

OCTOBER 3 West St. Paul Paper shredding event 200 200 0 8

24 IGH Paper Shredding event 100 100 0 10.75 29 Presentation: "Lazy Guide to Composting" 15 15 0.5 1

NOVEMBER 6 Hastings Organics Drop-off grand opening 3 50 0 12 9 Trash & recycling pick-up in Eagan, multiple dates 3 1 0 13.5

10 The Open Door Food Pantry 0 0 0 2 17 Rosemount 360 Food Pantry 25 25 0 4

DECEMBER 1 Rosemount 360 Food Pantry 25 25 0 4 8 Rosemount 360 Food Pantry 20 20 0 4

15 Rosemount 360 Food Pantry 25 25 0 4 22 Rosemount 360 Food Pantry 25 20 0 4 19 12.19: Fix-It Clinic 4 4 0 2 31 Apply for Business Recycling Grant for workplace 15 0 2 8

7729 6278 48.5 514.08

Knowledge Assessment Pre- and post-class test. Labels with a check mark the correct answers.

How was the registration and payment process? Spring Fall Overall rating Very easy 12 8 91% Somewhat easy 1 1 9% Very complicated 0 0 0% How clear were the objectives of the program/course? Spring Fall Overall rating Extremely clear 12 9 95% Moderately clear 1 0 5% Not at all clear 0 0 0%

Please let us know if we could have done something better related to COVID-19 and your personal safety. (Fall Class Only)

• I did feel pretty safe. Jenny did wonderful job keeping everyone safe!! • I felt safe in regards to COVID-19, although I'm not sure I really gained much by attending the class in

person. I would've preferred to just take it over zoom and save the commute time. • I felt safe. • I felt very safe during the classes and wasn't concerned at all about COVID-19. • I thought everything was well done...no improvements needed that I can see. • I felt safe!

As a result from the MRC class, I understand: Combined Classes

Agree Not sure Disagree How to influence recycling behavior of others 91% 9% 0% Waste management in the county 100% 0% 0% How to reduce waste 100% 0% 0% What to do with HHW 95% 5% 0% How to instruct others to recycle 91% 9% 0% What plastics are and are not recyclable 91% 9% 0% Where I can check out education materials 100% 0% 0% How to increase recycling in the a workplace 100% 0% 0% How to coordinate event recycling 91% 9% 0% How to compost at home 100% 0% 0%

What did you find was the most valuable part of this course? Spring Class

• The interaction with other class members and the speakers. • I think that the most beneficial part of this course was to have the presenter come to discuss their roles

in the recycling/composting/waste reduction world. Previously, I was naive about the complexities of the recycling process.

• The Facebook group who we can use as a resource for hard to recycle items. • I really enjoyed when we talked about how a MRF worked. It makes it much easier for me to understand

what is recyclable and what is not because I know what the process of recycling actually is. • I found it most valuable to learn about the different processes of recycling centers. By understanding how

a plant sorts through material, and where it ends up going, and what it ends up becoming (furniture, new glass bottles, etc.) I feel like I can better piece together why certain things should and should not go into the recycling bin. It helps me to have that "why" piece, instead of just having a list of what can/cannot be put in curbside recycling collections.

• Guest speakers, suggested videos • The Handbook - although it needs some proofing and editing. Look forward to an updated version.

Jackson's presentation gave some good perspective & insight. • Learning about recycling. I learned which items can and can NOT be recycled. • The last session that focused on what MRC's will do. That might have been more helpful at the beginning.

Although all the sessions were valuable, I might have been able to relate the information better to the activities I thought I would get involved in. Even so, it was all good.

• Learning about the recycling process and knowing how to recycle properly. • Getting information I could share with other residents to encourage better recycling. • I’m extremely impressed with all the programs and resources the county has in place. I really had no idea

before the course. I’m also excited about how receptive Dakota County is to ideas from residents. • What plastics are and are not recyclable

Fall • General knowledge of waste and recycling • Now we are more knowledgeable people so we could help to educate. But the whole clase was really

interesting hard to said one. • Learning about the new county ordinance 110 was really interesting! It was also great to learn about what

can/cannot be recycled. • The resources available. • Learning how to encourage more sustainable behaviors and the resources available to us to accomplish

that • Plastic Wars and the food filmed in Vancouver were amazing. The classroom presentations were very

good. The job one not as much since I am retired. • I really think the most valuable part of the course for me was understanding what is behind the scenes of

recycling. Understanding MRFs, the truths behind effective recycling, and the goals of our community and our state on reducing waste.

• The entire course was valuable, but I loved hearing directly from so many other professionals who work in local organizations to reduce waste. I feel like I’m connected to new a wealth of new resources that I wasn’t previously.

• Discussions on influencing others to change behavior. Do you have any suggestions on how we could improve the course? Spring

• This was the first-ever online class and considering that and the number of participants, it went great! • Considering the circumstances, I think you did a wonderful job transitioning to the online format. I look

forward to taking a field trip with everyone in the future! • Would like a plan to promote change in the companies whose products produce non recyclable items, too

many plastics, and styrofoam recycling. • I know this class was different because of COVID-19. I would have loved to get onsite at some of the

facilities and see everything in action. • I enjoyed hearing from other people and being able to contribute in a small breakout group session during

the last week of class. Therefore, having a longer class time would make it possible to have more of these discussions. I also think a longer class time would make it so some of the presentations and information wasn't as rushed, as it was some weeks. Maybe 30 min to an hour longer would make sense, depending on how much material needs to be covered.

• Hold the class in person. Seriously, thanks Jennifer & team for a wonderful class with lots of information to absorb each week. As far as volunteering, I'm feeling a little overwhelmed right now. I think it would

help to have new MRC paired up with an MRC who has volunteering for awhile; especially for big events like a fair.

• While I understand the desire to be as interactive as possible in the online environment,the constant "chat"ter during the presentations was a huge distraction. There were legitimate questions but also a lot of unnecessary comments. Seemed there were a lot of "story-tellers" jumping in. Consider having questions go to designated monitor only rather than "all" - to be answered at appropriate point in presentation as determined by monitor/presenter. The chatter felt like people talking loudly amongst themselves during a presentation.

• Only because we were online... but, can we get a tour of a garbage and/or recycling facility? • Think about putting the last session first. I wish we could do the tour. Overall, I found the training valuable

and the instructors interesting and knowlegable. The videos were good too. • Improve sound quality, if possible, With hearing aids, it was hard to catch some of the conversations. • I think for the first time of it being an online course, it went extremely well. Obviously the field trips are

pretty invaluable and I’m looking forward to those opportunities. • Post instructions on how to unmute yourself on a landline in the Zoom invite

Fall • Everything was really good!! • I would also add somewhere to registration that it's only open to Dakota County residents • I missed personal closeness, finding friends and field trips. • Even though the homework was heavier this time due to COVID, I actually didn't mind it at all. That might

be a good way to do the course in the future. • An extra few minutes before and/or after class for questions might be good. One on one would be nice

for those more shy. • I really enjoyed the course! • No, Jennifer was a fantastic teacher for this class and I enjoyed it so much. I’m going to miss going to class

on Thursday nights! • Free pizza! :-D

From the reading materials, do you feel you understand the topic:

No Yes, but more would be helpful

Yes

Overall 0% 19% 81% Introduction 0% 5% 95% Ch. 1: Solid Waste History/Policies 0% 14% 86% Ch. 2: Waste Reduction 5% 24% 71% Ch. 3: Residential Recycling 0% 14% 86% Ch. 4: Food waste prevention 0% 19% 81% Ch. 5: Organic Recycling 0% 18% 82% Ch. 6: Backyard Composting 0% 0% 100% Ch. 7: Household Hazardous Waste 0% 18% 82% Ch. 8: Business Recycling 0% 27% 73% Ch. 9: Event & Public Space Recycling 0% 14% 86% Ch. 10: School Recycling 0% 27% 73% Ch. 11: Multifamily Recycling 0% 14% 86% Ch. 12: Public Engagement 0% 0% 0%

Is there a topic area that you wished was covered more in the handbook but wasn't? Spring

• Employment opportunities? • TerraCycle locations in the county for hard to recycle items and acceptance of certain items in Hennepin

County even for Dakota County residents. • Public engagement. How to influence others. • I am interested in going toward zero waste at home. I don't feel like I understand cutting plastic use well

enough. I believe there is more information at the MCR site so will check it out. I am also interested in the possible problems with chemicals in the compostable containers. I will be very embarrased if I am pushing compostable dishes that poison my church mates! Maybe we should be pushing returning to the dishwasher!

• I would have liked to learn more about specifically what our county is lacking, like styrofoam reuse and black plastic recycling and then learn about what are some of the hurdles there may be to get those things in place.

• How to impact change in societal beliefs Fall

• It was good. I like it also because it provided sources to find more information. • This isn't quite that, but the electronic version wasn't easily scrollable, I couldn't just type in a page number

and scroll to that section. Maybe you could make the table of contents linkable so that I could click that and scroll right to that chapter instead of scrolling the entire document every week.

• More convenient service opportunities. • Anaerobic digestion. I know it isn't available in Dakota County but it is a growing industry so it would be

nice to know more about it. More about zero waste and how to encourage people to start considering zero waste.

• We did not really go over chapter 12 that I remember. It was covered in the extra reading assignment the first week, but I don't remember it in class.

Would you like to have received different material? Spring Fall Total Rate Yes 13 9 85% No 2 2 15%

If yes, what: Spring

• More general and specific information overall. Brochures from Recycling Zone, recycling companies, maybe employment opportunities.

• Flyers and information I can pass on to residents in a multifamily unit. Fall

• More service opportunities. • I would have loved a hard copy of the handbook

How satisfied were you with these presentations? Extremely satisfied

Somewhat satisfied

Someone dissatisfied

Extremely Dissatisfied

Welcome 83% 17% 0% 0% Behavior Change 89% 11% 0% 0% History of Waste 84% 16% 0% 0% Waste Prevention and Reuse 89% 11% 0% 0% Hazardous Waste 95% 5% 0% 0% Recycling: Curb to Market 95% 5% 0% 0% Recycling requirements 88% 13% 0% 0% Recycling at home 95.2% 4.8% 0% 0% Wasted food prevention 85.7% 14.3% 0% 0% Food recovery 60.0% 35.0% 0% 4% Business recycling 80% 20% 0% 0% Multifamily recycling 80% 20% 0% 0% Composting at home 81% 19% 0% 0% Organics processing 90% 10% 0% 0% Event recycling 85% 15% 0% 0% Payback and outreach 76% 24% 0% 0%

If you were not satisfied with one or more of the presenters,which one(s) and why? Spring

• Backyard composting was pretty dry, slow moving • All presenters were great. Some were just a bit too monotone. I thought MN Waste Wise deserved a bit

more credit for the business recycling portion of the class but there were a few times they were mentioned, which was great!

• Adam - although sound was definitely a problem I could understand him. While glad to know this effort exists, very little valuable information was provided. Seemed it could have been cut down to about 5 minutes.

• The gentleman who talked about the Pantry was really hard to hear. • I didn't like the buzzing in one presenter's equipment. • Presenters' information was good, but again, I had trouble hearing some of them. • Adam’s presentation was fine but the technical difficulties (hummimg noise) made it difficult to follow.

Fall • They were all good! • Nice jobs. • Business recycling and multifamily recycling. The presentations were more of this is what we do here, not

this is what a MRC can do here • I was just less interested in the details of backyard composting, however the presentation was good!

Do you have any other comments, questions, or concerns about the presenters or their presentations? Spring

• Jenny did great! • Renee & Gena both seemed to be good communicators who were well-prepared. • I found the side conversations on the chat box frustrating and distracting at times. Asking questions

seemed appropriate but the random comments were a problem for me. Fall

• It would maybe be more engaging to include Menti or some other interactive measure with the presentations.

• Cost information would be helpful.

How satisfied were you with homework videos? Total rate

Extremely satisfied

Somewhat satisfied

Someone dissatisfied

Extremely Dissatisfied

N/A

What is a landfill? 100% 0% 0% 0% 0% Voyage of the Morlboro 90% 5% 0% 0% 5% America's Dopamine-Fueled Shopping Addiction 89% 6% 6% 0% 0% How does a material recovery facility (MRF) work?

95% 5% 0% 0% 0%

Dem-Con Recycling 80% 15% 5% 0% 0% (optional): Plastic Wars by PBS Frontline 85% 10% 0% 0% 5% Just Eat It - A Food Waste Story 85% 5% 5% 0% 5% Behind the Scenes - Commercial Composting 95% 0% 5% 0% 0% MSP Airport Organics Program 85% 10% 5% 0% 0% How to conduct a food waste tray audit 63% 38% 0% 0% 0%

Do you have any other comments, questions, or concerns about homework activities? Spring

• Videos were good. More would be good, too! • I LOVED Voyage of the Morlboro. Planet Money does a two part podcast on recycling as well and they talk

about the Morlboro. • I like that we had homework so we could be ready for the lessons. • Would love to have a link of all the videos in one email at the end of the course for review at the end of

the class. • I enjoyed the homework. It gave me a better idea of the whole picture. • I thought the Organics weighing assignment was good. I just didn’t do it because I had a particularly busy

week and I have a system in place that mixes all my Organics, not just the wasted food. I’m not the best at switching up my systems immediately especially when I’m already a bit busy. You should definitely keep this as an assignment and I will do it at some point on my own when I have the time and focus to implement it for a week.

Fall • I really liked it. That was a good learn besides the class. Also I like it because we have a review with the

homework before the class. We could get ready with questions. • I think we could have more home activities. I liked the Just Eat It, but I was surprised/not expecting the

length of the movie which I didn't anticipate. • After first week online material was great. • I don't remember the Dopamine video but watched it, so not sure how to answer it.