ST. PAUL, Minn. — A Twin Cities zero-waste nonprofit is getting a $10 million dollar loan to upgrade its equipment.
800,000 pounds of recyclables come through Eureka every day.
Crews from the Minneapolis-based nonprofit organization sift through cans, paper and cardboard to help reduce what ends up in landfills.
“At Eureka Recycling, we believe waste is preventable,” said Miriam Holsinger, co-president of Eureka Recycling.
Holsinger believes that preventing environmental degradation is possible, but what cannot be prevented is what time does to deteriorating infrastructure.
“Our facility is about 20 years old and it has been 10 years since the last upgrade, so there are a few things that need updating,” Holsinger said.
A recent $10 million loan from Closed Loop Partners, American Beverage and The Recycling Partnership will ensure the facility can stay abreast of the changing industry.
“We’re seeing more bottles and cans and less paper. As these types of materials change, we need different types of equipment to sort them effectively,” says Holsinger.
The loan will help install a new scale that has deteriorated from constant wear and tear from the elements, a new floor for the sorting area and automatic sorters that separate paper, cardboard and other materials.
“We’ve been able to keep 75% of everything we’ve sorted in Minnesota and 90% of everything we’ve sorted stays in the Midwest,” Holsinger says. “And then it is turned into bottles, cans and cardboard, where it will be used again.”
We won’t see more recycling trucks on the road, but we will see a more efficient closed loop system where recyclables are purchased and reused by local businesses.
One person’s trash is another’s treasure, but by cherishing what we have for longer, we can achieve a more sustainable future.
“The more we can use things to help reduce what we buy, the better,” Holsinger said.
