St. Cloud Food Recycling Site Prepares To Open

ST. CLOUD (AP) - Managers of a St. Cloud compost site hope to start receiving food scraps as soon as this week now that they have a state permit to accept organic waste.

The organic matter will be mixed with yard waste and composted into a nutrient-rich product that will be sold to farmers, gardeners and landscapers.

Tri-County Organics is among a rising number of food recycling facilities across the state and country. They're part of growing focus on recycling food scraps, paper towels and other organic materials.

A recent Minnesota Pollution Control Agency study found the portion of organics in the waste stream has grown to 31 percent from 26 percent in 2000. The agency says more than 519,000 tons of food waste could be composted annually.