Waste Reduction and Reuse

City cleanup days and shred events

Visit the city cleanup days page for more information on our annual cleanup days and shred events.

Swap events

The city hosted three swap events in April 2026 where attendees brought items to give away and/or shopped for items to take home. The swap themes included arts and craft supplies, puzzles and board games, and clothing items.

The city plans to host swap events in 2027. The event dates will be posted on this page once they are finalized.

If you have a suggestion for a swap event theme, share your idea with the solid waste division at recycling@stlouisparkmn.gov.

St. Louis Park Reuse Directory

The reuse directory includes St. Louis Park businesses that can help you reduce waste by renting items, repairing what you already own or purchasing used. 

The reuse directory map shows the locations of the businesses in the directory. Click on each dot for business contact information and to learn more about what the business offers.

This map is maintained by City of St. Louis Park solid waste staff as a resource for residents. Inclusion is not an endorsement of any business or their services offered.

If you know of a business that could be added to this map, email recycling@stlouisparkmn.gov for consideration.

Hennepin County Choose to Reuse 

Hennepin County's Choose to Reuse website helps residents find places to buy, sell, donate, rent or repair items. The mission is to keep usable items out of the trash and to encourage reuse before buying new.

If you have any questions, call 612.348.3777.

While composting is an important way to deal with food scraps, preventing food waste is the best option to minimize negative environmental impact and save you money. The average household in the U.S. throws away more than $2,500 worth of food every year!

How to reduce food waste

Here are a few things you can do to reduce your food waste:

• Make a list and stick to it when you shop. This will help you buy less food, reducing the potential for waste and saving you money from impulse buys.
• When planning your weekly meals, schedule one less dinner to account for unexpected takeout nights.
• Buy “ugly” produce. Misshapen fruits and vegetables may look a little different than we are used to, but they are perfectly safe to eat. Help reduce food waste by ensuring these items are purchased.
• When hosting celebrations, use the meal planning guest-imator to help you estimate how much food to prepare.
• Experiment with scraps. Many veggie scraps (leaves, stems, peels) are edible, but we have been taught to discard them. Try these recipes to reduce food waste:
  • Roasted cauliflower leaves
  • Watermelon rind stir fry
• Reorganize food in your refrigerator to keep your food fresh for longer. View the refrigerator insider for storage tips. 
• Understand best by/use by dates. These dates rarely have to do with food safety. Instead, they tell you when the quality (taste, freshness) may start to decline. Depending on the type of food, many items (especially shelf-stable goods) can be eaten past the date.
  • FAQs from the USDA:
    • Are foods safe to eat after the date passes? Except for infant formula, if the date passes during home storage, a product should still be safe and wholesome if handled properly until the time spoilage is evident (chill refrigerate promptly). Spoiled foods will develop an off odor, flavor or texture due to naturally occurring spoilage bacteria. If a food has developed such spoilage characteristics, it should not be eaten.
    • How does date labeling impact food waste? Confusion over the meaning of dates applied to food products can result in consumers discarding edible food. In an effort to reduce food waste, consumers must understand that the dates applied to food are for quality, and not for safety. Food products* are safe to consume past the date on the label, and regardless of the date, consumers should evaluate the quality of the food product before its consumption.

*The only federally regulated food labeling is on baby formula to ensure that the nutrient levels listed on the packaging are accurate until the expiration date.

For more ideas, including food storage tips and meal plan calculators, visit SavetheFood.com.

Have extra materials from your latest building or remodeling project? Maybe you have leftover tile or hardware you don't need but can't return to the store. Or maybe you removed old cabinets, and they are still in good condition. Don't throw them out!

Better Futures Minnesota and Twin Cities Habitat for Humanity ReStore accept and sell usable building materials.

Phonebooks

If you don't use phone books anymore, you can opt out of phone book delivery by going to the Yellow Pages opt-out site. Old or unwanted phone books should be recycled.