The days of people living in north Minneapolis having to drag their recycling several miles for proper disposal are coming to an end.
An old waste receiving facility that’s been vacant for nearly four years is being turned into a recycling transfer station.
A $4 million federal grant is kickstarting the project, with the city of Minneapolis chipping in an additional $3 million.
It is a familiar building.
Permitted to accept waste since 1971, the building wedged between North Pacific Street and the Mississippi River had been the home of the Minneapolis solid waste and recycling operations through 2020.
Those operations were moved to a new site, and the building sat vacant for four years.
City officials had been sizing up the site for other uses, and this is it.
“This waste transfer facility is going to be state-of-the-art,” said Mayor Jacob Frey. “We’re going to make sure that people throughout the north side are able to utilize it in full capacity.”
For now, the closest place for north side residents to take recyclable material is just off of Lake Street and Cedar Ave.
Lots of work needs to be done on the site, including gas tank removal and grading for nearby greenspace.
Officials say the site will be ready to do business by 2026.
They also expect 5,000 visits every year from people who want to recycle about 2,300 tons of material.