FAQs

The CEC is a charge on garbage service and must appear as a separate line item on a bill.

Ramsey County’s CEC rate is 53% for non-residential customers. It applies to trash collection and disposal service, fuel surcharges, account start-up or cancellation fees and any other administrative fees. It does not apply to construction and demolition waste, recyclables, medical and infectious waste, organic materials collected for composting and certain types of industrial waste.  The CEC also does not apply to other taxes or government fees.

The Washington County Environmental Charge (CEC) is a 35% charge on garbage service. This type of fee has been collected since the mid-1980s. Revenue from the CEC is used for solid and hazardous waste services such as the Environmental Center and household hazardous waste collections, recycling grants to cities and townships, environmental education programs, and operation of the Recycling and Energy Center in Newport. More detailed information about the CEC can be found in the Solid Waste Ordinance Amendment #194. 

Revenue from the CEC is used for solid and hazardous waste services such as the Recycling & Energy Center and county household hazardous waste collections, yard waste and organic waste collection programs, recycling grants to cities and townships, environmental education programs, and the BizRecycling program. 

The Solid Waste Management (SWM) Tax applies to services for both mixed municipal solid waste and non-mixed municipal solid waste. The tax is based on the sales price charged by the provider. For commercial (non-residential) accounts, the SWM Tax is 17%.

“Sales price” is the total of all charges and fees for the service, whether billed separately or together. Examples include: collection, transportation, processing, disposal, and administrative fees; fuel surcharges; and any fee for garbage bags or stickers provided to the customer.

The SWM Tax does not apply to recyclable materials including paper, glass, plastics, metals, source-separated organics, automobile oil, batteries, and other materials that are separated from solid waste for the purpose of recycling. (Incinerating waste to create energy is not considered recycling.)

BizRecycling will work with any type of business or organization located in Ramsey County or Washington County.  Not sure if your business or organization is located in Ramsey or Washington County? Use our zip code verification tool to confirm.

Simply Connect With Us online, or call 651.266.1199. A county staff person will contact you to answer questions, determine the needs of your businesses or organization, and connect you with one of the Recycling Experts we have under contract.

Anyone at a business or institution can fill out the Contact Us form! Waste reduction and recycling programs succeed when management and employees are involved in and committed to making changes together.

• Employees: Get management on board by showing how a waste reduction and recycling program can save your company or organization money, boost employee morale, and save natural resources. Our Recycling Experts can help you gather the data you need.
• Management: It’s helpful to identify a recycling “champion” in your organization to lead the effort, coordinate activities, and keep people informed and engaged in recycling better. Our Recycling Experts can help you find a “champion” and provide you with training resources for your staff.
  

As part of the BizRecycling program, a Recycling Expert will schedule a free consultation at your business. This will be scheduled at your convenience, and takes about 30 minutes. During this site visit, they will assess your current waste and recycling program to generate ideas for improvements. Then the Recycling Expert will review results of the waste assessment with you and discuss options for designing a new, or improving an existing recycling and/or organics collection program that meets your needs.  Check out our video that explains it all!

The help of BizRecycling’s Recycling Experts is absolutely free – they are under contract with Ramsey and Washington Counties.

If your Recycling Expert recommends starting a new service, such as a recycling or organics pickup service, your business or organization would be responsible for paying the service just as you do for trash pickup. However, you may be able to save money by reducing your trash dumpster’s size or its frequency of pickup. Learn more about saving money.

If you need new recycling bins, businesses and other organizations in Ramsey and Washington counties can apply for grant funding to help cover this cost. We also offer grants to pay for the first couple of months of organics collection to help kick start your organics recycling program. Your Recycling Expert will help you apply for grants. Learn more about business recycling grants.

Yes! Private and Charter Schools, Universities and Colleges in Ramsey and Washington Counties may be eligible to receive technical assistance and resources through the BizRecycling program.

For public schools in Ramsey County, please visit this Ramsey County webpage for more information on resources available. 

Washington County also provides technical assistance to help school districts set up or enhance recycling programs and a grant program for recycling containers and other program needs. Please call 651.430.6655 for information.

Our Recycling Experts can help businesses find recycling options for uncommon materials. You can also find recycling or disposal options for your business using this guide.