The Hennepin County Waste Abatement Incentive Fund will fund the purchase of 120 55-gallon barrels to be placed at three Minneapolis parks: Matthews, Minnehaha and Powderhorn. The parks were selected as they represent a cross-selection of representative types of parks in Minneapolis.

• Minnehaha, as a regional park, attracts 850,000 visitors annually through major events, a restaurant and hundreds of picnics.

• Powderhorn is a large, heavily-used park in a low-to-moderate income neighborhood that is a site for several major events and many athletic activities.

• Matthew is in an environmentally-conscious neighborhood park and a shared facility with Seward Montessori Public School, which presents opportunities for partnerships and cooperation with recycling efforts.

Beginning this spring, every green trash barrel in those parks will be paired with a blue co-mingled recycling container for glass, plastic and aluminum.

“By placing the barrels together, it’s more convenient for the public to separate their trash from recyclables, which will reduce contamination in the recycling containers,” said Dan Hasty, coordinator of field services for the MPRB.

The pilot program includes an educational component in which coaches, permit applicants and special event sponsors will receive training to help promote waste abatement and recycling with participants.

The budget for the project includes expenses for staff, equipment and supplies, as well as materials for the educational component.

“The grant provides a means to enhance the MPRB’s recycling efforts for greater efficiency, effectiveness and convenience for park users,” Hasty said. “We’ll evaluate the results of the program to see how we can expand it in the future.”