300_edited.png)
Trash Talk Allowed! Take a Tour of the Recycling & Energy Center
What happens to your trash after it leaves the curb? Where do those green food scraps bags go? And how can robots help keep food waste out of landfills?
Let's find out!
Join Sustainable Stillwater MN on Thursday, October 29, at 4:30 PM for a free tour of the Ramsey/Washington County Recycling & Energy Center in Newport. This behind-the-scenes experience will give you a closer look at what happens to our waste and how we can make better choices to keep valuable resources out of landfills.
Your Trash Has Somewhere to Go
The Ramsey/Washington County Recycling & Energy Center (R&E Center) takes in trash from homes and businesses across Ramsey and Washington counties. But instead of treating everything that arrives as garbage, the facility looks for ways to recover useful resources.
Here's a look at what happens inside:
Metals are recovered for recycling. Magnets and other equipment help separate recyclable metals from the waste stream.
Waste becomes a resource. The remaining material is processed into a fuel used at Xcel Energy power plants to generate electricity.
Food scraps are separated. The facility uses automated sorting technology, including robots, to help identify and separate green food scraps bags from the rest of the trash.
The facility processes roughly 450,000 tons of trash each year. In 2024, 85% of waste in Ramsey and Washington counties was diverted from landfills.
That's a lot happening after trash day!
Join Us!
Tour of the Ramsey/Washington County Recycling & Energy Center: Trash Talk Allowed!
When: Thursday, October 29, 2026, at 4:30 PM
Where: 100 Red Rock Road, Newport, MN 55055
Cost: Free!
Before heading out, please review the R&E Center Tour Safety and Parking Guide for directions and parking information.
The more we understand what happens to our waste, the better equipped we are to make choices that conserve resources and reduce landfill waste. Join Sustainable Stillwater MN for a closer look at our local waste system—and discover what happens after you take out the trash!
Comments