Officials in Ramsey and Washington counties have announced expansion of the counties’ joint food scraps pickup program to 19 additional cities in Washington County.

The new cities covered by the program are: Afton, Bayport, Baytown Township, Birchwood Village, Dellwood, Denmark Township, Grant, Lake Elmo, Lake St. Croix Beach, Lakeland, Lakeland Shores, Mahtomedi, Oak Park Heights, Pine Springs, Stillwater, Stillwater Township, St. Mary’s Point, West Lakeland Township and Willernie.

“We are thrilled to expand the Food Scraps Pickup Program to approximately 28,000 additional households, making this service available to over 106,000 total households in Washington and Ramsey counties,” Trista Martinson, executive director of Ramsey/Washington Recycling & Energy, said in a statement. “It is inspiring to see residents’ enthusiasm for the program. We’re excited to continue expanding a program that offers a convenient option for residents to turn their food scraps into a valuable resource and contribute to a more sustainable future.”

The program has already been offered for several months in Cottage Grove, Grey Cloud Island Township, Landfall, Maplewood, Newport, North St. Paul, Oakdale, St. Paul Park and Woodbury.

The food scraps composting program — which involves residents recycling their food scraps by placing them in a special bag and tossing it in their trash bin — will continue to roll out over multiple years and eventually be available to all residents in Ramsey and Washington counties, officials said.

Residents can sign up for the free program by going to FoodScrapsPickup.com or calling 651-661-9393. An annual supply of 6-gallon or 13-gallon food scrap bags will be shipped to participants’ homes with an instruction guide on how to start collecting food scraps.

Each week, or when a food scrap bag is full, residents will tie a knot at the top and then place the bag inside their trash cart or dumpster to be collected by their trash hauler. The program-provided food scrap bags are designed to be extra durable, so they don’t tear open during the trip in the garbage truck, county officials said.

County officials estimate that 20 percent of trash in Ramsey and Washington counties is food scraps, such as fruit and vegetable peels, eggshells and bones.

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