If you circled a date from the September edition of the city's Briefing newsletter, cross it out. Bloomington Public Works says the date and time printed there were wrong. The celebration of the city's newest organics drop-off site is now set for Saturday, Nov. 14, from 9 to 11 a.m. at Wright's Lake Park, 8501 17th Ave. S. The city is promising seasonal treats.
The new drop-off sits in the park's parking lot. According to Public Works, it has a roof and an accessible user door, which should help anyone who has wrestled a bin lid in sleet. Questions go to Public Works at 952-563-8700 or [email protected].
Wright's Lake is the city's third park drop-off. The other two are at Valley View Park, 201 E. 90th St., in the lot between the pool and the ballfields, and at West Bush Lake Park, at 95th Street and West Bush Lake Road near Shelter 1. Hennepin County also runs its own site at 1400 W. 96th St. The city says most of its drop-offs keep regular park hours, but Wright's Lake gets extended access and solar lighting, so the after-dark crowd is covered.
Using the drop-offs is free, but you have to register first, either through the city's organics recycling page or by calling 952-563-8777. Residents who sign up get a welcome kit in the mail with a voucher for free compostable bags. Accepted items include food scraps, coffee grounds, certified compostable products and paper that can't be recycled, like napkins and pizza boxes. Small businesses can't use the city sites.
So what happens after the scraps leave the bin? The city says Bloomington's organics go to Dakota Prairie Composting in Shakopee. The facility opened in June 2025, covers 60 acres and can handle up to 155,500 tons of organic material a year. Food waste gets mixed with carbon-rich material like wood and yard waste, ground up and put in aerated bunkers for about 3 weeks. Then it cures in long rows called windrows for roughly 45 days before it's screened and checked for temperature and moisture.
What comes out is compost, a soil amendment the city says improves soil health, holds moisture and helps plants grow. Some of it comes back to town: residents can pick up 3 free bags of compost at the city's giveaway each spring. The city is also planning tours of the Shakopee facility in the spring and will announce them through its email updates. Sustainability staff take questions at 952-563-4862 or [email protected].
