Polk County Resource Recovery Facility received an MPCA grant in 2024 to launch an organics co-collection program that uses robots to separate bagged organics from the mixed municipal solid waste stream. The program model was originally developed and implemented by the Ramsey/Washington Recycling & Energy department, which later discovered that a patent had been obtained on the concept of commingling organics and trash and purchased a license for it. Ramsey/Washington has offered Polk County a sublicense under its patent license, and a tentative verbal agreement with favorable terms has been reached, but no final agreement is yet executed.Polk’s co-collection program has already begun, and county staff are currently negotiating sublicense terms; if an acceptable deal cannot be reached, other options will need to be explored. This creates an active, grant-funded implementation with unresolved IP and technology pathway questions, which is a key opening for vendors in organics processing, robotics sorting, legal/IP advisory, and alternative technology solutions to assist the county.

Program uses robotic sorting to separate bagged organics; patent covers the co-collection concept, requiring sublicense or alternative approach; MPCA grant funding underpins Polk’s program.