The city of Minneapolis, Minnesota, has taken a huge step for the area's recycling capability by instituting a new ordinance that requires all businesses to offer recycling receptacles starting on September 1. While the city already requires residential properties with garbage service to do their part to recycle, this is one of the first mandates in the country that does the same for businesses. According to the Twin Cities Daily Planet, this will help Minneapolis cut down on trash hauling costs and improve the area's recycling rate.

"Soon, wherever you live, work, learn, worship, play or do business in Minneapolis, you will be able to recycle," Mayor R.T. Rybak told the news source. "This ordinance gives recycling the normal, routine status it deserves. Now it's up to all of us to do our part to recycle."

The mandate is one that will help Minneapolis cut costs across the board by reducing the amount of trash that needs to be hauled away to local landfills and collectively improving the city's sustainability. Planners are already working with local businesses to help them organize twice monthly recycling collection, adding recycling containers and storage areas to their facilities and providing instructions to employees.

"The broad-based support for this, from residents to business owners alike, demonstrates that the consensus we have is that we need to recycle more and send less trash to garbage burners and landfills," city council member Cam Gordon told the news source. "It is my hope that this will push us to do more to make this a greener, cleaner city."

Minneapolis is one of the many cities throughout the country that has seen the economic and environmental benefits of recycling and is doing everything in its power to create a sustainable community for its residents.