Current community recycling ambassadors

Find information for current Community Recycling Ambassador volunteers including volunteer opportunities and course files and presentations. 

Thank you for your continued efforts to help Hennepin County reduce waste and recycle more!

Fill out the Community Recycling Ambassador volunteer hours reporting form to report your hours spent volunteering.

Join the Facebook group.

Summer CRA refresher and appreciation event

Summer 2025 refresher

• Watch the recording of the summer refresher on Youtube.

Course manual and presentations

Course manual

Community Recycling Ambassadors course manual – all chapters (PDF, 6MB)

Download by chapter

• Introduction (PDF, 3MB)
• Chapter 1: Solid waste management (PDF, 2MB)
• Chapter 2: The recycling process (PDF, 5MB)
• Chapter 3: Food and organic wastes (PDF, 5MB)
• Chapter 4: Residential waste – consumption and the three Rs (PDF, 3MB)
• Chapter 5: Commercial waste reduction and recycling (PDF, 3MB)
• Chapter 6: Construction and demolition waste (PDF, 3MB)
• Chapter 7: Household hazardous waste and problem materials (PDF, 3MB)
• Chapter 8: Recycling at events (PDF, 2MB)
• Chapter 9: Engaging the public and motivating behavior change (PDF, 4MB)

Presentations

Week one

• Introduction (PDF, 3MB)
• Solid waste management overview (PDF, 4MB)

Week two

• Construction and demolition waste (PDF, 10MB)
• Waste reduction and reuse (PDF, 7MB)

Week three

• Household hazardous waste (PDF, 6MB)
• Industrial composting (PDF, 7MB)
• Recycling process overview (PDF, 4MB)

Week four

• Organics (PDF, 3MB)

Week five

• Extended producer responsibility (PDF, 2MB)
• Business recycling (PDF, 6MB)

Week six

• Motivating action (PDF, 2MB)
• Volunteering (PDF, 3MB)

Volunteer opportunities

There are two ways to be notified of volunteer opportunities:

• Receive information of volunteer opportunities via the newsletter.
• Join the the Facebook group.

Report your hours

Many of you are doing great things in your communities to improve recycling and reduce waste in Hennepin County. Reporting your hours help us track your progress toward completing your 30 volunteer hours and becoming a certified Community Recycling Ambassador. It also helps us track the impact of the program.

Report your hours by filling out the Community Recycling Ambassador volunteer hours reporting form.

See the volunteer hours update (PDF, 1MB) to check your current hours (last updated in September 2025).

Resources for Community Recycling Ambassadors

The following resources can help with you do outreach or plan waste reduction and recycling programs.

Environmental education items order form
Order free factsheets, brochures and other items

Environmental education kits and supplies
Includes activity ideas, product examples and more that can be checked out for use at events or presentations

Event recycling
Reserve portable event recycling containers or access the zero waste planning checklist and green event resources

Waste reduction and recycling
Links to Hennepin County's waste reduction and recycling programs and information

Newsletter

The Community Recycling Ambassador newsletter includes recycling news, program updates, volunteer opportunities, and more.

Recent newsletter editions

• April 3, 2025
• February 3, 2025
• January 23, 2025
• January 15, 2025
• December 12, 2024
• November 7, 2024
• August 14, 2024
• July 23, 2024
• June 14, 2024
• April 8, 2024
• March 5, 2024
• February 8, 2024
• February 1, 2024
• January 22, 2024
• January 16, 2024

Archived newsletter editions

• November 28, 2023
• November 8, 2023
• October 2023
• September 2023
• August 2023
• June 2023
• May 2023
• April 2023
• January 2023
• December 2022
• November 2022
• October 2022
• September 2022
• July 2022
• May 2022
• April 2022
• January 2022
• Winter 2019 
• Fall 2019 
• Summer 2018 
• Spring 2018 
• Winter 2018