Overview

The City's Environmentally Acceptable Packaging Ordinance is also known as Green To Go. Under Green To Go, food and beverages that are either:

• Prepared for immediate consumption
• Taken to-go

Must be put in containers that are one of the following:

• Reusable
• Recyclable
• Compostable

Additional Green To Go requirements:

• Recyclable materials must be recycled.
• Compostable plastics must be composted. 

Read the Green To Go ordinance

Confusing packaging

Beware of packaging that does not meet Green To Go requirements. 

Often the products are beige and resemble compostable to-go containers. Some products have a symbol on them of a number six inside three chasing arrows. This symbol means the product is polystyrene, which is not allowed under Green To Go rules. 

Some packaging has descriptions that make it seem like the packing meets Green To Go rules. Packaging with these terms may not meet Green to Go rules:

• Green alternative
• Degradable
• Biodegradable
• Sustainable

Green To Go requires packaging and containers to be reusable, recyclable or compostable. Preferred plastics are numbers 1, 2 and 5. Compostable items must be BPI certified or meet ASTM standard D6868.

If you have questions about whether or not a container meets Green To Go rules, contact 311 or your health inspector.

Exemptions

Exempt from the ordinance:

• Knives, forks and spoons (they are not packaging items)
• Straws (they are not a packaging item)
• Foods prepackaged by the manufacturer, producer or distributor
• Plastic films less than 10 mils thick
• Catering companies licensed by the City of Minneapolis, another city or the state.
• Hospitals and Nursing Homes

Events and farmers markets

Event food sponsors and market managers are responsible for the collection and handling of to-go food and drink containers at their event or market. 

Event food sponsors and market managers must:

• Provide recycling collection bins for recyclable food and drink containers
• Provide organics collection bins if any vendors use compostable plastic food containers
• Have systems in place to send collected materials for recycling or composting

Contact Minneapolis 311 if you have questions. Ask for an Environmental Health supervisor.

More on Green To Go rules:

• See Event food sponsors
• See Farmers market managers

Related links

Hennepin County

Get free assistance from the county

Read about business recycling grants from the county

See organics recycling and haulers in the county

Complaints

To report a business that is not following Green To Go rules, contact 311.