Zero Waste Home Visit Checklist

Organics Collection Project

  1. Knock on the front door and introduce yourself
  • Describe where you live in the neighborhood
  • Explain volunteer role at Community Council
  • Talk about how you handle waste at home (“we’re avid recyclers, bring additional plastics to Whole Foods, have a backyard compost bin, use the Organics Recycling Drop-off Site, etc.”)
  1. Talk through how the family currently handles waste:
  • Recycling:
  • Do they recycle at the curb or in carts (e.g. at an apartment building)? Every week? Most weeks? Occasionally?
  • Do they have two recycling bins? Do they need more?
  • Do they have any recycling questions? Potentially something they’ve always wondered about (e.g. plastics, egg cartons, pizza boxes, etc.)?
  • Composting:
  • Do they compost in the backyard? Through the Organics Drop-off?
  • If they don’t use the Organics Recycling Drop-off Site, let them know in a very low-key way about additional materials that can be composted there.
  • Where do they currently go with recycling questions? Do they use Ramsey County’s A to Z guide online ( or over the phone 651-633-EASY (3279)? Call Eureka Recycling? Call MGCC?
  1. Explain the walk-through portion of the home visit:
  • Let them know that you’ll walk through as many areas of the home where waste is typically generated as the resident feels comfortable with. This could include each of the following:
  • Kitchen
  • Bathroom(s)
  • Living room
  • Basement
  • Laundry room
  • Office
  • Bedroom(s)
  • Explain that in each room, you’ll look at how the garbage, recycling, and/or compost bins are set up and how they’re labeled.
  • Explain that you’ll also look through an inventory of materials typically generated in each room and brainstorm ways to reduce the amount of trash their family produces.
  1. Conduct the walk-though:
  • Carry the home waste inventory with you on a clip board and let the resident take the lead on going from room to room. Don’t worry if you don’t have time for all the rooms (or if the resident prefers to keep bedrooms or basements private).
  • Look for labeled recycling and compost bins paired with trash bins. Look for potential places for the new bins (particularly if the family ordered indoor organics bins through MGCC).
  • If the family has children, talk about how kids handle waste.
  • If the family only backyard composts, talk specifically about how paper products like tissues or paper towels are handled. If they seem interested, feel free to give them information about the Organics Recycling Drop-off Site.
  1. Final part of the home visit:
  • Go through free materials and briefly explain each. Offer ideas on how to incorporate or post label or guide.
  • Jot down any questions they might have that require follow-up on their home visit sheet.
  • Let them know that as part of the grant we received to offer home visits, they'll receive a follow-up survey via email in a couple months. It will be VERY helpful if they can fill it out so we can gauge how effective our programs are.
  • Let them know where to go with additional questions:
  • Ramsey County A to Z Guide (in Green Guide)
  • Eureka Recycling (in Recycling Guide)
  • MGCC
  1. After the home visit:
  • Briefly jot down a few key details about the home visit including:
  • What rooms you checked out
  • Recommendations (sign up for Drop-off Site, get additional bins, start bringing plastics to Whole Foods, etc. )
  • Questions they had (esp. any you couldn't answer)
  • Any other significant details