Solid Waste Management

Transcription

1 Chapter 1 Solid Waste Management Chapter 1 Included in this chapter History of garbage and landfills Minnesota s waste management hierarchy Collection, transfer and disposal Solid waste management policy plans A brief history of garbage and landfills When the majority of people lived in rural areas, solid wastes consisting almost entirely of organic materials derived from plants, humans and animals were burned for fuel, used as crop fertilizers, or fed to livestock. These types of waste management strategies are still practiced in some areas of the world today. As civilization developed and populations concentrated in towns and cities, throwing wastes out the door to animals or into the garden posed public health problems. Some cities, notably in parts of Asia, solved their garbage problem by hauling organic waste out to farms and composting it to revitalize crop lands. Another method was to take garbage out to the countryside and dump it in piles. Around 500 B.C., Athens issued the first-known law against throwing garbage in the streets, requiring wastes to be dumped no less than one mile outside the city walls. The open dump was born. Minnesota s waste management history Prior to the 1960s, most waste was disposed of in open or burning dumps located throughout Minnesota. All types of wastes were allowed at these sites. The Minnesota Department of Health, created in 1927, was given legislative authority over dumps located in tourist camps, summer hotels and resorts. Regulatory control of all other sites was the responsibility of the city, village or township in which the dump was located. Master Recycler/Composter Program Chapter 1 Solid Waste Management 5

2 The composition of our waste was vastly different then. The volume of household wastes was much smaller. Containers were made of glass or tin, and food was bought fresh or grown and processed at home. Junk mail and plastic packaging didn t exist. People were, in general, much more frugal as two world wars and the Great Depression made people more conscious about saving and reusing as many items as they could. Many people went to dumps to scavenge for reusable materials and goods. In northern Minnesota, dumps even served as a social gathering place for activities such as shooting rats and watching bears. As urban areas started to expand, land use concerns grew with them. New dumps became harder to site because fewer people were willing to have dumps near their properties. In 1965, the Federal Solid Waste Disposal Act was passed. Two years later, the State of Minnesota created the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) to monitor and regulate air, water and land pollution. In 1969, the Minnesota Solid Waste Act, which granted oversight of solid waste management to the MPCA, was passed. The act prohibited open burning, established a solid waste permitting process and placed emphasis on upgrading dumps to sanitary landfills. During the 1970s, concerns over pollution from landfill sites led to the emergence of regulations for hazardous waste disposal and ground water protection at landfill sites that evolved over the next several decades. Counties, with oversight from the MPCA, were given responsibility for local solid waste management and were required to submit solid waste management plans. The composition of waste was changing rapidly and now included processed food, plastic packaging and disposable diapers. The Minnesota Waste Management Act was passed in 1980 and established a waste management hierarchy that prioritizes waste reduction and reuse, recycling, composting and resource recovery over land disposal. The act also created a landfill siting process and required solid waste abatement planning for metropolitan counties. The Minnesota Waste Management Act mandates a two-fold strategy: Pursue the highest methods of solid waste abatement through source reduction, recycling, organics recovery and resource recovery. Minimize the use of landfills and ensure landfills are environmentally sound. For the past 10 years, this system has fostered a recycling rate of approximately 40 percent, provided support to a system of resource recovery facilities that use solid waste to generate renewable energy, encouraged the implementation of organics recycling programs and capacity, and initiated source and toxicity reduction and public awareness activities. 6 Master Recycler/Composter Program Chapter 1 Solid Waste Management

3 Figure 1.1 How waste is currently managed in Hennepin County Landfilling 18% Resource Recovery 36% Recycling 43% Organics 3% As the subsequent section on waste composition demonstrates, with greater emphasis on waste reduction, recycling and composting, there is ample opportunity to shift more materials to the top of the state s waste management hierarchy in Hennepin County. What do we throw away? Municipal solid waste (MSW) consists of everyday items we use and then throw away, such as product packaging, furniture, clothing, bottles, food scraps, newspapers, appliances, paint and batteries. This comes from our homes, schools, hospitals and businesses. MSW includes everything we dispose of, including everything we recycle, put in the garbage, bring to a household hazardous waste facility, etc. Annual MSW generation has steadily increased from 1960, when it was 88 million tons. In 2013, Americans generated about 251 million tons of MSW, or about 4.4 pounds of waste per person per day (Table 1.1). Table U.S. MSW generation rate per person Year Pounds of MSW generated per person per day More than 87 million tons of MSW were recycled or composted in the United States in The national recovery rate for recycling (including composting) was 34.3 percent in 2013, down from 34.5 percent in Figure 1.2 Hennepin County MSW Composition in Bulky Waste 12% Other 21% Organic Waste 33% Paper 14% A waste composition study completed in 2011 shows the breakdown of municipal solid waste in Hennepin County. This reflects what has been thrown in the garbage, not what has already been diverted for recycling or composting. As reflected in the graph, there is ample opportunity for increasing both recycling and composting in Hennepin County. Plastics 14% Metals 6% 1 Source: United States Environmental Protection Agency, Municipal Solid Waste Generation, Recycling and Disposal in the United States: Facts and figures for Source: Rational Energies and Hennepin County waste composition study, The following materials were included in each waste category. Paper includes boxboard, corrugated cardboard, high-grade paper, mixed paper and newspaper. Plastic includes #1 PET bottles, #1 PET injection-molded containers, #2 HDPE bottles, #2, #3 and #5 non-bottle food and beverage containers, film plastic, other rigid plastics and all other plastics. Metals includes aluminum used beverage containers, aluminum scrap metal, brass, copper, ferrous metals and other non-ferrous metals. Organic waste includes food waste, food-soiled and non-recyclable paper, compostable foodservice waste and other compostable items, liquid waste and yard waste. Bulky waste includes large bulky materials. Other waste includes containers that help food waste and/or liquid waste and all other waste. Master Recycler/Composter Program Chapter 1 Solid Waste Management 7

4 Collection The Twin Cities solid waste infrastructure is comprised of private and public entities that collect, transport, recycle, recover and land-dispose of the materials generated by homes, businesses and institutions. Hennepin County currently licenses nearly 200 wastehauling businesses to collect and transport MSW. Waste haulers that collect and transport non-msw, recycling or organic waste are not licensed. State law requires waste haulers to provide volume-based service. Most Twin Cities communities allow residents and businesses to choose their waste hauler. This is referred to as open collection. Some Twin Cities communities (including Minneapolis) arrange for the service by contract or provide their own service. This is referred to as organized collection. Communities with organized collection represent 30 percent of the households in the Twin Cities (although not all multifamily residences in these cities are included in these services). There are no organized collection arrangements for commercial waste, although some communities give small businesses access to organized collection services. Figure 1.3 Hennepin County Waste Management System Tons collected, %, 2015 Stays in the private sector 57% Transfer In Hennepin County, waste is hauled directly to the Hennepin Energy Recovery Center (HERC) or a land disposal facility, or it may be taken to a transfer station for transport to facilities located farther away. In the Twin Cities, there are 19 transfer stations, of which 14 are licensed to accept MSW and five to accept only construction and demolition (C&D) waste. Only one transfer station is publicly owned, the Hennepin County Transfer Station in Brooklyn Park; the remaining are privately owned. At the transfer stations, waste is loaded into trailer trucks and transported to a landfill. Transfer stations allow garbage haulers to spend more time picking up waste rather than traveling long distances to dump their loads at the landfill. Because four to five garbage truckloads can fit into one transfer trailer, traffic to and from the landfill is decreased, which saves energy, time and money and reduces traffic impacts. The Hennepin County Transfer Station in Brooklyn Park also accepts household hazardous waste and provides free drop-off facilities for recyclables and residential organics. Disposal Resource recovery The Hennepin Energy Recovery Center (HERC) is a waste-to-energy facility in Minneapolis that uses mass-burn technology to generate energy. At HERC, garbage is burned to produce high-pressure steam that turns a turbine to generate electricity. A portion of the steam is diverted to provide steam for heating and hot water to the downtown Minneapolis district energy system and Target Field. Each year more than 11,000 tons of ferrous metal are recovered from the waste stream at HERC and recycled. This is almost double the 6,500 tons of ferrous metal collected annually in curbside and drop-off recycling programs in Hennepin County. HERC can process up to 365,000 tons of waste annually by state permit. The amount of electricity generated at HERC is enough to power 25,000 homes each year. Additionally, HERC supplies enough steam to downtown Minneapolis and Target Field for the annual natural gas needs of 1,500 homes. The Elk River Resource Recovery Project (GRE-Elk River) is a refusederived fuel (RDF) processing plant owned by Great River Energy (GRE). The RDF is burned to create electricity at the GRE combustion facility at its Elk River electric power station. GRE-Elk River s permitted capacity is 547,000 tons per year with an estimated maximum RDF production of 425,000 tons per year. Hennepin County sends up to 100,000 tons of MSW to GRE-Elk River annually. Delivered to county facilities 34% Mostly private but managed by city recycling contracts 9% 8 Master Recycler/Composter Program Chapter 1 Solid Waste Management

5 Landfills As shown in Figure 1.1, 19 percent of MSW generated in Hennepin County was land disposed in Five landfills received Hennepin County MSW in 2014 (Table 1.2). There are two landfills located in the Twin Cities, and both are in Dakota County. The Burnsville Sanitary Landfill is located in Burnsville and is owned by Waste Management Inc. (WMI). The Pine Bend Sanitary Landfill is located in Inver Grove Heights and is owned by Republic Services. Both landfills operate methane gas-to-energy systems that capture methane gas generated by the decaying waste. Two other Minnesota landfills that receive Hennepin County MSW are the WMI Spruce Ridge Landfill in McLeod County and the WMI Elk River Landfill in Sherburne County. These also operate methane gas-to-energy systems. It is estimated that an average of 75 percent of the methane captured is used to produce electricity. The remaining captured methane is flared. The Veolia Seven Mile Creek Landfill in Eau Claire, Wisconsin, is the only out-of-state landfill that receives MSW from Hennepin County. The Hennepin Energy Recovery Center (HERC) is a waste-to-energy facility in Minneapolis. State and local solid waste management policy plans The MPCA is required by Minnesota statutes to prepare and adopt a policy plan that guides the development of regional and county solid waste master plans, ordinances and proposals for waste reduction, recycling and waste processing throughout the sevencounty metropolitan area. This plan the Metropolitan Solid Waste Management Policy Plan (Metropolitan Plan) is the policy framework for the Hennepin County Solid Waste Management Master Plan (County Plan). The MPCA and the Solid Waste Management Coordinating Board (SWMCB) jointly prepared the 2011 Metropolitan Plan, which is the most recent plan approved by the MPCA. The SWMCB (nicknamed the swim club ) is a joint powers board of six metropolitan counties: Anoka, Carver, Dakota, Hennepin, Ramsey and Washington counties. Subsequent to adoption of the Metropolitan Plan, the SWMCB developed a Regional Solid Waste Master Plan (Regional Plan) that contains outcomes and strategies that member counties will achieve together Table 1.2 Unprocessed MSW Deliveries to Landfills in From Private System Landfill Tons Location Owner Pine Bend 136,269 Inver Grove Heights, MN Republic Services Spruce Ridge 3,038 Glencoe, MN Waste Management Burnsville 67,134 Burnsville, MN Waste Management Elk River 40,896 Elk River, MN Waste Management Superior 7-mile 3,565 Eau Claire, WI Veolia Subtotal 250,902 From Hennepin County Facilities Landfill Tons Location Owner Elk River 5,664 Elk River, MN Waste Management Subtotal 5,664 Total 256,566 Master Recycler/Composter Program Chapter 1 Solid Waste Management 9

6 as a region that conforms to and implements the Metropolitan Plan. Also contained in the Regional Plan are county-supporting initiatives, which are specific strategies that each metro county agrees to implement that will support and help implement regional outcomes and strategies. Hennepin County s responsibility Hennepin County is required by state statute to prepare, either individually or jointly as a region, a county solid waste plan that implements the goals and policies in the Metropolitan Plan and submit this plan for approval to the MPCA. The County Plan contains outcomes and strategies that Hennepin County will implement to manage waste in the county. The County Plan also contains initiatives that the county will implement to support and help implement regional outcomes and strategies contained in the Regional Plan. The most recent Hennepin County Solid Waste Management Master Plan was developed in April Municipal responsibility In order to achieve the county waste abatement objectives as stipulated in the County Plan, municipalities are required by Hennepin County Ordinance 13 to adopt local laws relating to the separation of recyclables from waste. Hennepin County s Residential Recycling Funding Policy facilitates the transfer of Select Committee on Recycling and the Environment (SCORE) funds, which the county receives from the state, to municipalities for support of their curbside recycling programs. 10 Private sector responsibility Individuals and businesses are expected to follow the state, county and municipal laws and regulations and participate in waste management programs. Generally, the public sector relies on the private waste management industry to provide waste management services, including waste and recycling collection, disposal of ash and residues, and handling of problem materials and hazardous wastes. Hennepin County solid waste management programs and activities Household hazardous waste Hennepin County implements numerous programs to properly manage household hazardous wastes (HHW) and problem materials. The county operates two permanent dropoff facilities and organizes three to five collection events throughout the county each year. Wastes collected include automotive products, batteries, corrosive cleaners, electronics, fluorescent and HID lights, mercury, paint, and pesticides. More than 134,000 people visited the facilities and events to drop off more than 3 million pounds of problem materials and HHW in Master Recycler/Composter Program Chapter 1 Solid Waste Management Waste reduction and recycling programs Hennepin County has implemented a variety of programs to increase the amount of materials diverted from landfills. Examples of special waste diversion projects include: Organize Fix-It Clinics in which residents bring in broken household items and receive free, guided assistance from a volunteer with repair skills to dissemble, troubleshoot and fix their items. More than 50 people attended each of the 12 clinics held in Attendees and volunteers fixed more than 400 items - 81 percent of the items brought in - in 2015, keeping 1.5 tons of materials out of the waste stream. Implement, fund and support organics recycling programs in hundreds of schools and businesses and more than 15,000 households in 13 cities. More than 41,000 tons of organic materials were collected for composting or food-to-animals programs in Although the amount of organic materials diverted from the waste stream has increased over the past decade, only 3 percent of the waste stream in Hennepin County is diverted to organics recycling. Provide school recycling grants for projects that implement or improve recycling or organics recycling and reduce waste at schools. Since 2002, the county has awarded more than $1.9 million to 135 projects.

7 Organize annual Choose to Reuse campaign to promote reuse opportunities in Hennepin County. In this program, the county partners with reuse retailers to offer coupons in October and November. The county also partners with the Chinook Book to offer mobile versions of the coupons. In 2015, about 43,500 coupons were redeemed at the 56 participating reuse organizations. Operate Free Product Centers at the county drop-off facilities. The program makes usable products brought to the drop-off facilities for disposal available to the public free of charge. In 2015, 31,939 items were taken from the Free Product Centers. Developed one of the first mattress recycling programs in the United States in partnership with PPL Industries. PPL s mission is to work with lower-income individuals to help them achieve greater self-sufficiency through employment training, support services and education. PPL disassembled nearly 50,000 mattresses in 2015 and recycled more than 600 tons of steel, 54 tons of cotton, and 320 tons of foam. Operate an electronic waste program to recycle televisions, computers and other electronic waste (e-waste). E-waste is collected at the county drop-off facilities and household hazardous waste collection events. The county also arranges for the recycling of e-waste collected curbside by the City of Minneapolis and at events held by other cities. The county supported legislation that now requires manufacturers to share responsibility for recycling e-waste in Minnesota. The county collected and recycled more than 2,500 tons of electronics in Collect audio and video media at county drop-off facilities. Materials accepted include computer disks, DVDs, CDs, Blu-ray discs, audio and video cassettes, game cartridges, Secure Digital (SD) memory cards, flash drives, plastic cases and jewel cases, ink jet and laser toner cartridges, and vinyl records. Hennepin County is the first local option to accept such a wide variety of electronic media for recycling. In 2015, more than 7,000 pounds of media were collected for recycling at the drop-off facilities. Collect unwanted medicines in drop boxes at six county and Sheriff facilities. Drop boxes are located in Brooklyn Center, Brooklyn Park, Edina, Minneapolis, Minnetonka and Spring Park. The county collected nearly 20,000 pounds of medicines in Collect batteries at multiple locations throughout the county. In 2015, the county collected 97 tons of household batteries for recycling. The county partners with Call2Recycle, a program created by rechargeable battery manufacturers, and the Corporation for Battery Recycling, a non-profit formed by the major non-rechargeable battery manufacturers, to collect and recycle batteries. These programs cover the county s costs of collecting, transporting and recycling household batteries. The county also collected and recycled 2.7 tons of leadacid (automotive) batteries in Sponsor reuse and recycling projects with the Network for Better Futures, an organization that promotes the recovery, resiliency and prosperity of high-risk adults. Projects have included sorting reusable items from trash delivered to the Brooklyn Park Transfer Station and building deconstruction. The reusable items were sold or dismantled for recycling by the Network for Better Futures. Master Recycler/Composter Program Chapter 1 Solid Waste Management 11

8 Education and outreach Provide environmental education resources, training and funding through the Hennepin Green Partners Environmental Education Program and the SWMCB s Community POWER (Partners on Waste Education and Reduction) program. In 2015, the county partnered with 76 community groups to implement projects that empower residents to reduce waste, increase recycling, reduce toxicity, conserve energy and protect water quality. These projects engaged more than 33,000 people with peer-to-peer outreach focused on changing behaviors and motivating action. Implemented the Recycle Everywhere campaign to encourage residents to recycle in every room of their house by recycling more from the bathroom, laundry room, and home office. Messages were promoted August through October 2015 on cable TV, radio, online, and at events. The campaign encouraged residents to order supplies to improve recycling at home, including a recycling guide and container labels. The county filled 850 orders of 37,000 recycling guides, labels, bags, and other educational materials. Implement the Master Recycler/ Composter program in which participants are trained on waste prevention, recycling and composting through an intensive training course. MRCs then volunteer 30 hours on projects to reduce waste generation and increase public awareness of opportunities to recycle and compost. The county s outreach efforts include attending community events and giving tours at county facilities. The county reached more than 4,000 residents at 55 community events in Also in 2015, 650 people toured the Hennepin County Drop-off Facility in Brooklyn Park or the Hennepin Energy Recovery Center. The county also demonstrates leadership in managing its own waste in accordance with the waste management hierarchy. As of 2014, single-sort recycling is now available in all county buildings. This has increased recycling by about 25 percent and reduced trash generation by county employees by 12 percent. The county also has purchasing guidelines and management policies that take advantage of reuse and recycling opportunities. The county achieved close to zero-waste landfilling from county operations in 2013, with less than 3 percent of the total waste generated going to landfills. Resources The following are resources with information about solid waste management in Hennepin County and Minnesota. Information about how waste is managed in the county and the solid waste planning process. Information about the Hennepin Energy Recovery Center, the countyowned waste-to-energy facility. Information about the Solid Waste Management Coordinating Board and links to the regional solid waste master plan. The Minnesota Waste Management Act on the Minnesota Office of the Revisor of Statutes website. 12 Master Recycler/Composter Program Chapter 1 Solid Waste Management