Master Recyclers Intro Master Recycler Training Intro Paul Kroening, Recycling Program Manager Paul Kroening, Recycling Program Manager Hennepin County Environment and Energy
History of Waste Disposal
Dumps until 1969
Burn Barrels Common
Incinerators in 50 s, 60 s
1969 MN Solid Waste Act Prohibited open burning Emphasized upgrading dumps to sanitary landfills Solid waste permitting process Trash collection service
1980 Waste Management Act Established waste management hierarchy Landfill siting process for metro area Solid waste management plans for metro counties Cities began implementing curbside collection of recycling St. Louis Park, Minneapolis first
Management Hierarchy
SCORE Legislation - 1990 Established solid waste tax provide recycling funding to counties $2.9 million per year to Hennepin granted to cities for curbside recycling Resulted in proliferation of curbside recycling programs
Curbside in Hennepin Cities added curbside in late 80 s/early 90 s initially newspaper, cans & glass Plastic bottles added 1991 Magazines, catalogs added 1995 Mixed paper/junk mail, boxboard added 2005 All plastics, paper cartons added 2012
How we Manage Waste
Long Term Goal 75% recycling Recycle 60% Organics 15% Landfill 2.5% Waste-to- Energy 22.5%
Waste per Capita
No More Sorting Single Stream Dual Sort Single Stream 3 or More Sorts
Waste Stream is Changing
What s in Our Trash Metals 5% Plastic 16% Paper 17% Organics 32% Other Waste 30%
Recent Waste Sort Results
Recycling Capture Rates
New Initiatives Last 5 Years
Organics Collection and Composting Organics are turned into valuable compost used in road and landscaping projects.
Materials Recovery Facilities Randy s Sanitation Delano Republic Eureka Recycling Waste Management Tennis Sanitation Demcon Dick s Sanitation Republic
Regional Markets AbitibiBowater,Thunder Bay,ON - newspaper NuPage, Duluth, MN office/mixed paper MasterMark, Albany, MN HDPE plastics West ROCK, St. Paul cardboard, newspaper, office/mixed paper Anchor Glass, Savage, MN - Glass Liberty Carton, Becker, MN cardboard Gerdau Ameristeel, Newport, MN scrap steel Bedford Tech, Worthington, MN HDPE plastics International Paper, Cedar Rapids, IA - Cardboard
Strategic Initiatives
Focus on organics Recycling organic materials, which include food, foodsoiled paper and compostable products, is the biggest opportunity to reduce our trash. Waste sorts show organics largest proportion trash 25 percent of the trash stream.
Residential Organics Recycling 45,000 hh s have organics 12% of all hh s MPLS curbside organics available to all hh s 40% signed up Proposing all cities must have organics by end of 2020
Require business organics recycling Generate at least 8 yards of waste per week: Restaurants Grocery stores Food wholesalers/ distributors Food manufacturers Hotels Hospitals Sports venues and event centers Caterers and food trucks Nursing/residential care facilities Offices with cafeteria/dining services Farmers markets and food shelves
Develop organics infrastructure Expand transfer capacity at county and other transfer stations Increase composting capacity RFQ/P in 2018 for anaerobic digestion project
Reduce Food Waste - Businesses Technology pilots to improve supply management and pursue reduction App-based solutions to increase recovery for hunger relief Master Recycler/Composter volunteers to transport edible food Safe handling guidelines Evaluate further processing of excess produce
Reduce Food Waste Schools & Homes Document current practices on donating food and create best practices guide for schools Connect schools with resources to: Repurpose food in their own meals Donate to hunger relief Sharing tables Support Save the Food national ed campaign Educational materials for our partners
Build momentum for waste prevention and reuse Waste prevention is any action taken to not produce waste of any kind Survey results residents define waste prevention differently than the county Residents consider composting and recycling to be key waste prevention actions. Struggle to identify new waste prevention action to take
Support Reuse Retailers Community Efforts Choose to Reuse website searchable listing of local reuse retailers, topics and events Choose to Reuse coupon campaign Monitor sharing economy and support Work with reuse retailers to divert unsellable goods
Rethink Consumption & Promote Repair Hold monthly Fix-It Clinics for residents learn to fix broken households itesm Research consumption habits to inform development of education-based campaign Fix-it Clinic results to date (since 2013) 51 clinics 3508 items fixed 79% of items fixed 5,760 hours volunteered
Move out and Recycling Encourage reuse during move out household goods, clothing, furniture Find recycling options items not reusable accept unusable textiles at drop-offs explore options for materials not repairable or reusable
Encourage Residents through Outreach High quality messages Deliver using all communication channels Develop and support youth environmental ed
Engage the community Socially inclusive outreach Engage community groups Train Master Recycler/Composter volunteers over 500 since 2011
Mentor thru Zero Waste Challenge Help households figure out actions to reduce waste First year 35 hh s completed 41 new hh s in ZWC Assist participating hh s identify actions to reduce waste hands on - workshops
Serve Residents Where They Are At Home: single family continue to fund curbside implement organics standardize message Multifamily provide recycling and organics assistance, pilot new outreach strategies for immigrant populations, assure service available as required At Work: Offer business grants - $750,000 per year Help address barriers to organics recycling Develop strategic partnerships with business orgs
Serve Residents Where They Are At Schools: Provide assistance to staff and students Support food waste reduction Evaluate future needs for financial assistance At Events and on the go: Continue container load program with MPLS Parks Expand collection in public spaces Target large venues increase diversion consistent materials collected Assist event organizers plan low-waste events
Other Strategies Promote drop-offs for hazardous waste Divert construction and demolition list deconstruction collaborate with cities, contractors, property owners Recover resources from trash HERC waste-toenergy facility produces power for 25,000 homes Collaborate with industry on product stewardship state and region in implementation seek environmental justice Lead by example in county operations