The Metropolitan Solid Waste Management Policy Plan establishes the plan for managing the Metropolitan Area’s solid waste. The policy plan is prepared every six years with input from state agencies, county staff, and a variety of stakeholders: representatives of the waste industry, environmental groups, businesses, and citizens.
County solid waste plans
Once adopted, the Metropolitan Solid Waste Policy Plan sets in motion the process for counties to develop the more detailed County Master Plans. These plans address the specific projects and programs to be implemented within the counties to meet the goals, policies and objectives of the Metropolitan Solid Waste Policy Plan.
Any solid waste activity within the metropolitan area must be consistent with the Policy Plan and the County Master Plans. These County Master Plans were approved by the MPCA in May 2012:
Metropolitan waste disposal restrictions
Following the adoption of the 2010-2030 Metropolitan Policy Plan, the MPCA announced its intention to implement its plan for enforcement of the metropolitan waste disposal restriction (Minn. Stat. § 473.848). Recent legislation (Laws of Minnesota 2012, chapter 272, section 93) required the MPCA to delay enforcement of the restriction on disposal until February 15, 2013, and that the MPCA prepare a report by October 1, 2012, that outlines how the state could achieve compliance with restriction on disposal.
Report
Metropolitan Waste Disposal Restrictions Report (October 2012)
As directed, the MPCA prepared the final report after it allowed interested parties 30 days to review and comment on the report. The report was submitted to the chairs and ranking minority members of the senate and house of representatives committees with jurisdiction over environmental policy and finance. Included in the report are the written comments received from interested parties and the MPCA’s responses to those comments.
Waste processing facilities serving the Twin Cities metropolitan area
The Metropolitan Solid Waste Management Policy Plan 2010-2030 (Metro Plan) described a Twin Cities metropolitan area (TCMA) processing facility system. The MPCA stated in the report that a goal of the Metro Plan is to ensure that no unprocessed mixed municipal solid waste (MMSW) was landfilled in accordance with the requirements of Minn. Stat. § 473.848. In 2015, the MPCA implemented a compliance framework to advance this goal.
Listed facilities constitute the TCMA MMSW processing system:
- Great River Energy Elk River Processing Facility (Elk River)
- Hennepin Energy Recovery Center (Minneapolis)
- Red Wing Waste Campus (Red Wing)
- Resource Recovery Technologies, LLC (Newport)
