Twin Cities Metro Area - Solid Waste Management Plan

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Comment From: Tess Dornfeld

9/18/23 @ 12:00 AM
While the stated focus of the plan on the higher levels of the waste hierarchy does move in the right direction, it fails to adequately address the other end of the hierarchy, which we know will continue to be part of our waste management processes d...↓

The reduction goals are also severely insignificant - focusing on the higher levels of the hierarchy should mean put the greatest emphasis on reduction, and a 5% goal over 20 years in unacceptable. Other cities and local governments have reduction goals as high as 75% based on the recognition that, as the hierarchy is meant to indicate, this also reduces the need to invest and improve in the rest of the levels.

The focus on incineration for disposal also goes far beyond what the hierachy requires, even including a policy to "assure county commissioners understand the importance of supporting and maintaining WTE (waste-to-energy) facilities." This is completely unacceptable, unscientific and disingenuous, and the plan must be revised to include HERC shutdown.
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Comment From: Caleb Werth

9/17/23 @ 10:49 PM
It is great to see more of a focus on waste reduction and reuse to reduce the amount of waste going into metro area landfills. It would definitely help to incentivize this work through grants/funding.

Regarding the goal of "Commit to standardized outr...↓

I hope to see this optional goal adopted -- Adopt an ordinance with a mandatory consumer charge for take-out single-use cups, containers and utensils. There is a major need to reduce single use cups and foodservice items. It would also help to encourage and increase reuse by consumers.

I am glad to see the goal to establish a reuse location for residential drop-off and pick-up. And incentivize deconstruction over landfilling demolition debris. It would be great if drop-off options for homeowners could be added into (or nearby) each of the county environmental centers.

Thank you to the MPCA staff who are working on the new TCMA plan and helping to improve solid waste management within the Twin Cities.
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Comment From: Calla Martin

9/17/23 @ 10:17 PM
There are a lot of positive things in the waste management plan, but...
MPCA must shut down the HERC. It's a clear issue of environmental justice that needs immediate action. The planning document itself states the unknown results of burning pfas. The...↓

I do support the statement about re-using buildings and building materials but feel like it needs to be incentivized, especially with recent changes in residential zoning opening up types of development in residential areas.

I do support holding companies responsible for "cradle to grave" or hopefully "cradle to cradle" for their products.

The plan should be more aggressive with reuse streams and education.

As an example, e-waste education and resources need expansion—
RePowered in St. Paul is an organization already dealing with electronic waste.

In general, education is easier if there's one overarching plan that applies and works for everyone in the region.
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Comment From: Elia Rubio

9/17/23 @ 9:46 PM
The proposed goal of 5% waste reduction by 2042 isn't nearly ambitious enough. This plan also doesn't address the incinerator in North Minneapolis. As long as cities are making money off of landfills and incineration there is no incentive to reduce w...↓
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Comment From: Jeanne Norrgard

9/17/23 @ 9:25 PM
We are in a climate crisis. We are in a waste crisis. We must all, including our government and government agencies like MPCA, be held accountable for a weak response to this crisis. The time is now. We are consuming too many cheaply made products an...↓
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Comment From: Darla Evanosky

9/17/23 @ 9:09 PM
Although this plan has great points and potential I'd like to see an alternative offered to garbage incineration. The health risks for people living near the incinerator are huge. Shut down HERC.
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Comment From: Minnesota Legislature (Frank Hornstein)

9/17/23 @ 8:29 PM
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Comment From: Minnesota Zero Waste Coalition (Lucy Mullany)

9/17/23 @ 8:12 PM
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Comment From: Lois Norrgard

9/17/23 @ 7:39 PM
please see attached comment.
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Comment From: Kala Fisher

9/17/23 @ 7:23 PM
Please see attached letter/uploaded file
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Comment From: Christine Popowski

9/17/23 @ 5:39 PM
"The MPCA understands and acknowledges the concerns of potential impacts expressed by residents near WTE facilities. The best way to address these concerns is to actively pursue the strategies that result in more waste reduction, reuse, recycling, an...↓
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Comment From: Sustainable Stillwater (Leslie Frick)

9/17/23 @ 2:47 PM
Sustainable Stillwater developed an online Green Business Directory in 2020. We identify potential sustainable businesses, invite them to apply to our directory and score their applications as to their sustainability. If they score high enough we awa...↓

Certainly strategies 12 and 13 would help restaurants, commercial kitchens and stores reduce their waste. Having GreenCorps members assist in the process of building networks between them and food pantries would be an invaluable resource.

Strategy 18: Grants and rebates to help transition to reusable food and beverage service would certainly help our restaurants and food providers in Washington County transition away from single use plastics and styrofoam.

Strategy 19: Offering grants for waste reduction, reuse, and repair would have a dramatic impact in Washington County. As far as I know, there are currently no collections for reusing items.

We certainly support #20: Reusables at county and city-led events. If cities and counties led the way, other business and non profit entities would likely follow.

Strategy 22: Join and/or actively participate in a reuse network, like Reuse Minnesota, to provide county and city staff with learning opportunities to broaden their reuse expertise is important. Our organization recently joined Reuse and are impressed with their members and the amazing work they do diverting goods from the trash stream and landfills.

Strategy 23: Establish a Repair Ambassador program, like the Recycler/Composters (RCAs) Ambassador programs. Again in Washington County, there are no in-person "fix-it-clinics" that I'm aware of.

Finally, as an organization working to reduce our city's carbon footprint, we wholeheartedly support Strategy 14: Launch bi-annual sustainable consumption challenges for residents. With over 900 members receiving our emails and newsletters, we are in an excellent position to challenge folks to reduce their food waste as well as encourage them to reuse and or/repair items thus keeping them out of landfills.

We did identify one strategy we can't get behind unless it is rewritten. Though strategy 21: Adopt an ordinance with a mandatory consumer charge for take-out single-use cups, containers, and utensils sounds good at face value, there are some negatives. Some compostables are difficult to get due to supply chain issues. Further, we feel this policy would negatively impact unhoused and lower income residents. We definitely could get behind adding a caveat to the policy on the order of "by request only" or "skip the stuff" for straws, utensils and napkins, to encourage people to move from single use to use their own.

Thanks for allowing us to comment on your carefully crafted draft policies.

Leslie Frick Outreach Ambassador, Sustainable Stillwater
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Comment From: MN EJ Table and MCEA (Evan Mulholland)

9/17/23 @ 2:14 PM
Please see attached comment jointly submitted by MCEA and MN EJ Table.
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Comment From: Molly Libra

9/17/23 @ 12:06 PM
Hello, I am writing to let you know my thoughts on this issue. One of my best friend's family and many of their friends are directly impacted by incinerators that are currently in use. I am horrified that the health of students and families is being ...↓
There are many ways this plan needs to be bolder and address our waste crisis, but for the sake of space I will highlight two that are most important to my family:
1. The plan mentions "environmental justice," but this plan does not account for the acute health impacts of incinerators and the cumulative impacts of their siting in overburdened communities. The HERC trash burner is less than 2 miles from my child's public school. Our Minneapolis students are exposed to pollution from the HERC trash burner every time they are outside for recess, gym class, and outdoor sports activities. There is no scientific risk assessment in the draft waste management report. How can MPCA claim that landfills are far worse than incineration if there is no risk science or transparency in this report? According to initial responses from MPCA about this, it appears that health impacts are not even considered in MPCA's comparison of landfills and incinerators. Our kids deserve better. Overburdened communities and our most vulnerable citizens deserve better. They should not be at the mercy of the rest of the population's willingness to reduce their trash. If "environmental justice" is going to be more than just rhetoric for the MPCA, this plan must account for the acute health impacts of incinerators and the cumulative impacts of where they are located.
2. The plan needs to address hyper-consumption. The plan needs to be more ambitious than just a 5% waste reduction over 20 years. We are in a waste crisis that drives the climate crisis, and if this plan is meant to actually manage solid waste properly to address this crisis, this goal needs to be increased to a 50% reduction over 20 years in order to be meaningful in any way. Shutting down incinerators and not allowing the trash and incinerators to be profitable businesses in MN will encourage more aggressive action for reducing waste, especially given the strong policies and public awareness around avoiding landfilling.
best regards,
Molly Libra
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Comment From: Nadine Teisberg

9/17/23 @ 12:04 PM
We NEED to shut down HERC and move away from incineration. Incinerators are outdated and harmful to the community. We should be increasing our goals for waste reduction and emphasize a decentralized waste management system. If we don't take the time ...↓
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Comment From: Amy Sklar

9/17/23 @ 11:00 AM
How can this be a good idea? Burning more garbage and putting all of the carcinogens in the air? There is a public school a couple of miles away. Have you thought of the health impact of these children over time? Children should be able to play outsi...↓
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Comment From: Andrea Siegel

9/17/23 @ 9:41 AM
There are many ways this plan needs to be bolder and address our waste crisis, but for the sake of space I will highlight two that are most important to my family:
1. The plan mentions "environmental justice," but this plan does not account for the ac...↓
2. The plan needs to address hyperconsumption. The plan needs to be more ambitious than just a 5% waste reduction over 20 years. We are in a waste crisis that drives the climate crisis, and if this plan is meant to actually manage solid waste properly to address this crisis, this goal needs to be increased to a 50% reduction over 20 years in order to be meaningful in any way. Shutting down incinerators and not allowing the trash and incinerators to be profitable businesses in MN will encourage more aggressive action for reducing waste, especially given the strong policies and public awareness around avoiding landfilling.
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Comment From: Aaron Rosenblum

9/16/23 @ 9:55 PM
To Whom it May Concern:

As a Minneapolis based family physician, I am concerned about the decision in the current draft of the MPCA's waste management to prioritize and highly value "waste-to-energy," aka incineration.

1. The MPCA fails to account for ...↓

2. Expensive to maintain facilities represent sunk cost that creates financial incentive to not pursue aggressive zero waste policies. Improving landfill safety and pre-destination sorting while continuing to pursue zero waste makes far more sense.

3. Expecting these facilities to continue to operate until some vague time in the future where they are deemed no longer necessary is irresponsible. It asks the poorest in our community to bear the heavy burden of the waste which is generated in far greater quantities by the activities of the wealthy. It does this without giving them any agency in the process, other than as noted with the "concerns of potential impacts expressed by residents near WTE facilities." A shut down date, ideally in the next several years, should be included in this plan.

The technocratic answer may be to maintain WTE. As can often happen with technocratic decision making, it struggles to see what does not fit tidy in its frameworks. Unfortunately, WTE is also the answer that perpetuates environmental racism. So long as the HERC is running, a heavy burden continues to be placed on the people and patients I work with every day. I urge you to reconsider this misguided choice.

Sincerely,
Aaron Rosenblum, MD
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Comment From: Morrison County (Drew Hatzenbihler)

9/16/23 @ 7:41 PM
Please see attached document for Morrison County's comments on the draft plan.


Sincerely,

Drew Hatzenbihler
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Comment From: Jeanne Nordland

9/16/23 @ 5:05 PM
• In addition to what is proposed, may I suggest public education regarding indoor worm composting. When living in California, we had a large, attractive worm composter on legs and enjoyed the "black gold" and "worm tea" worms produce. We used it f...↓

• Explore and encourage serious studies into using Fungi that can break down unrecyclable plastic in the landfills. I understand that Engyodontium Album and Aspergillus Terreus can break down plastic in just 140 days.
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Comment From: Stephani Booker

9/16/23 @ 3:39 PM
The MPCA Solid Waste Management Plan is not a management plan at all without comprehensive, systemic zero-waste goals and actions that will reduce waste going to trash burners and landfills by 50 percent by 2030 with a goal of 90 percent by 2042 as t...↓
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Comment From: Ruth Shaw

9/16/23 @ 3:19 PM
I write to express my extreme disappointment that the MPCA's Twin Cities Metro Area - Solid Waste Management Plan does not include closing of HERC in the very near term. It is crucial to eliminate the air polluting emissions from the HERC. HERC's emi...↓
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Comment From: Nell Pierce

9/16/23 @ 2:10 PM
The MPCA needs to include a plan to shut down the HERC � it is far past it's expiration date! It was a big win when the legislature directed the county to create a shut down plan, but that can only be executed with your support as the MPCA. I'm disap...↓

I see that you "understand and acknowledge the concerns of potential impacts expressed by residents near WTE facilities," and that you would consider taking down incinerators once another system is developed. However, so long as Hennepin County is profiting off the waste and depending on incinerators for revenue to fund environmental programs, there is little incentive to create alternatives. The only real incentive to create alternatives is a strong commitment to shut down the HERC. We are in a climate crisis. Until we actively stop the harm, we cannot heal.

I was also shocked when I read that the goal for waste reduction over the next 20 years is only 5%. Our lives are at stake. At that slow rate, we are sealing a very dark fate for all of us. Lets please align ourselves with the UN's Sustainable Development Goals and set a goal of at least 50% waste reduction by 2030 and 75% by 2042, along with a waste diversion goal of 90% by 2042 � which would qualify us as zero waste community. We can rise to this challenge if we start NOW.

It is insulting that this plan claims to have been developed through community engagement when only one meeting was conducted per county - half of them during the day when people were at work. In order to truly include the voices of those most impacted by environmental injustice, these meetings need to be more frequent and at different times of the day to accommodate different work schedules. I would also strongly urge for there to be interpretation for various languages.

Finally, I'd love to see a plan for a decentralized, closed loop of community composting � where people who compost actually experience the benefits. This will increase participation in those practices and keep wealth in communities. This also creates opportunities for small-scale composters to build relationships with the people right around them.

I am terrified and enraged by the climate crisis. I live with an 18 month old and I get a knot in my stomach when I think about the air he will be breathing in 2042 if we don't take drastic action right now. Please take a stand � when you do, the community is here to back you.
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Comment From: Mary Allen

9/16/23 @ 1:56 PM
Dear MPCA,

After reviewing your plan for waste management in the 7 county metro, it's clear you are willfully ignoring the waste and climate crisis we're currently in, as well as the real impacts of trash incineration and current science. In recent co...↓

It is also clear the your plan is using outdated science to create its waste hierarchy. Again in my conversation with Robbins, we talked about how incineration is lower on their on Maine's waste hierarchy. They're specifically looking at reduction the best way to manage waste, the MPCA also names reduction as the highest on the hierarchy, yet provide no policy suggestions on how we approach reduction and still advocate for incineration, and has set itself a tragically low goal of 5% reduction. It's a joke.

It might be good for you to look at Maine's climate plan and how they've developed a framework for waste management while being proactive about integrating a climate lens across all of their policy and infrastructure investment and planning. By maintaining your stance that incineration is still the best option, when the energy no longer even meets the standards of the 100% law, it's clear you're holding onto ideas from the past and refusing to recognize the changes we have to make now if we're going to stay below the 1.5 degrees we need to in order to avoid the worst of the climate crisis.

But let's be frank, we're already feeling those impacts. And as much as you want there to be a magic bullet for waste management through incineration, it's not. The HERC is inefficient at best and a danger to public health at its worst. Burdening a predominately Black community with the emissions from burning trash is a travesty. When incineration was designed it didn't take into account the heavy metals and plastic that would be burned, because those materials weren't used and disposed of at the levels they are now. Please stop burying your head in the sand and recognize that we are living in a different world than when we were fighting landfills. It's a false choice to say it's one or the other. We need policy level changes that help curb consumption and waste in the first place, not just figuring out how you'll handle the tonnage.

Here are my four demands for the waste plan:

The MPCA needs to include 2 scenarios for the shut-down of HERC - by 2025 and by 2030. HERC is 34 years old, already past its life expectancy. The legislature has given direction to the county to shut down HERC. HERC will now count against renewable energy commitments. Its closure is increasingly likely, and accounting for this is necessary and responsible planning.

We have a law that now recognizes the cumulative impacts on people's health when they're exposed to multiple sources of pollution. The HERC is a huge source of pollution. Like the 100% law, this plan is also ignoring the Cumulative Impact law and it needs to look ahead and recognize how the HERC contributes.

The plan must be far more transparent. It must account for the toxic ash that incinerators generate. It must stop weaponizing and distorting science to force communities to accept a risk even scientists don't fully understand and are actively debating. It must take precautions when it comes to people's health and lives, and acknowledge real impacts.

The 20-year waste reduction goal of 5% is unacceptable. Wealthy areas of the metro, the metro overall, and the United States must reduce waste and consumption significantly. The wealthy consume and waste far more than the poor. Hyperconsumption drives the climate crisis. In line with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, set a goal of at least 50% waste reduction by 2030 and 75% or more by 2042, as well as 90% diversion by 2042.



My last comment is for the MPCA in general, as I recently attended a meeting for the cumulative impacts law. Your community engagement is poorly designed and executed. There were no signs outside or directions. There was no help on the website for parking at the site or options for public transportation. The set up was designed to break people up into discrete areas instead of creating a collective conversation. The location was not thoughtful, it should have engaged people living in highly impacted areas or city green zones. It's clear you need to build capacity in how you engage community and I hope you do better in the future.

Mary Allen
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Comment From: Kait Sergenian

9/16/23 @ 1:03 PM
Shut in Down! Better ways to manage waste that doesn't harm and endanger people's lives
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Comment From: Alice Brandt

9/16/23 @ 12:38 PM
Shut down herc. There are better ways to process this waste with a better future in mind for the environment including all of us living here.
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Comment From: Coalition for Plastic Reductio... (Lori Olinger)

9/16/23 @ 9:37 AM
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Comment From: Sandra Wolfe wood

9/15/23 @ 11:04 PM
I was made aware of this comment period as a member of Westminster Presbyterian Church in Minneapolis. I am concerned that the HERC facility is going to have a longer run than necessary�it's emissions continuing to affect the surrounding communities ...↓
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Comment From: Andrea Sit

9/15/23 @ 8:53 PM
1) All residential waste/recycling pickup companies should offer regular household compost pickup. It's nice that the Carver County Environmental Center takes household compost, but many more people would compost their waste if their garbage haulers ...↓
2) What can be recycled and how to prepare it for recycling needs to be clearer to residents. Detailed lists of what can be recycled would be helpful. The lists provided by waste pickup companies are often very vague about what can go into the bins. Recent news articles have revealed that most items, especially plastics, that go into recycling bins are not actually recycled and sometimes end up in the oceans. This news is shocking and disheartening for people who have been diligently preparing items for recycling (rinsing, drying, etc) for years. People think that if an item has a recycling symbol on it, it is recyclable, which is not necessarily true. There is also confusion about what types of metals and glass can be recycled. More education and public outreach is needed. There could be PSAs on social media sites, such as Nextdoor to educate residents. Community ed classes and tours of recycling facilities would be very helpful.
3) The Carver County Recycling Center is a wonderful resource, but it is clear from posts on sites such as Nextdoor that people are not aware of the services that it offers. People frequently ask questions such as what to do with scrap metal and how to dispose of items such as mattresses. Again, education and PSAs would be very helpful to spread the word about this excellent community service.
4) Thank you for asking for community input!
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Comment From: Rachel Wormer

9/15/23 @ 6:42 PM
I am a Minneapolis resident who lives within walking distance of the Hennepin County trash burner (HERC).

I am trained in public health. I have worked closely with communities caring for peoples' reproductive health needs. Through that experience, I h...↓

While I am appreciative of the opportunity to comment, I am deeply concerned about the following:

The Metro Solid Waste Plan does not include a closure plan for the HERC trash burner.

For example, MPCA states:
"The MPCA understands and acknowledges the concerns of potential impacts expressed by residents near WTE facilities...Once a system is developed that does not need to rely on WTE facilities, then it would be appropriate to look at taking them off-line."

This statement shows a blatant disregard for Hennepin County residents, including me — a person of reproductive age, who have real concerns about living within just a few miles or less of the HERC's pollution radius. My neighbors and I are being dismissed. This is unacceptable. The MPCA can and must do better for Minnesotans.

The toxins produced by trash incinerators are widely known to include the following: lead, nitrogen oxides, sulfur dioxide, fine particulates (PM2.5), particulate matter (PM10), Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), arsenic, mercury, dioxin, and others. Anyone who lives near the incinerator is chronically exposed to these emissions.

While the HERC's emissions currently "meet EPA standards," that does not account for the existing levels of other sources of pollution in the area. These existing pollutants, combined with the HERC's pollution, are not being carefully considered by the MPCA. Further, there is no such thing as a 'healthy' consumption of toxins.

As a public health professional with multiple years of rigorous scientific training, I am deeply concerned. The MPCA and Hennepin County officials need to stop forcing Minneapolis' overburdened communities to accept health risks the scientific community doesn't fully understand yet. Our communities should not be testing labs to find out what the negative health consequences of living near the HERC actually are years down the road.

Additionally, the state legislature has directed Hennepin County to close the HERC. That means the HERC will now count against renewable energy commitments. With closure increasingly imminent, the MPCA needs a clear, actionable plan to shut down the HERC by 2025 and 2030 — not decades from now.
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Comment From: Dem-Con Companies (Bill Keegan)

9/15/23 @ 5:41 PM
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Comment From: City of Inver Grove Heights (Ally Sutherland)

9/15/23 @ 5:27 PM
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Comment From: Emma Marlar

9/15/23 @ 4:59 PM
The MPCA must stop weaponizing and distorting science to force communities to accept a risk even scientists don't fully understand and are actively debating. It must take precautions when it comes to people's health and lives, and acknowledge the rea...↓
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Comment From: Hennepin County (Lisa Cerney)

9/15/23 @ 3:37 PM
Thank you for the opportunity to comment. Please see the attached file: MPCA Policy Plan Comments - HC.pdf
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Comment From: Cassie Lefeber

9/15/23 @ 2:45 PM
17: Make this required. It shouldn't be too hard to do.

Add a state-led strategy that would change the law about taking food from caterers and other establishments to-go

We need more reuse strategies to be required.

There should definitely be a required...↓

22: Make this required.

23: Make this required.

Add a state-led strategy that would change the law around reusable to-go ware.

37: if this doesn't apply to cities with populations of less than 5,000 residents, all those cities should be required to have at least one drop off site, or at least one drop off site within a certain distance of each resident.

39: Make this required.

59: Make this required.

We need more deconstruction strategies to be required, since this is most of our waste.

I would recommend requiring 62, 63, and/or 64
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Comment From: John Sullivan

9/15/23 @ 2:35 PM
Thank you for developing a plan to deal with our waste. We can do better! One "simple" thing I would suggest is to outlaw the production and use of any materials that are not recyclable. There seems to be a market for 1,2,5 plastics as that is what i...↓
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Comment From: McGrann Shea Carnival Straughn... (Douglas Carnival)

9/15/23 @ 2:33 PM
Please see attachment/uploaded file.
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Comment From: Doug Gurian-Sherman

9/15/23 @ 1:44 PM
Please see attached file for my comments.
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Comment From: Alex Burns

9/15/23 @ 1:31 PM
The MPCA should include a specific scenario for the HERC trash burner's near-term closure. MPCA cannot force communities to wait for a system that "does not need to rely" on incinerators to be developed first. It is MPCA's responsibility to support t...↓

If "environmental justice" is going to be more than just rhetoric for the MPCA, this plan must account for the severe health impacts of incinerators and the cumulative impacts of their siting in overburdened communities.

The plan also must be far more transparent. It must account for the toxic ash that incinerators generate. It must stop weaponizing and distorting science to force communities to accept a risk even scientists don't fully understand and are actively debating. It must take precautions when it comes to people's health and lives, and acknowledge real impacts.

Finally, the 20-year waste reduction goal of 5% is unacceptable. Wealthy areas of the metro, the metro overall, and the United States must REDUCE waste and consumption significantly. The wealthy consume and waste far more than the poor. Hyper-consumption drives the climate crisis. In line with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, set a goal of at least 50% waste reduction by 2030 and 75% or more by 2042, as well as 90% diversion by 2042.
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Comment From: Susan J Sperl

9/15/23 @ 11:31 AM
I am a 34 year Near North resident. I am also a lifelong artist, whose ongoing work deals with the plastic/trash issue. My personal library consists of 180 books on the ocean, climate change, plastic and trash. I have led neighborhood street trash c...↓

I have a proverb on my wall, attributed to the Cree Native American Nation:
"Only when the last tree has died, the last river been poisoned, the last fish been caught, AND THE AIR TOO SICKENING TO
BREATHE, we will realize that we cannot eat money."

THAT FUTURE IS HERE!! Sadly, I suspect money to be at the base of resisting a bold plan to address and correct the harm being done by the HERC. The MPCA plan does not give MN any bragging rights� a 5% reduction is too little too late! I too ask that you include a 2025 shutdown date for the HERC in the plan, and show us the leadership we deserve as individuals and community � to help hold producers responsible, and to continue (or begin) our efforts to reduce, reuse and recycle, one that truly addresses our human right to a healthy environment!
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Comment From: Minnesota Resource Recovery As... (Chris McConn)

9/15/23 @ 11:21 AM
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Comment From: Anoka County (Maggie Yauk)

9/15/23 @ 10:32 AM
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Comment From: Meghan Kosowski

9/15/23 @ 10:10 AM
Thank you for the opportunity to comment on this issue.

Any plan for the management of waste and pollution in the future, either short or long-term, has to include radical reductions in consumption and waste. For the Twin Cities to be in line with the...↓

This is what it's going to take to avoid total environmental disaster and the cascading failure of ecosystems. That means US.

The Plan put forth by MPCA calls for a measley, wholly-insufficient reduction of 5% over 20 years. If this is the best we have, we are all going to succumb to the worst effects of climate catastrophe.

The plan names "reduction" as the highest priority, yet provides *no policy suggestions* on how we approach reduction. Lip service will not save us. We need leadership that enacts policies that actively address and reverse the damages of pollution, especially because the toxic air that comes from incineration impacts frontline communities the hardest, making this an issue of environmental justice. This is both a practical and conceptual set of problems that need to be solved aggressively and quickly.

Most egregiously, the Plan still advocates for incineration, which effectively propagates the mistakes that got us all in this fatal predicament to begin with. While MPCA is wasting time proposing less-than-helpful Plans like this one, real human people and other living things are suffering as a result of hyper-consumption and the burning of trash that results from it.

It seems like the MPCA does not take those concerns seriously, and does not acknowledge the harm that toxins from the incinerator have been proven to cause. Dangerous material comes out of the HERC incinerator, because it's a terribly dirty and unsound way of dealing with excess waste! Materials that poison people in nearby communities include infamous hazards like lead, Sulfur Dioxide, PFAS, arsenic, and a host of other compounds for which there is no safe level of exposure! Anyone who lives near the incinerator is chronically exposed to these emissions. Saying that emissions "meet EPA standards" does not mean they are not killing people. The reason for burning trash is not that there are no other options -- we have safer solutions to dealing with waste. We simply need the political will to enact those changes to save the lives of our neighbors. It may seem like the people who this impacts now are expendable or not worthy of consideration, but guess what? On a very tight timeline into the future this will be ALL of us and throwing frontline communities under the bus so that we can lie to ourselves that we're solving a problem will be the death of all of us. Stop making frontline communities a means to an end, and protect the vulnerable.
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Comment From: LuAnn Johnson

9/15/23 @ 10:06 AM
It is noticed that there is no part in the plan to provide for closing the Hennepin County incinerator and reversing the laws that provide a provision that we burn before landfilling our municipal solid waste? Early 1980's, I thought it was important...↓
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Comment From: Margaret Anderson Kelliher

9/15/23 @ 9:44 AM
Please find my comments on behalf of the City of Minneapolis Department of Public Works attached. Thank you for the opportunity to provide comments on this plan.

Margaret Anderson Kelliher
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Comment From: Jessica Tritsch

9/15/23 @ 9:28 AM
Thank you for your work addressing the real environmental issue of solid waste. It is critical to focus on reducing solid waste. Increasing composting, recycling, and reuse opportunities are needed. The plan not only needs to incorporate these soluti...↓

We also must phase out incineration as a trash solution. It is a huge health and environmental justice burden in communities near incinerators. We need to reduce waste, not burn it.
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Comment From: Akira Yano

9/15/23 @ 9:02 AM
5% is not an ambitious enough goal for waste reduction over 20 years. In fact, with only a 5% waste reduction goal, total tonnage will continue to increase. We are in a waste crisis, and if this plan is meant to actually manage solid waste properly t...↓
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Comment From: Merle Davis Matthews

9/15/23 @ 8:55 AM
it is very important to me that this plan includes shutting down HERC and other incinerators, and a much more ambitious reduction of waste plan. reducing waste 5% over 20 years is unacceptable. This process has not been transparent or included robust...↓
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Comment From: Jane Dow

9/15/23 @ 12:18 AM
Please shut down HERC. The latest research confirms that burning waste is worse for the environment than landfilling. We must transition to waste reduction by separating out our food scraps and composting them; setting up a functional recycling syste...↓
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Comment From: Mark D'Alencar

9/14/23 @ 9:41 PM
Shut the HERC down! It kills people, enough said. Figure out another way— you know you can
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Comment From: Ky Schmidt

9/14/23 @ 9:12 PM
This plan does not indicate sufficient change. The HERC must be shut down for the good of the community of North Minneapolis and beyond. Making only a 5% reduction over the coming years is at best laughable and at worst completely negligent. Our depe...↓
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Comment From: Ken Stewart

9/14/23 @ 6:23 PM
There is a waste crisis rooted in hyperconsumption that is costing the lives of frontline communities, and the climate.

This solid waste plan created to guide 20 years of waste management, is severely lacking: It encourages false solutions like incine...↓
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Comment From: Leslie Martin

9/14/23 @ 6:18 PM
In addition to a mandatory consumer fee for single use cups, et al., how about an incentive for restaurants to use compostables?
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Comment From: Janet Court

9/14/23 @ 4:45 PM
I support the strongest possible zero waste policy. My grandparents had almost no waste we need to return to lifestyles with much less stuff. Up through 1960 we returned bottles to the store, we got along without plastic packaging. It is possible to ...↓
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Comment From: Connor Stratton

9/14/23 @ 4:11 PM
The most important failure of this plan is the failure to include a closure plan for the HERC incinerator. The HERC is already past its planned life expectancy and is a significant polluter � both in terms of its GHG emissions and the air pollution i...↓

In addition, much of this plan reeks of contemporary climate denial. It has been well documented that fossil fuel companies are planning on transitioning more heavily to plastics (which is a fossil-fuel product) once renewable energy finally takes over, a drive guided by greed and eco-cidal intent. In order to combat this move � and thereby combat the climate crisis � we must become a zero waste society as fast as possible. Reduction is the most important part of that equation. The fact that this plan proposes just 5% waste reduction over the next 20 years is climate denialism on the level of natural gas as a bridge fuel. The MPCA must commit to 50-75% waste reduction at the minimum.
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Comment From: Juli Albright

9/14/23 @ 4:04 PM
I love the idea of charging for take out utensils and packaging. Also, it would be ideal for the air and the roads if there were fewer trucks making trips down the same areas. It would help a lot of people if restaurants donated their leftover food
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Comment From: Mary Holm

9/14/23 @ 2:33 PM
I am in support of curbside compost pickup (free? or paid for by the state of MN?). We do have compost bins and a large garden compost pile in our backyard, but we cannot compost food waste there, nor much paper waste. We used to have organic compost...↓
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Comment From: Steven Bern

9/14/23 @ 10:49 AM
Stop BURNING plastic waste! It contributes C02 to the atmosphere that would otherwise be sequestered! In today's day and age, I don't see how a progressive metropolitan area can continue to condone the burning of such wastes. Instead, divert plast...↓
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Comment From: Ramsey County (Sara Hollie)

9/14/23 @ 9:05 AM
Attachments:

Comment From: Delaney Welle

9/13/23 @ 9:55 PM
I would recommended:
1. 7 County wide plastic bag ban

2. Tax on single use items such as to go cups and water bottles

3. Make composting readily accessible to all. We are currently driving our compost to Chaska. Each city should have their own food comp...↓

4. Education on what recycling looks like and what ruins batches. What is appropriate to recycle and what is not.

5. City wide yard waste pick up. A majority of out waste is food and yard waste.
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Comment From: Partnership on Waste and Energ... (Leigh Behrens)

9/13/23 @ 9:48 PM
Attachments:

Comment From: Leslie Leik

9/13/23 @ 6:31 PM
Report is impressive, lots of work has gone into it! Thank you.
As a homeowner who has spent years remodeling a 100 year old home, I was thrilled to see the recommendations for reuse, repurpose, and deconstruction of building materials!! It has been s...↓
I am also in favor of changing to weekly recycling; adding curbside set-out day for reuse items; and increasing frequency of HHW drop offs. I would like to see organic recycling added to public areas, such as Mpls parks and also multi family dwellings, and small businesses. We've been treating our ash tree for years and would love to see incentives for ash tree treatment. To help improve local air quality I would like to see a review of allowing backyard fire pits. It seems counterintuitive to allow backyard fires in light of current wild fires smoke. Again, thank you for the deep dive into our issues with metro waste!
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Comment From: H McCrillis

9/13/23 @ 6:30 PM
Why do businesses not buy back black plastic? They obviously still manufacture products from it.
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Comment From: ivy Booth

9/12/23 @ 6:38 PM
We are a residential unit. We have 2 compost bins we use to compost our food waste. We also use the recycle bin that Minneapolis provides for things like corn cobs which would not decompose in our bins. What we do feels like small potatoes.
Can you...↓
We have created a generation that only cares for their own financial gain.
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Comment From: Dakota County (Commissioner Liz Workman, Board Chair)

9/12/23 @ 1:37 PM
Attachments:

Comment From: Minnesota Reusables Coalition (Emily Barker)

9/12/23 @ 12:33 PM
Letter attached.
Attachments:

Comment From: Andrea Tauer

9/12/23 @ 10:41 AM
Hennepin County used to offer textile (fabric/unwearable clothing) recycling. I hope that's something that can be considered again.
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Comment From: Richard Olson

9/12/23 @ 9:12 AM
This may seem silly but why can't we reverse our course here a little and learn a lesson from our prior years when we had pop, and milk, and other consumer items provided in recyclable containers which we then returned to the grocery or store and the...↓
Returning to this process would reduce plastic bottles, reduce landfill and clean up our landscape (reduce trash along roadside )
Private industry will oppose this because of conversion cost however if a cost were initiated on plastic and not on glass this could be an incentive to enhance the cost benefit of glass conversion
Since plastic is a large part of our residential recycling issue as current plastic recycling is not solving the issue because available reuse of recycled plastic etc does not meet what is out there I believe this return to yesteryear may be a viable solution.
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Comment From: Minnesota Chamber of Commerce (Tony Kwilas)

9/11/23 @ 1:27 PM
The comments from the Minnesota Chamber of Commerce are attached
Attachments:

Comment From: Doug Heuer

9/11/23 @ 12:43 PM
Nature can handle garbage that biodegrades back to natural compounds. What nature can't handle, and what makes up much of our garbage, are the plastics we've invented from fossil fuels. Recycling plastics is green-washing. The only real solution is ...↓
Attachments:
Download
Download
Download
Download
Download

Comment From: G R

9/11/23 @ 11:29 AM
It's been 50 years since the recycling symbol was instituted. While it was a great idea at the time to expect individuals to learn and get in the habit of recycling, that has only proven to be somewhat successful. Apparently even less so lately. It ...↓
A quicker potential help would be to penalize manufacturers for failing to clearly identify everything as either recyclable or waste - if waste, add an environmental fee to them, instead of my hauler adding one to my bill. Goods and packaging must have their respective recycling symbol a size that can be easily read and in a location that can't be missed. The excuse that they will just pass the costs on to the purchaser is just that, we'll pay it to our counties as assessments and our haulers as environmental fees anyway.
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Comment From: Deb Leibel

9/11/23 @ 10:55 AM
RE regarding unified collection in Saint Paul, please make it more streamlined for customers. When there is a dispute with the hauler they just kick it back to the city but then the city says deal with the hauler. If you have an issue with the hauler...↓

It would also be great to have organic collection, I'm looking forward to that part of the plan.
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Comment From: Julie Svendahl

9/11/23 @ 10:35 AM
This is in response to the editorial in the Star Tribune on September 9th. The declining amount of recycling is troubling. If you are looking for reasons, consider news reports and social media posts relating to this subject. Headlines like "only 5% ...↓
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Comment From: Linda Bruemmer

9/10/23 @ 6:03 PM
I live in St Paul and I am concerned about the lack of options. I subscribe to Ridwell because the company seems to do a better job of pairing contributions with needs than the City. The city simply drops categories of collection without explanation....↓
What is the health of the plastics market? I've heard that bottles are collected and sent to the landfill. This seems to be bait and switch. Finally,I do not find this St Paul system to be sustainable. Rather than a systemic solution, we just have the concerned citizens drive their items around town for disposal and recycling.
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Comment From: Carmela Giardina

9/10/23 @ 4:09 PM
I would like to have weekly compost pickup added to the weekly trash and recycling instead of having to drop off the compostable material. I think more people would take advantage of it. I would also like to have more types of recyclable material add...↓
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Comment From: Blaine McKeever

9/09/23 @ 11:24 PM
I hate throwing plastic shopping bags (and other film plastics) into my trash, but not retailer makes it convenient to bring them back to their stores for recycling. I would make the effort to recycle them if there was an easier way to do so.
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Comment From: Lee Mehrkens

9/09/23 @ 7:48 PM
This report is very light on any data that describes the success/failure of our current plastic recycling efforts or ways to improve it in any meaningful way. Your newfound fascination with organics processing obscures the need to fix plastic recycli...↓
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Comment From: Marcus Buckley

9/09/23 @ 2:36 PM
Please also consider...

banning single use plastic in restaurants.
3 strike policy educating residents then fining for recycling and organic waste infractions
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Comment From: Diane Edson

9/09/23 @ 10:28 AM
If your plan doesn't include restaurants, bars, large businesses then you will never reach any meaningful goals. To see the cans and bottles that get put in the trash at restaurants and bars is appalling. Weekly recycling will do nothing honestly for...↓
Please Please do something to eliminate all the single use plastics. Whether from takeout containers to grocery items. Put a huge price tag on it. Only way it seems to get people's attention. Also water bottles. Honestly they should be banned or a 20 fold price increase..

I hope you will address these items soon. We are drowning in plastic.
Diane Edson
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Comment From: Soren Stevenson

9/09/23 @ 10:10 AM
I am very supportive of the goals of this plan. I would like to see it strengthened with three things that I think would make recycling/compost more used: 1) require curbside composting (and recycling) for everyone in towns above 5000 2) create a sys...↓

Also, close the Hennepin county energy recovery center. This is an environmental injustice that must stop!
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Comment From: Margaret Oconnor

9/09/23 @ 9:37 AM
Adding a consumer charge for single use plastics isn't helpful. Ban on them instead and offer grants to help businesses provide compostable or other kinds of packaging could help.
Please also consider an anti litter campaign. This helped in the 1970's...↓
Offer compostable bags and or packaging to vendors for free.
could there be an offer of money help boost recycling? some states hav companies that offer pennies on each bottle returned.
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Comment From: Robert LeClaire

9/09/23 @ 8:59 AM
I haven't read your 97 page policy plan, but I would like to share my views. As I walk my neighborhood on garbage day I notice many overflowing recycling bins--many have non recyclables in them: lawn chairs, solid plastic, flimsy plastic, plastic b...↓
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Comment From: Marianne Brenckman

9/09/23 @ 8:25 AM
People need MORE education about how trash/recycling/ etc affects our world,
No more one use plastic should be allowed. Have compostible plates, cups, silverware only.
Make composting easily available for apartment and townhouse dwellers. Place numero...↓
Require manufacturers to greatly reduce packaging!!!!!!!!
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Comment From: John Gunyou

9/09/23 @ 7:39 AM
Thank you for proposing such a thoughtful, comprehensive and balanced plan. Please do it all.
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Comment From: Paul Gardner

9/08/23 @ 9:10 PM
The only item on product stewardship is this:
Participate with the Product Stewardship Committee under the Solid Waste Administrators
Association (SWAA). SWAA provides peer-to-peer networking opportunities, and the Product
Stewardship Committee allows f...↓
goals between the metro counties is imperative for planning how to handle post-consumer
materials.
If the state waits for counties to take the lead on product stewardship, we will be waiting a long time. "Responsibility" also means the potential for producers to have more control than the counties want to give up. State leadership would help move things along, raise the stature of the issue with producers, and hammer out necessary compromises. Comments submitted already show strong interest from MRF operators in product stewardship for batteries to reduce fire risk and to recover valuable lithium ion materials.
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Comment From: loraine allison

9/08/23 @ 5:54 PM
Let's get mandatory recycling back for the state like we had in the 70s. have legislature to require bottle and can deposits...refund when you turn them in. this is done in other states, why not here!
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Comment From: Mark Snyder

9/08/23 @ 3:49 PM
I agree with the primary focus on reducing landfilling as described in this plan, but I did note that Table 4 projects WTE increasing by 5% over the next 20 years and I'm concerned that this does not account for the significant pressure being placed ...↓

I also noted the strategy for requiring waste composition studies every five years at all landfills in the TCMA. Is there a similar requirement for this at WTE facilities? If not, should there be to help inform what additional capacity may be needed for recycling and organics management to help prevent another situation like what occurred when the Great River Energy WTE facility closed?
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Comment From: Carver County (Brad Hanzel)

9/08/23 @ 8:58 AM
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Comment From: Nancy Williams

9/07/23 @ 9:35 PM
Instead of adopting an ordinance with a mandatory consumer charge for take out orders why don't you make it mandatory that the business use compostable containers, utensils, and cups for take outs? Give restaurants incentives to not waste by either c...↓
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Comment From: Karen Kiener

9/07/23 @ 9:30 PM
This will likely be the least useful comment you've seen, but I wanted to share a few thoughts:
1. I love the outreach via Nextdoor! I'm sure there were similar posts on Facebook and other apps soliciting feedback as well. Kudos to the MPCA Communi...↓
2. I've actually clicked through to read the report twice now - I had forgotten why I didn't comment the first time. It's because the dang thing is way too long for most laypeople to read, I think.
3. Instead, were there opportunities to complete surveys or submit short answers to questions or other ways to obtain public opinion before the report was written? I would definitely participate in efforts to gather public input before the draft is this far along. But maybe I missed the posts about that?
4. I really liked the section "A new name for this plan" re: use of the word "master" - I appreciate that the issue was acknowledged and addressed. Applause there, too!
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Comment From: Thea Ulen

9/07/23 @ 2:56 PM
I didn't see textile recycling addressed. I'm not talking about clothing that can be used but clothing that is beyond reuse, solied or ripped linens, fabric scaps from sewing, yarn leftovers ect. I know there is a company in Mpls that does this but t...↓

Also curbside plastic bags/film recycling. I know Ridwell is now offering this service but it is quite expensive.
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Comment From: Liz Borchardt

9/07/23 @ 2:01 PM
1. Provide textile recycling including shoes and rugs. I donate to thrift stores but some fabrics & textiles are not taken because they are frankly too old or soiled to be sold. I make rags out of what I can and reuse them as long as I can but som...↓
2. We began collecting organics when our carrier offered pickup but many of our neighbors were put off by the cost. My husband was not on board at first but has quickly adapted but still grumbles about the charge. Lowering the cost would encourage more adapters.
3. One easy to understand guide to recycling by county that doesn't require hours of searching. Locations and cost included in the lists but not limited to businesses that recycle. Example: Home Depot recycles LED and compact fluorescent bulbs for free. Battery recycling is very confusing. Companies like Batteries Plus tell you to throw them in the trash?? Still don't have a clear answer on that one.
4. More plastic bag recycling or don't allow items like potatoes, carrots, rice, sugar, etc. to be sold in plastic bags. I'm willing to bring my own container if more stores offered products bulk like co-ops at a comparable price.
Thank you
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Comment From: Sharon Hansen

9/07/23 @ 1:08 PM
Ban plastic bags. Require shoppers to provide their own bags, or charge enough for store provided bags that it makes an impact. Charge a fee or tax for plastic and aluminum beverage containers. Provide easy access to dispose of hazardous waste.
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Comment From: Sheryl Lewis

9/07/23 @ 7:57 AM
Provide one or two free pickups a year for large items such as mattresses or furniture.
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Comment From: Bonnie Matter

9/06/23 @ 10:54 PM
1) Eliminate plastic bags
2) Provide access to organics dumpsters; If I cut up a watermelon or prepare foods that have lots of left over bones or organic material, I want to be able to take it to a location when needed; e.g., Washington County Environ...↓
3) When picking up a to-go meal from a restaurant, I want to be able to use my personal, reusable containers. I do not want non-compostable, styrofoam, or plastic containers used by restaurants.
4) Why are restaurants or grocery stores throwing any food away when there are people that are hungry? Is it a matter of a distribution plan?
5) I am tired of having to continually try to figure out if something is recyclable. It should only be allowed to exist if it can be recycled. Get rid of the other stuff. We're drowning in our own garbage.
6) I would like the opportunity to return used containers (toothpaste, makeup containers, etc) to the manufacturers for recycling. Maybe then the products would be made in a way that there is less to throw away.

When I walk into a big box store, all I see is a future landfill. It's gotta stop.
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Comment From: Libby Parker

9/06/23 @ 8:53 PM
Just wanted to endorse the need for weekly recycling and composting!
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Comment From: D B

9/06/23 @ 7:51 PM
You lost me at "environmental justice" and race..... shaking my head. What a waste of our tax dollars....
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Comment From: Lisbeth Petersen

9/06/23 @ 7:46 PM
We need to start a bottle and can deposit system as they have in Michigan, Iowa, and several other states and in many European countries as well. And then a much, much harder push for Reducing
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Comment From: Lori Belz

9/06/23 @ 6:55 PM
Side note:The consultant that wrote that report I believe profited some tax dollars- assuming they are payed partly by the number of pages, because it was too long and wordy.
I feel the strategies are good but may need to be more aggressive.
Add an 'Or...↓
Plastic bags are everywhere this has been worked on for years with minimal to zero reduction. Then in the trash are numerous plastic trash bags holding the trash. Look at the bags leaving Walmart & Cub- 2 items in a bag , its crazy.
I don't know how you will motivate people to recycle- I manage the weekly trash and recycle containers at an apartment and there is minimal recycling done. Trash containers have; spray paint, solvents, cleaners, clothes, tools, toys, Food all thrown in the trash. I have signs up I have spoken to them, with no change. I hear "I don't have time to bring it to the goodwill", "I'm not driving way over there to the hazard collection", "Yeah sure I'll recycle".
That is were increasing reduction using 'ordinances" needs to start at the front end, before it gets to the consumer.
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Comment From: t k readio

9/06/23 @ 4:59 PM
I had always been keen on recycling, until I learned that our efforts resulted in materials being bailed and sent to other countries. I thought we were conserving our resources for reuse HERE. I want facilities built HERE to reuse materials HERE. ...↓
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