2003 Solid Waste Policy Report

A vision for solid waste management

2003 Solid Waste Policy Report (1Mb)

Appendices (500Kb)

The 2003 Policy Report is based on state solid waste policy according to state statute, the principles of waste as a resource, and recommendations of the State Solid Waste Advisory Committee.

State solid waste policy

The goal of the Waste Management Act (Minn. Stat. § 115A.02a) is to foster an integrated waste management system in a manner appropriate to the characteristics of the waste stream, and thereby protect the environment and public health. The WMA ranks waste management practices in the following order of preference:

1. Waste reduction and reuse.
2. Waste recycling.
3. Composting of yard waste and food waste.
4. Resource recovery through mixed municipal solid waste composting or incineration.
5. Land disposal which produces no measurable methane gas or which involves the retrieval of methane gas as a fuel for the production of energy to be used on-site or for sale.
6. Land disposal that produces measurable methane but does not involve the retrieval of methane gas as a fuel for the production of energy to be used on-site or for sale.

Waste as a resource

This policy report has as an overarching theme: treating waste as a resource. This concept is based on the following principles of sustainability and resource conservation:

• Treating waste as a resource reduces pollution. Shifting waste management practices toward those that better manage waste as a resource, such as waste reduction, reuse, recycling, or composting, leads to reductions in the amount of pollution released to the environment, including greenhouse gases.
• Reducing waste saves money and creates jobs. Reducing and eliminating the generation of waste often creates significant cost savings by conserving raw materials and using resources more efficiently in the production of products.
• Materials in waste often have value. If certain materials are separated prior to disposal, these materials can be reused, recycled, or recovered for their highest and best use. For example, the organic portion of garbage can be kept separate in one’s kitchen before it gets to the curb, and then processed into compost, which can be used as a high-quality soil amendment. As seen in the city of Hutchinson, this can bring money and jobs back to the local community.

Vision for managing Minnesota’s solid waste

In 2003, the State Solid Waste Advisory Committee developed a vision and goals for solid waste management in Minnesota.

Vision

A sustainable community seeks a better quality of life for current and future residents by maintaining nature’s ability to function over time. It minimizes waste, prevents pollution, promotes efficiency, and develops resources to revitalize local economies. The waste management system is a component of the infrastructure of a sustainable community. Therefore, solid waste will be managed by technologies and methods that support sustainable communities and environments. The solid waste hierarchy, with its associated goal of protecting the state’s land, air, water, and other natural resources and the public health, is central to attaining the objectives of sustainability and solid waste management.

Goals

1. To manage waste in a manner that will protect the environment and public health and that will conserve resources.
2. To manage waste in an integrated waste management system in accordance with the hierarchy in order to minimize landfilling,with an increased focus on maximizing reduction, reuse, recycling, and source-separated composting.
3. To manage waste in a cost-effective manner that accounts for environmental benefits and that minimizes the long-term financial liability for citizens, businesses, and taxpayers.
4. To cause generators to take responsibility for the environmentally sound management of their waste and to allocate solid waste management system costs equitably among those who use or benefit from the system.
5. Ensure accurate and complete accounting of all data, i.e., waste generation, disposal, recycling, reuse, revenues, and expenditures.
6. Maximize the use and value of recovered materials.