2011 Solid Waste Policy Report

2011 Solid Waste Policy Report (lrw-sw-1sy11)

This biennial Solid Waste Policy Report emphasizes key developments, trends, and challenges facing the solid waste system in Minnesota.

• Illustrates developments through the use of specific examples that are being implemented or under consideration across the state.
• Summarizes the key system trends and then transitions to developments and challenges facing the strategies employed to manage solid waste: source reduction and reuse, recycling, organics management, and waste to energy.
• Offers conclusions and recommendations for moving forward on solid waste issues and outcomes.

The 2011 report builds on several of the themes identified in the 2007 and 2009 MPCA solid waste policy reports: the need for government reform, reinvention in solid waste management, and further identification and re-alignment of roles and responsibilities of those engaged in the solid waste system, from product manufacturers to local governments to facility operators.

The report reflects the broader shift from waste management to materials management that is gaining momentum in the United States. While still in its infancy as a policy principle, materials management is focused on:

• Knowing and reducing the lifecycle impacts across the supply chain.
• Using less material inputs (reduce, reuse, recycle).
• Using less toxic and more renewable materials.
• Considering whether services can be substituted for products.

A fundamental underpinning of materials management is that significant economic value resides in the material that is treated as waste and significant economic opportunity exists when materials are recovered and recycled.