The SCORE Report
An annual evaluation of Minnesota's recycling, reduction and waste management programs
In 1989, the Minnesota Legislature adopted comprehensive waste reduction and recycling legislation based on the recommendations of the Governor's Select Committee on Recycling and the Environment. SCORE is part of Minnesota’s Waste Management Act and provides counties with a funding source to develop waste reduction, recycling and solid waste management programs. Ambitious goals for recycling and waste reduction were set for Minnesota counties and have typically been met, if not exceeded.
In the report
The SCORE Report is an annual examination of Minnesota waste management programs and data, as well as providing detailed data by county. The figures are gathered through a formal survey of county solid waste officers. Find information on statewide recycling rates, waste reduction efforts, waste generation figures, waste processing and disposal, and SCORE finance and administration in the report.
Report on 2011 SCORE Programs (w-sw1-27)
SCORE data: View data back to 1991
Municipal Solid Waste Disposal Trends 2001-2011
SCORE reporting relief
During the 2009 legislative session, a bill passed on SCORE Reporting relief. The bill requires the SCORE report to be shorter and recommends the Pollution Control Agency, in consultation with Association of Minnesota Counties (AMC), Solid Waste Administrators Association (SWAA) and the Solid Waste Management Coordinating Board (SWMCB), make recommendations to amend the reporting requirements under MN Statutes 115A.557, Subdivision 3 in ways that will:
- reduce resources counties employ to collect the data reported, while ensuring data are consistent, accurate, and useful as a guide to solid waste management policy makers;
- address the feasibility and desirability of multi-county reporting;
- ensure a report be submitted to the Legislature no later than January 15, 2010.
The recommendation from this process is to transition to a facility reporting model which will reduce the amount of data requested from counties and should improve data accuracy. The MPCA will only be collecting documented tonnages from entities handling the materials, eliminating county estimates. Counties will still report tonnages they collect through special collection events, drop sites, and other recycling events. This transition requires the MPCA to update data collection and management systems, and may take a year or two to implement.
SCORE Implementation Plan (lrp-p2s-4sy11)
For more information contact Peder Sandhei at 651-757-2688.
Solid waste policy reports
The Pollution Control Agency submits a Solid Waste Policy Report to the Senate and House Environment and Natural Resources Committees each odd-numbered year that includes the SCORE Report. (In even-numbered years, MPCA issues a report on the SCORE program, but there is no legislative mandate.)
Through these policy reports, MPCA provides an analysis of the status of the state's solid waste system, and makes recommendations to the Legislature regarding Minnesota's waste management policies, system improvements, and research.
