Following the 2024 legislative session, the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA), was charged with appointing the country’s first state-level task force to advise the agency on policy and program opportunities to increase the recovery of critical materials from end-of-life products. Members have been meeting since March to create a policy roadmap for the State of Minnesota; recommendations will be included in a report to the Legislature due Dec. 30, 2025.
As part of the process, the MPCA, Task Force members, SDK Strategic Services, and Great Plains Institute are holding two public meetings to gather feedback about the priorities, challenges, and opportunities the task force needs to consider as they begin making their recommendations. We want to ensure all voices are heard.
Critical materials, including lithium, gallium, nickel, and 50 others, are essential components in a wide array of existing technology such as electric vehicles, computers, medical devices, and solar panels. These minerals are in high demand and recovering them from existing products is a crucial step toward building a sustainable and resilient supply chain.
However, the infrastructure to effectively recycle and recover these materials — from collection systems and advanced recycling technologies to a trained workforce — is not yet fully developed. Without significant investment and policy support, we risk losing these materials to landfills or inefficient disposal.