A day after the Hennepin County board approved contracts to keep a controversial downtown Minneapolis trash incinerator running through 2033, disappointed community members announced their own plan to close the facility much faster.
Last year, the County Board committed to closing the Hennepin Energy Recovery Center (HERC) incinerator sometime between 2028 and 2040. The facility burns about 45% of trash generated in the county to create energy.
But the incinerator, located on the north edge of downtown Minneapolis, is a significant source of industrial pollution.
The contracts approved Tuesday include provisions that would allow the county to exit the agreements if it shutters the facility before the deal ends.
But for members of the Zero Burn Coalition—a group of environmental justice organizations, community groups, and legal advocates—the contracts are the latest sign that the county will choose a plan toward the 2040 end of the date range. They say that in the face of the climate crisis, that’s too long to wait, and on Wednesday offered their own vision to close the incinerator by the end of 2025.
The coalition proposes a series of initiatives aimed at rapidly increasing the recycling and composting (or organics recycling) rates in the state’s largest county.
“We must act now; there is no time left,” said Nazir Khan of the Minnesota Environmental Justice Table, a member of the Zero Burn Coalition.
“We must act now; there’s no time left.”
—Nazir Khan of the Zero Burn Coalition
The coalition commissioned a plan to quickly close the HERC while accelerating recycling rates from Zero Waste USA, a national organization specializing in zero-waste initiatives and certifications. The 96-page plan calls for shutting down the HERC as part of the effort to boost recycling and composting. Policy suggestions include pay-as-you-throw waste collection fees that charge residents less for recycling more, standardizing recycling collection dates, and mandating organics waste separation.
That proposal stands in stark contrast to the report Hennepin County staff presented to commissioners in January, which calls for several steps, including changes to state laws, before the HERC closes.
The Zero Burn Coalition argues that evidence from other cities and countries shows that closing incinerators accelerates efforts to boost recycling out of necessity.
“Incineration is getting in the way of recycling and composting,” Khan said.
Hennepin County is behind its goal to recycle or compost 75% of waste by 2030. Currently, only about 42% of waste is diverted from the HERC and landfills. The Zero Burn Coalition says its plan would help the county meet that goal and reach a 90% diversion rate by 2045.
At the vote approving the HERC’s contract extension Tuesday, Commissioner Marion Greene said the county wants to move toward closing the incinerator in a way that isn’t too hasty and avoids sending more waste to landfills.
“The focus that’s ahead of us is the conversation about how to close it,” Greene said.
The coalition agreed with several provisions of the county’s own zero waste plan, and several members participated in the process to create it. Northside resident Stephani Maari Booker, who was part of the public group that shaped the county’s plan, said she was disappointed that commissioners voted to create a new contract to operate the HERC through 2033.
“I feel betrayed by Hennepin County,” Booker said.
North Minneapolis is overburdened by pollution stemming from highways like Interstate 94 and industrial sources like the HERC, Booker said. She cited the high asthma rates documented by the Minnesota Department of Health in her 55411 zip code. Such data point to environmental racism, she said. Closing the HERC is a way for the county to lower the amount of pollution in surrounding neighborhoods, she said.
How best to dispose of waste?
Minnesota currently operates under a waste disposal hierarchy that prefers incineration of trash over sending it to landfills. The Metro Solid Waste Plan released by the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency this month cautions counties against closing incinerators.
But the report commissioned by the Zero Burn Coalition contends that analysis is flawed and says that the federal Environmental Protection Agency is now reviewing the waste disposal hierarchy.
Landfills are a known source of methane, a potent greenhouse gas, and can cause groundwater contamination. But incinerators are major carbon-emitting sources that spew potent toxins such as furans and nitrogen oxide.
“It doesn’t account for health impacts, in particular acute health impacts,” Khan said of arguments that landfills are worse than incinerators for the environment.
The coalition agrees with the county’s position that new state laws will be needed to boost recycling and composting rates. Representative Frank Hornstein, DFL-Minneapolis, said there is political will at the State Capitol to pass laws to move toward a zero-waste system during the session that opens February 12.
Such laws could include increased composting and organics recycling requirements, banning recyclable materials from landfills and incinerators, and extended producer responsibility provisions to ensure that product makers pay for the disposal of items they make and encourage sustainable packaging.
“The Legislature is here to help and is willing to help the county make this transition,” Hornstein said.
“The Legislature is here to help and is willing to help the county make this transition.”
Representative Frank Hornstein, DFL-Minneapolis
The Zero Burn Coalition plan focuses on community engagement and raising awareness about the negative impacts of the HERC on health and air quality. Most county residents don’t know where their trash goes, Khan said.
“When people do find out, they are motivated to recycle,” he said.
