Trombones and trumpets guided residents to the Minneapolis City Council meeting through the freezing rain Thursday morning, where they cheered on a resolution urging Hennepin County to shut its controversial trash incinerator.
The council voted unanimously to approve a resolution urging the county to stop burning trash at the Hennepin Energy Recovery Center (HERC) by 2028. The resolution pledges to increase city-led waste-reduction efforts and to explore landfills that could receive city trash if the county shuts the incinerator.
“This resolution is saying we’re going to be partners with you,” said Council Member Jeremiah Ellison, whose ward contains the HERC.
Residents have fought against the HERC for decades. The facility burns trash that creates and generates energy, creating a significant amount of air pollution. Hennepin County owns the incinerator, and pledged last year to develop a plan to shut it down sometime between 2028 and 2040 after a major public pressure campaign.
“This is not just about the HERC; this is about your local government respecting your values,” Council President Elliott Payne told a crowd that rallied before the meeting.
Supporters of closing the HERC celebrated in City Hall Thursday morning with a homemade cardboard replica of the incinerator and music courtesy of the Minneapolis band Brass Solidarity.
The vote comes months after county leaders asked the City Council to come up with a plan to manage its waste if the HERC should close. The HERC, located on the north edge of downtown near Target Field, burns about 45% of all trash generated in Hennepin County. About 75% of the trash burned at the HERC comes from Minneapolis residents and businesses.
Minneapolis has its own zero waste policy, which passed in 2017. Thursday’s resolution calls for an increase in efforts to promote recycling and composting, especially at apartment and condominium buildings.
Dozens of residents urged the City Council to pass the resolution at an October 10 public hearing on the HERC. City staff presented a report on the risks presented by the HERC, which found the facility was not a major contributor to local health issues despite being a source of particulate matter, metals such as mercury, and dioxin furans, which are linked to a higher risk of cancer.
The report noted that the HERC emits lower amounts than allowed by its state permit, but those arguments did little to sway those who want the incinerator closed. The area around the HERC includes highways and other industrial pollution sources.
“This is a toxic system, and if multiple entities are all under their limits, it poisons us,” Minneapolis resident Louis Alemayehu said.
County leaders say significant progress needs to be reached on trash diversion goals before they can set a date to close the HERC. Those pushing to close the HERC say a deadline will force urgency.
Hennepin County received a staff report in January that identified new policies and state laws needed to increase recycling rates and decrease the amount of waste that ends up in landfills and incinerators before the HERC can close.
County leaders fear shutting the HERC if it will divert more waste to landfills. The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency’s waste hierarchy favors incinerators over landfills, which are known sources of methane, a potent greenhouse gas.
Hennepin County Board Chair Irene Fernando said the county needs help from cities, especially Minneapolis, to close the HERC. The City Council is aiming to address that request with the resolution, and Council Member Jamal Osman said the city wants to work with the county to stop burning trash.
“This underscores the importance of transitioning to more sustainable waste management practices,” Jamal said.
Issue now back in the county’s court
The council’s resolution puts the ball back in the county’s court, said Charles Frempong-Longdon with the Minnesota Environmental Justice Table, an advocacy group that is helping lead organization efforts against the HERC.
Recycling rates have stagnated for years, and Hennepin County is well behind its state required goal to divert 75% of its waste from landfills and incinerators by 2030. The community will need to step up to reduce its waste and change behavior, Council Member Andrea Jenkins said.
“We are a society that produces so much trash every single day,” Jenkins said.
