Zero Waste for Cleaner Air in North Minneapolis
Hennepin County Zero Waste Outreach
MN Renewable Now is one of 18 community organizations working closely with Hennepin County to develop a Zero Waste Plan that will divert 90% of its trash from landfills and incinerators. Currently, 58% of the county’s waste is managed as trash rather than recycled or composted. This needs to change. Landfills and incinerators emit greenhouse gases and other toxic substances, contributing to global warming and threatening the health of surrounding communities. By successfully implementing a Zero Waste Plan, Hennepin County can reuse the majority of its waste as recycling or composting instead of allowing it to pollute our neighborhoods.
A Matter of Environmental Justice:
Waste from all over Hennepin County is burned in North Minneapolis at the Hennepin Energy Recovery Center (HERC), a waste to energy plant located right next to Target Field. North Minneapolis residents are disproportionately burdened by the air pollution emitted from the HERC. In 2019 alone, it emitted 173,254 tons of carbon dioxide, 404 tons of nitrogen oxide, and 21 tons of PM2.5, according to the Sahan Journal. We need to shut the HERC down. However, if we closed the facility without also making other changes to our waste system, we would be left with massive amounts of trash with nowhere to go but other harmful incinerators and landfills. Closing the HERC must go hand-in-hand with an effective Zero Waste Plan. Diverting the majority of our trash would render the HERC and all other incinerators and landfills useless, ensuring cleaner air and a healthier environment in North Minneapolis.
What We’re Doing:
MN Renewable Now has been working to connect county officials to community members and vice versa, ensuring that everyone’s needs are considered in the Zero Waste Plan. We met with residents of the Broadway Flats apartment building, where 90% of the residents are people of color, 100% are low income, and over 50% are living with a disability, to learn about obstacles preventing them from participating in recycling and organics recycling. We are so grateful for all of the insights and ideas these residents provided for us. They told us about the need for clearer signage, increased recycling-related resources, and more regular recycling and trash pick-ups, among other tips. We also went door knocking in North Minneapolis and reached over 300 households, connecting residents to zero waste resources and learning what questions and concerns people had about the HERC and the Zero Waste Plan. By building relationships with community members and raising awareness of the need for a Zero Waste Plan, we will help tailor the plan to fulfill the needs of everyone in Hennepin County, including those who are BIPOC, low-income, or living in multifamily homes.
Going forward, we plan to stipend a recycling captain for the Broadway Flats apartment buildings to cultivate a zero waste culture from within and to serve as an educational resource and advocate for other residents. We will apply what we learned from Broadway Flats to better promote zero waste in other large apartment buildings and multifamily homes.
Get Involved:
We need your help to reach Zero Waste and shut down the HERC. Visit the form below to sign a petition to shut the HERC down and to get connected to zero waste resources, as well as renewable energy and energy efficiency resources.