1. Environmental Initiative
Business and Environment Series
Downstream Waste
Manangement –
The Big Picture
Paul Kroening
Supervising Environmentalist
Hennepin County Environmental Services

2. Sustainability
Hennepin County Environmental Services

3. Triple Bottom Line
Hennepin County Environmental Services

4. GHG’s by Sector
Total U.S. Greenhouse Gas Emissions by
Economic Sector in 2010
Hennepin County Environmental Services

5. Waste Contribution to GHG’s
Global Greenhouse Gas Emissions by Source
Hennepin County Environmental Services

6. Greenhouse Gases by Systems
Systems-Based View of U.S. GHG Emissions
Hennepin County Environmental Services

7. Materials Management
Hennepin County Environmental Services

8. Flow of Materials
Hennepin County Environmental Services

9. Energy Savings from Recycling
* Assumes recycled materials would otherwise have been landfilled. Includes embedded energy.
Hennepin County Environmental Services

10. Recycling and Jobs
• Recycling creates 5 times more jobs than
landfilling - materials sorters, dispatchers,
truck drivers, brokers, sales representatives,
process engineers, and chemists
• 2011 - 36,981 - total job activity associated
with recycling manufacturing including
downstream jobs
Hennepin County Environmental Services

11. Waste Management Goals
Hennepin County Environmental Services

12. Long Term Goals - 2030
Hennepin County Environmental Services

13. What’s Left in Waste
Hennepin County Environmental Services

14. Waste by Category
Hennepin County Environmental Services

15. Recycling Not Mandatory
• State and Counties recycling by
businesses not mandatory
• Some cities business recycling
manadatory – MPLS, Bloomington,
Brooklyn Park
• Recycling is exempt from State & County
SW taxes and fees – 31.5% in
Hennepin, almost 50% in Ramsey
Hennepin County Environmental Services

16. PET Recycling Industry Data
Hennepin County Environmental Services

17. Paper Recycling
• Amercian Forest and Paper Association
set target of 70% recovery of paper for
recycling by 2020
• Estimated recovery in 2011- 66.8%
• Regional paper mills - St. Paul, Becker,
Duluth, Iowa, Wisconsin, Ontario
Hennepin County Environmental Services

18. Evaluate Opportunities
• Review recycling guidelines in your
communities
• Audit your waste
• Review waste disposal and recycling
contracts – communicate with vendors,
suppliers
• Communicate clear guidelines to
employees
Hennepin County Environmental Services

19. Product Design
• Recyclable in current collection
programs?
• Extended Producer Responsibility
• Collection system must make sense –
convenient, easy
Hennepin County Environmental Services

20. Recycling Expensive?
• Collection costs of reycling and waste
similar
• Garbage tipping fees $45-50/ton plus
taxes and fees
• Recycling has value – currently around
$100-115/ton – processing cost $50-60/
ton
• Organics and recycling tax exempt
Hennepin County Environmental Services

21. Pricing for Waste Services
• Basis for cost of waste, recycling, and
organics frequency of collection
• Charged per pickup – to minimize cost
reduce collection frequency
• Maximize volume of containers – adjust
collection as needed
Hennepin County Environmental Services

22. Assistance Available
• Business recycling directory –
RethinkRecycling.com
• County and City SW staff
• MN WasteWise
• MN Technical Assistance Program
Hennepin County Environmental Services

23. Contact Info
Paul Kroening
Supervising Environmentalist
Hennepin County
Department of Environmental Services
Email: paul.kroening@co.hennepin.mn.us
Ph. 612-348-6358
Website: www.hennepin.us/environment
Hennepin County Environmental Services