1. “One Person’s Trash …” 1 Winter 2012
®
Winter 2012
A Newsletter of
Olmsted County
Environmental
Resources
(507) 328-7070
www.olmstedwaste.com
Homegrown compost
The leaves collected at the Olmsted
County Compost Site are turned into
compost. This
compost is sold
Monday through
Saturday, from
8 a.m. to 4:30
p.m., for 50¢ per
5-gallon pail. You
need to bring
your own pail
and fill it. Call
328-7070 for
details.
To purchase
compost, turn left
at the Recycling
Center Plus, then
go straight ahead to the OWEF scale
house.
Compost sales continue until early
winter and then resume in the spring.
Olmsted County’s Landfill
Reclamation Initiative
Receives Award
Olmsted County has won the 2012 Association of Minnesota Counties’ County
Conservation Award for the Landfill Reclamation Project. Olmsted County’s
Environmental Resources Department has begun an innovative project to reclaim
valuable landfill space for future use, to recover waste for energy, and to recapture
ferrous metals for recycling.
After completing
an expansion of its
waste-to-energy
facility (OWEF),
Olmsted County faced
a choice: 1. Expand
the landfill and buy
equipment, at an
estimated cost of $1.7
million, to continue
to landfill large bulky
items that cannot
be processed at the
OWEF; or 2. Purchase
processing equipment,
spending about $1.4 million, to shred the bulky items, dig up and process trash
from the existing landfill, and reclaim ferrous metals for recycling from the ash.
To determine the feasibility of the second option, staff from the Environmental
Resources Department solid waste division rented two sets of equipment to shred
and screen the trash in a portion of the landfill. This trash was backhauled in the
empty ash trucks to the OWEF, where the formerly landfilled material became
fuel. Based on the data gathered during this test, an economic feasibility study was
prepared. The results looked favorable to proceed with the purchase of equipment.
The County determined the second option was the best alternative and
a request for bids was issued for the required equipment, including a large
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2. “One Person’s Trash …” 2 Winter 2012
shredder and trommel screen. The
Environmental Resources Department
purchased the equipment, which was
delivered in the spring of 2012. Since
then, the landfill staff has converted
about 10,000 tons of waste into fuel
and has reclaimed over 12,000 cubic
yards of landfill space.
Denny Siems, Kalmar Landfill
Manager, indicated that this
project will extend the life of the
landfill. This is another example
of how Olmsted County and the
Environmental Resources Department
take innovative approaches to handling trash and getting the most out of our
resources. The price of metals recovered should make the project cost neutral or
potentially raise a little revenue, as well as preserve the landfill for many years to
come. During this three- to five-year project, Olmsted County will convert more
waste into fuel than it produces, making us a “less than zero” landfill community,
and we will reclaim enough space to eliminate the need to expand the landfill for
the foreseeable future.
Olmsted County owns and operates an integrated solid waste management
system. Limited landfill spaces, coupled with a desire to manage solid wastes
locally and above ground, led to the development of the integrated solid waste
management system which celebrated its 25th
anniversary in 2012.
Operation of the landfill reclamation project continues with these results to
date:
• 9,731 tons of waste converted to fuel
• 19,000 cubic yards of landfill space reclaimed
• 1,400 tons of ferrous metals recycled
• 4,380,000 kWh of electricity produced
• $205,000 revenue for electricity sold
• $240,000 revenue for metal sold
More information can be found at www.olmstedwaste.com.
Looking for Your Input
The Olmsted County Environmental Resources Department is conducting a pilot
study to reach out to the citizens we serve to get input on issues facing the County.
With this pilot study, you have the opportunity to submit your ideas on how to
fund the restoration of Lake Zumbro. You can learn about the Lake Zumbro issue,
provide your ideas and comments, or vote on those already submitted by going to
www.olmstedwaste.com and clicking on the “give feedback” tab on the right side
of the screen.
The project will run through December, and the information gathered will
be provided to the Environmental Commission for its review. The success of this
project may result in other opportunities for you to provide input on future issues.
Landfill
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After the holidays, you
can drop off bare, “real”
Christmas trees at the
Olmsted County Compost
Site, which is located east
of the Recycling Center Plus
on Silver Creek Road NE
in Rochester. The compost
site is open during daylight
hours, seven days a week.
Remove the stand and all
decorations from your tree
before you drop it off. For
more information, call
328-7070.