The Minnesota Technical Assistance Program (MnTAP) provides confidential and non-regulatory assistance to businesses on waste management, pollution prevention and energy efficiency. In 2011, through on-site assistance like site visits and intern programs, and an materials exchange, MnTAP helped businesses prevent over 5 million pounds of waste, save 13.9 million gallons of water and 7.8 million kWh of energy, reducing costs by $3.1 million. MnTAP's services help businesses identify efficient solutions that cut costs while preventing pollution.

1. Environmental Initiative
Business & Environment Series
October 25, 2012

2. Minnesota Technical Assistance
Program
• Created in 1984
• Located at the University of Minnesota
• Provide waste management, pollution
prevention and energy efficiency assistance
• Confidential and Non-regulatory

3. Industrial Process Assistance
• Pollution prevention
• More efficient use of raw
materials
• Water conservation strategies
• Energy efficiency opportunities
• Cost savings for businesses!!

4. Why Waste Prevention?
More
Reduce Material Content Preferred
Reuse Components
Recycle
Energy
Recovery
Dispose Less
Preferred

5. MnTAP Services
• On-Site Assistance
– Site assessment visits
– Intern program
– Company team facilitation
– Demonstrations and research projects
• Minnesota Materials Exchange
• Communications and Outreach

6. MnTAP Impacts 2011
Energy
Total Waste
Activity
(lbs)
Water (gal)
kWh
therms
Cost Savings
Goal
200,000
11,000,000
4,000,000
330,000
$1,350,000
Site Visits (calls/
3,581,000
620,000
1,642,000
954,500
$1,373,000
emails)
Interns
14,600
6,150,000
3,828,000
1,165,900
$1,094,700
Teams
1,544,900
7,100,000
2,320,100
75,600
$677,025
Materials Exchange
380,000
---
---
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$11,000
GRAND TOTAL 5,140,700 13,870,000 7,790,000 2,196,000 $3,146,000

7. On-Site Assistance: Site Visits
Outputs Outcomes
• 121 site visits • 3.6 million lbs waste
• 83 team meetings • 230 lbs wastewater loading
• 71 different facilities • 1.6 million kWh
• 950,000 therms
• $1.36 million
“Having area experts available, like MnTAP, to review a particular issue and
then sharing their knowledge and/or recommending appropriate solution(s)
is seen as a very positive problem solving approach at the facility.”
Greg Waletzko, VP of Manufacturing at Standard Iron’s Mn facilities

8. Impact: Standard Iron & Wire Works
Sauk Centre, Minnesota
• Referred by Minnesota WasteWise
• Focused on paint booth efficiency
• Arranged a tour for staff to visit another
successful company
• Made changes to facility to save
– 3,900 lbs powder paint ($10,000)
– Less staff time spent handling paint
– 3,600 therms ($2,500)
– Better work environment

9. On-Site Assistance: Teams
Outputs Outcomes
• 11 active teams • 735,000 lbs waste
• 3 teams started in 2011 • 810,000 lbs wastewater loading
• 7.1 million gal water
• 2.3 million kWh & 75,600 therms
• $677,000
“MnTAP provided a structure to develop our team and gave us an
understanding of how ingredients going down the drain affects loading. After
this demonstration, the team realized anything that could be captured in
process would greatly impact our BOD loadings.”
Mike Hinrichsen, Operations Manager at Kemps Ice Cream

10. Impact: Kemps Ice Cream
Rochester, Minnesota
• New team started in 2011
• Goal: address unexplained high BOD
• Discovered a unused by-product
collection system and rebuilt it
• Realized savings after only 7 meetings
• Collection system is saving $72,000
annually in lost product

11. On-Site Assistance: Interns
Outputs
• 9 interns
• 20 inquiries
Recommendations
• 95,000 lbs waste
• 24 million gal water
• 1.2 million kWh & 123,000 therms
• $900,000
“The beauty of it is (the intern) is focused on one thing.”
Jim Trudeau,Facilities and Maintenance Manager at CPP

12. Impact: Consolidated Precision Prod.
Bloomington, Minnesota
• Two interns since 2008
• Goals: reduce/eliminate SF6 and reduce
energy use
• Second intern now full-time employee
• Rolled out SF6 alternative to other
facilities in U.S.
• Results of implementation include:
– Reduced SF6 by 36,500 lbs ($250,000)
– Reduced energy use by 1 million kWh and
93,000 therms ($120,000)

13. Project: Solid Waste in Surgical Centers
U.S. EPA Region V
2011 Outputs
• Project Partnership with
Mayo Clinic to evaluate
impact of surgical
sterilization containers
Results
• Life Cycle Comparison of Disposable vs Reusable
• GHG impact disposable 2X greater than reusable
• Solid waste impact disposable 8X greater than reusable

14. Project: Event Center Food Waste
2011 Outputs
• 2 waste sorts U.S. EPA Region V
• Staff and vendor training
• Demonstration trial
Waste December 2011 August 2012
Lbs/day % Lbs/day %
Trash 90 - 40 25
Recycling Unknown - 49 30
Compost 0 0 74 45
Results
• Decreased average daily waste to trash by 55%
• Increased capture of recyclable material by 54%
• Diverted 75% of waste to recycle/reuse streams

15. Minnesota Materials Exchange
Outputs
Other
• 41 calls / emails 16% Comm.
• 1,200 self-referrals 28%
• 79 exchanges
Non-
Profit Educ.
Outcomes 34% Mfg. 7%
• 380,000 lbs waste exchanged 10% Gvt
5%
“Our school responded to a posting that mentioned various office furniture
items. We got four fire proof file cabinets for free. Now our student records
are more safe than ever.”
Materials Exchange user

16. Our Reach
Site Visits
Teams
Interns

17. Minnesota Technical Assistance Program
Helping Minnesota businesses implement
industry-tailored solutions that maximize
resource efficiency, increase energy
efficiency, reduce costs, and prevent
pollution
Thank You
Laura Babcock
lbabcock@umn.edu