Agenda Packets - 1985/11/18 - Laserfiche WebLink

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BMAUX 1.9w"M SvLIC W65TE SASTEB PLSS DYESYIly 121899➢O19D In the next few years, Ramsey County residents will experience several changes in the manner in which they handle their garbage. County residents will be asked to assist cities and the County in moving from the current system of landfilling 931 of the solid waste, to a system where we will recycle, compost and process the majority of the waste to recover resources and fael. Garbage is garbage only because we waste it. when we use it again, solid waste is instantly transformed into: 1) a secondary material or recycled commodity, 2) a fuel, or 3) compost, a soil enriching substance. Moving to a system of intelligent secondary uses of these materials will involve many levels of government and will place greater responsibilities on the waste generators themselves. The question remains, though, how do we get there from here? Bb NNUND The 1988 waste Management Act (WMA) charged the metropolitan region with finding alternatives to landfills. Ramsey County's own experience with the Lake Jane Landfill and the pollution it has created dramatically underlines the reason why continued reliance on burial of garbage not only wastes the resources contained in that garbage but also destroys other valuable resources such as groundwater and (all too often) farm land. The WMA and later amendments gave authority to the Metropolitan Council to develop a reoional plan (the Policy Plan) fcr waste abatement and cessation of landfilling practices, gave responsibilities to the counties for developing a solid waste Master Plan eased o:, the Policy Plan, and shared the reap.)nsibility for implementation of the Master Plan with cities and individual waste generators. The Policy Plan was adopted in March, 1985 (see summary of Policy Plan Appendix A). The Master Plan should be completed by this winter. This overview is being produced specifically to allow a public rev)ew of the policies and programs which may become part of the Muster Plan. 7Ce content requirements of the Master Plan have teen sp:cified in the state law. Basically, the solid waste management programs the cou:,'_y plans to implement from 1986 through 288P are to be included in the county Master Plan. L➢SSENT 2LdN5 A. Id0!!!_T4_EOlL9Y After four years of studies, draft proposals and negotiations, Ramsey and Washington Counties have entered into a contract with NSP to process garbage into refuse -derived fuel, or RDP. All of the wastes from the two Counties will be brought to a facility in