Without resource recovery facilities, there would be a significant increase in the amount of
materials landfilled, going against Minnesota Pollution Control Agency’s preferred methods of
waste management outlined in the Waste Management Hierarchy 1 . In Minnesota, the United
States, and across the world, environmental policy recommends that waste not able to be
reused, recycled, or composted should be managed by resource recovery or waste-to-energy in
lieu of landfilling. This is due, in part, to benefits such as:
- Protection of groundwater quality. The State of Minnesota has spent approximately $500
million cleaning up landfills where waste was disposed instead of recycled or resource
recovered 2 . - Preservation of valuable resources. Many recyclables, such as plastics and metals, are
recovered prior to combustion in resource recovery facilities. - The creation of energy and steam. The Perham Resource Recovery Facility processes
over 50,000 tons per year of mixed municipal solid waste (MSW) into steam that is
utilized by Tuffy’s Pet Foods and Bongards Creameries.
Processing waste in a resource recovery facility is also shown to generate less pollutants than
burying in a landfill. In 2014, Prairie Lakes Municipal Solid Waste Authority made several state-
of-the-art improvements to manage waste in environmentally friendly ways. These investments
greatly increase air quality emissions and remove recyclable materials prior to combustion.
Ultimately, the problem with waste doesn’t lie solely in how it’s managed. For the greatest
impact, we also need to look at the sources of waste and stop generating so much of it. Waste
reduction, reuse, and recycling are all of the upmost importance.
1 https://www.pca.state.mn.us/air-water-land-climate/waste-planning-and-recycling
2 https://www.pca.state.mn.us/air-water-land-climate/land-and-waste-trends-and-data