Grant could help make solid waste facility operational

By Danielle Strenke
Through a new ìprocessing credit,î which was made available by a Minnesota law passed last spring, the East Central Solid Waste Commissionís Mora composting facility, which has not been operational since 1996, could be eligible to receive a $5 per ton credit to make it a functioning processing facility.
The commission was presented with the specifications of the new law at its August meeting. On Monday, Sept. 16, Dave Behnke of the Minnesota Office of Environmental Assistance (OEA) answered questions from commissioners.
There are two options for using the credit, according to the statute. The funds could be returned to waste haulers in the form of a $5 per ton rebate, or be used to make the processing facility operational.
The commissioners had questions regarding the second option, including whether or not it could be used for an experimental process, such as recently proposed briquette manufacturing.
Behnke told the commission the statute states that funds could only be used for what was originally intended as the use for the Mora facility ñ landfilling or composting.
ìI donít understand that, it would be using our waste to make the facility operational,î said commissioner Dennis McNally of Kanabec County.
ECSWC director Allen Bonini agreed. ìIf the goal is to process waste, why canít we process waste even though the plan for the facility is different than this,î he said. ìIt goes against the spirit of the rule.î
Behnke said that unless very specific plans were already in place to use the facility in alternative ways, the funds could only be used as a rebate to haulers.
Commissioner George Larson, Isanti County, asked whether the credit could be used to fund the commissionís strategic planning process.
ìThis is set up only to lower fees or make facilities operational,î Behnke said.
Larson said the strategic planning process is intended to find the best way of using the facility, not simply putting money into landfilling.
ìYouíre really encouraging us to put it right into the ground. If we could use this for the strategic plan and then weíd know where weíre going,î he said.
Loren Jennings, who was in the audience as the owner of East Central Sanitation, said the option of a hauler rebate may lead to a bidding war. ìIt would certainly starve off any increases, and once the haulers lowered their fees it would start a bidding war,î he said.
Jennings said that people in the five counties served by the ECSWC would not accept it if the money was used to continue landfilling operations as the only alternative.
ìI agree, itís ludicrous to keep putting all the garbage in the ground. We have to do something else,î commissioner Bob Gustafson, Chisago County, said.
Without a specific plan, the commission would not be eligible to use the credit to improve operations at the Mora facility.
ìWe have no choice but to offer it as a hauler rebate,î Larson said.
The commission can apply for the credit based on tonnage collected since March, and add the $5 per ton rebate onto its existing hauler rebate of $4 per ton. The rebates would lower tipping fees for haulers to about $40 per ton.
Cambridge bid awarded
The commission accepted the low bid from EnComm to complete improvements at its Cambridge transfer station.
EnCommís bid of $171,840 was $30,000 less than the next lowest bid.
Included in the bid are improvements to the waste drop-off area and the transfer station building.
Bonini said the project could begin as early as the end of this month.

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