We need to talk trash!
Minneapolis produces around 85,000 tons of garbage per year. Almost all of what we throw in the gray bins in our alleys gets trucked downtown, where it is burned at the Hennepin County Energy Recovery Center, or HERC. The facility turns trash into heat and electricity that’s sold by the county and used in nearby buildings.
But it’s not the magic trick you might imagine. The waste doesn’t disappear; it’s transformed into ash and airborne particles, some of which inevitably escape the incinerator’s pollution filters, making it among the largest single sources of pollution in the county. Scientists are learning more about the public health risk these particles can pose to surrounding neighborhoods, especially when compounded with other sources of pollution like cars, trucks, and industrial facilities.
Advocates with the Zero Burn Coalition have been working for years to convince county leaders to close the incinerator. In October 2023, the county commission approved a plan to shut down HERC sometime between 2028 and 2040, which environmental justice advocates say is too long to wait. In November 2024, the Minneapolis City Council and Mayor Jacob Frey signed a resolution calling on the county to close HERC by 2027.
In Northeast Minneapolis, we have the opportunity to help shape plans to close HERC and to create a more sustainable future across all of our communities by reducing the amount of garbage that gets thrown away.
That’s why we’re holding a community conversation on Thursday, April 10, from 6:30-8:00, at Edison H.S. to talk about what a zero-waste future for Minneapolis looks like and how we can get there sooner. We’ve invited environmental justice advocates, city and county solid waste professionals, and elected leaders to join us for a discussion on strategies for collectively reducing waste from our community.
We’re partnering with the Zero Burn Coalition, the Audubon Neighborhood Association, Bottineau Neighborhood Association, Columbia Park Neighborhood Association, Holland Neighborhood Improvement Association, Logan Park Neighborhood Association, and Lower Northeast Neighborhoods Association to present this important discussion.
Why This Matters
Submitted by the Zero Burn Coalition
For over 35 years, HERC has been harming the environment and health of community members across Hennepin County and the metro.
HERC is one of the biggest polluters in the county. It emits mercury, lead, carbon monoxide, dioxins (cancer-causing chemicals), and many other toxins into the air daily, poisoning our air and significantly contributing to the poor air quality of some of the most overburdened communities in Minnesota.
Generations of people have fought against HERC, working toward a day when all Minnesotans can breathe clean, healthy air.
Last year the coalition successfully organized to unanimously pass a resolution through the City of Minneapolis calling on Hennepin County to set a firm closure date for HERC and also include these commitments:
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Frontline community leadership in future plans for the current HERC site
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Restitution for the harm caused by HERC for the over three decades that it has been burning trash
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Implementation of a community-driven Zero Waste Plan.
Shortly after the resolution passed, the coalition also worked with Minneapolis City Council to add $200,000 on top of the initial $300,000 to its budget for zero-waste initiatives for 2025. This is just the start.