A new state plan calls for reducing waste in the Twin Cities by increasing reuse and recycling, reducing food waste, and more efficiently processing items like electronics that are difficult to dispose of.
The Metro Solid Waste Plan maps out the future of waste management in the seven-county metropolitan area (Anoka, Carver, Dakota, Hennepin, Ramsey, Scott, and Washington counties), and predicts that the production of waste will grow in coming years. The plan aims to effectively maintain the current waste levels moving forward by finding ways to cut back on future trash production.
The final version of the plan , released Tuesday by the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA), estimates that the metro area’s waste production will increase by nearly 20% by 2042, and calls for cutting 15% of that waste over the next 20 years.
That means the 3.3 million tons of waste the metro currently produces each year must hold steady as its composting and recycling rates increase. At the same time, the area must find a way to lower its consumption of material goods, a more daunting challenge.