The 2018 hazardous waste licensing process will be starting
soon. The hazardous waste portal administrator for each location that is
subject to annual licensing (generator size is LQG, SQG or VSQG), will be sent
email notification in early November, telling them that their 2018 management
plan summary (MPS) is now available for review and revision. Operations
that are currently licensed by Hennepin County as Minimal Generators (MIG) are
not subject to the annual license renewal process.
The portal administrator must ensure that someone
representing the operation is reviewing all of the information on the
electronic MPS form and making adjustments that accurately reflect your waste
management practices and quantities generated during calendar year 2017. After
all required fields have been reviewed and updated, the portal administrator is
responsible for submitting the MPS on behalf of the operation, certifying that
the information has been reviewed and updated as necessary. The portal
administrator will be unable to submit the MPS if there are any required fields
that have not been updated.
The due date for completion of the 2018 MPS is Friday,
December 15, 2017. License fees for the 2018 license period will be calculated
using the most current information that has been reported and approved by
Hennepin County staff at the time of invoicing in February 2018.
Hennepin County has created an iCalendar feed to help you
remember all of the generator licensing deadlines, including due dates for
management plan summaries, license payments and printing/posting your new
generator license.
You can subscribe here if you have
calendar software that accepts the iCalendar format.
Use this link to access your calendar
in any web browser.
Does your business have leftover paint and other architectural coatings that are in need of disposal? If so, you may be able to use the PaintCare collection program to dispose of those wastes at no additional cost to you. The PaintCare program, operated on behalf of paint manufacturers, was implemented to facilitate compliance with Minnesota’s paint stewardship law that went into effect in 2014. The paint stewardship program is funded through up-front fees that are applied at the point of sale when architectural coatings are purchased. While there are program rules that restrict certain wastes and larger generators from participating, the PaintCare program offers a convenient way for most businesses to dispose of unused architectural paint. Dozens of PaintCare collection sites are located throughout the Twin Cities metro area and there may also be the opportunity to coordinate a free pick-up if your business has accumulated paint volumes exceeding 200 gallons.
Who can participate?
The program is open to all households, minimal generators and very small quantity generators.
Small quantity and large quantity generators can use this program only for their architectural paint products that are non-hazardous, such as latex paints and other water-based products. No oil-based products are accepted from small quantity or large quantity generators.
What waste products are allowed?
Be aware that acceptable items must be the original, unmixed product stored in its original container with its original labeling. See the PaintCare factsheet for more information on acceptable items.
Find out more
• PaintCare drop-off locations
• PaintCare pickup information
• Please review this PaintCare factsheet before participation
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All hazardous waste generators must
train their employees to manage wastes properly relevant to their duties, though
only Large Quantity Generators (LQGs) and Small Quantity Generators (SQGs) are required
to document the training. Many businesses have taken advantage of our
classroom hazardous waste training that we offered in the past where
certificates were provided for those that attended in-person. Today, businesses
can still obtain training certificates for employees that have completed the
online hazardous waste training modules except, the certificates must now be
printed at the end of each module by the employee completing it. It is
important to note that the county does not have mechanisms in place to track
the participants who have completed the modules. Businesses that are required
to document hazardous waste training will want to make sure the certificates
are printed out, retained and stored with other hazardous waste training, and
are made available for review during hazardous waste compliance inspections.
For more information on hazardous waste
training, see the “Step 9” fact sheets from the Minnesota Pollution Control
Agency: https://www.pca.state.mn.us/waste/hazardous-waste-documents-and-forms
Hennepin County recognizes generators and facilities for having a hazardous waste program that is in full compliance with hazardous waste rules and regulations.
Since April 2017, the county conducted 450 routine compliance inspections. Of those, 55 generators were found to be in full compliance with no violations. The no violations listing not only shows that it is possible for any size generator and facility to be in full compliance at the time of the inspection, but that it also happens with some frequency.
Click
here to see the list of the 55 generators.
Hennepin County maintains a list of
enforcement outcomes from hazardous waste violations on our website to reinforce the
importance of compliance with hazardous waste and tank regulations. The list
includes recently resolved civil and criminal cases, including fines and
penalties assessed by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the Minnesota
Pollution Control Agency or Hennepin County. All of the cases originated from
violations found during hazardous waste generator, hazardous waste facility or
tank inspections at businesses in Hennepin County.
The county has resolved four enforcement
cases for hazardous waste violations since April 2017.
See
the list of enforcement outcomes from April 2017 to September 2017.
If you have any questions
regarding compliance with environmental regulations or wish to report a
violation, call 612-348-3777 and ask for the environmental specialist on call
or email environment@hennepin.us.
Hennepin County wants to ensure buildings that are scheduled
for major renovation or demolition have gone through the proper steps for
identifying and removing hazardous building components. County staff plan to
work with demolition contractors and building owners to ensure all potential
hazardous building components have been evaluated to determine proper disposal
and recycling. Items of concern include asbestos bearing materials, fluorescent
lamps, mercury switches, appliances, electronics, devices that contain PCBs,
debris contaminated with lead and other potential hazardous wastes. We envision
a process that includes an inspection checklist that the demolition contractor
will complete, followed by a scheduled inspection with county staff to verify
all hazardous components have been removed. Our goal is to get this process
underway in 2018.
Our neighbors to the east in Ramsey County, already have a
similar program in place. For information on their program, visit: https://www.ramseycounty.us/businesses/licenses-permits-inspections/licenses-inspections/pre-demolition-inspections
On August 22 MnTAP interns
presented information about their summer projects. They provided background,
their approach to finding possible solutions, and the environmental and
financial impacts of the recommendations they identified.
This group of talented and energized interns worked with 35
companies and identified process opportunities that could save:
- 300,000,000
gallons of water
- 1,000,000
lbs of waste
- 4,600
lbs of Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs)
- 780
lbs of Hazardous Air Pollutants (HAPs)
- 300,000
kWh of electricity
- 85,000
therms of gas
-
$1,050,000 in cost savings potential
These results translate into real business and environmental
impacts for Minnesota!
Click here to view the event program and here to view the list of projects.
Your
business may be able to address waste reduction and energy efficiency projects
sooner and faster with the help of a MnTAP intern. Learn more on the MnTAP website.
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