2020 license renewal

The 2020 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 2020 management plan summary (MPS) is now available for review and revision. Operations that are currently licensed as minimal generators (MIG) are not subject to the annual license renewal process (see the Minimal Generator licenses article below).

The portal administrator must ensure that someone representing the operation is reviewing all required fields on the electronic MPS form and making adjustments that accurately reflect your waste management practices and quantities generated during calendar year 2019. 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 2020 MPS is December 15, 2019. License fees for the 2020 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 2020.

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.

Minimal Generator licenses

Hennepin County has about 2,000 generators that presently qualify for Minimal Generator (MIG) status. If you are a MIG, you are not subject to the same annual licensing process as larger generator sizes. Instead, you are issued a license that is valid for a five-year license period. All MIG license are set to expire at the end of 2019.

About 40% of MIGs are already registered in our customer portal. Those generators may log into the portal and view the wastes covered by their license, they may add new wastes to their license, they may review and update the site contact and mail contact information for their operation and they may print a copy of their current (2015) MIG license.

We are less than two months away from issuing MIG licenses for the 2020 license period and we would like to get the remaining 60% of our MIGs registered in the customer portal. To register, you need to know your operation ID, your PIN number and you need a valid email address. Operation IDs and PINs were printed on the back side of licenses when current MIG licenses were mailed to you at the beginning of the license period.

We encourage you to review our fact sheet on minimal generator requirements (PDF) to determine if you still qualify for MIG status.

If you are unsure if you are registered in the portal or you require further assistance, please email your questions to HWGLicensing@hennepin.us or call 612-348-3777 and ask for the inspector on call. 

69 inspections without a violation

Hennepin County wants to recognize generators and facilities that have a hazardous waste program that is in full compliance with hazardous waste rules and regulations. 

Since April 2019, the county conducted 69 inspections where no violations were observed, and the operations were deemed to have been in full compliance. The listing below shows that it is possible for any size generator or facility to be in full compliance at the time of inspection and it also shows that this happens quite frequently.

Click here for a printable list (PDF) of the 69 generators without a violation. This list also identifies the operation size.

Enforcement outcomes

The following is a list of enforcement outcomes from recently resolved civil and criminal cases, including fines and penalties assessed by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) or Hennepin County. All of the cases involve hazardous waste generators, hazardous waste facilities or tank operators located in Hennepin County.

This list is intended to reinforce the importance of compliance with hazardous waste and tank regulations.

Park Printing Inc., Minneapolis
Violations: Failure to perform and document hazardous waste personnel training; Failure to have immediate access to a communication device in hazardous waste storage room
Generator size: SQG
Outcome: $828.00 fine and corrective actions

Kaufman Sign Co., Minneapolis
Violations: Failure to store universal waste lamps in a closed and labeled container
Generator size: VSQG
Outcome: $708.00 fine and corrective actions

Click here for a printable list (PDF) of these enforcement outcomes.

Grants for alternative landscaping equipment

The MPCA is offering approximately $150,000 in grant funding to replace 2-cycle gasoline-powered landscaping and snow removal equipment with electric-powered equipment.

• Application deadline: November 8, 2019 (4:00 p.m. Central Time)
• Eligible applicants: Businesses under 500 employees, governmental agencies, educational institutions, tribes, or nongovernmental organizations (e.g., nonprofit or association) with any number of employees. Equipment used near populations sensitive to air pollution, in environmental justice areas, and in communities with higher air pollution will tend to score highest. All equipment being replaced must be scrapped or otherwise rendered inoperable.
• Maximum grant award: $24,000 with a 50% minimum match.

Learn more and apply.

2019 MnTAP intern project symposium

This year’s MnTAP Intern Symposium, held August 21, featured 16 projects at companies around the state. The interns highlighted the opportunities they have identified for saving water, energy, and waste during their 3-month internships. The symposium also included a celebration for MnTAP’s 35^th Anniversary.

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.

MPCA small business environmental improvement loans

The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) provides 0% interest loans to small businesses for capital equipment purchases that meet or exceed environmental regulations, and costs related to the investigation and cleanup of contaminated sites. Some eligible projects include purchasing a solvent recycler, switching to a water-based parts washer, or installing a new paint booth to switch to water-borne paint. Additionally, these projects could decrease your hazardous waste bill and reduce exposure to harmful pollutants for your employees, your customers and your shop’s neighbors. They could also decrease regulatory fees and requirements.  

Learn more and apply here or contact Kari Cantarero at 651-757-2875. 

Hazardous Waste Identification Number (HWID) updates

The Hazardous Waste Identification Number (HWID) for your business is a unique number used to identify both the physical location at which hazardous waste is generated or handled and the operator of that business. The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) assigns HWIDs for operations located in Minnesota. Because the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) coordinates this numbering system nationwide, HWIDs are sometimes referred to as EPA IDs. It is the responsibility of the business that is assigned a HWID to update the MPCA with any changes to site contacts, site hazardous waste activities and fee and billing contacts related to their HWIDs. 

Please complete the Notification of Regulated Waste Activity, using the MPCA’s e-Services notification process to modify your existing HWID contact information and ensure that your sites are up to date. Here’s the link to access  MPCA e-Services.  Step-by-step instructions are available as well:  instructions (PDF). If you need assistance with e-Services, please contact the e-Service helpline at 651-757-2728.

Spontaneous combustion – it’s for real

According to Wikipedia, spontaneous combustion is a type of combustion which occurs by self-heating (increase in temperature due to exothermic internal reactions), followed by thermal runaway (self-heating which rapidly accelerates to high temperatures) and finally, autoignition.

Do you need a big pile of oil soaked or fuel soaked rags to trigger this type of reaction or does it just take one rag? The recent experience of a metro area hazardous waste generator, captured on their own security cameras, shows that it may only take one misplaced rag to cause a lot of damage. Watch the video. 

Here a fact sheet (PDF) published by the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency that will help you understand how to safely manage your sorbents (towels, wipes and rags). 

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