Waste Wizard Goes Live

Do you need to get rid of paint, old furniture, or even an appliance but you're not sure how? Then visit the Waste Wizard at olmstedwaste.com. Just enter your item into the bar and press "search." The Wizard will tell you how to properly dispose of your item, where to take it, and if a fee will be charged.

Waste Designation Effective 09/01/2016

The new ordinance, in general, requires that all garbage generated in Olmsted County be disposed of at Olmsted County solid waste facilities. For the licensed garbage haulers and their customers, this means “business as usual.” The licensed haulers are currently under contract with Olmsted County and have been supporting the system and bringing the garbage they collect to the Olmsted County facilities for many years. For decades, Olmsted County has been responsibly managing its waste locally in an environmentally sound manner. We, as a community, have invested in infrastructure to follow the State solid waste hierarchy to provide a proper place for the waste generated here. “By building and operating facilities to high environmental standards, we minimize the potential risks of environmental damage from waste disposed in landfills over which we have no control,” said John Helmers, Director of Olmsted County Environmental Resources. The Olmsted County Integrated Solid Waste Management System is funded primarily by user fees and has never been funded by property tax dollars. Allowing waste to go to other facilities would reduce revenues of the solid waste management system. The money from the fees helps fund the recycling and household hazardous waste programs in addition to paying off the bonds for the facilities and other system infrastructure. This ordinance provides a legal means of dealing with any bad actors and treats everyone equally.

Olmsted Waste-to-Energy Processes 2 Millionth Ton of Garbage

Olmsted County announced that the Olmsted Waste-to-Energy Facility (OWEF) processed its two millionth ton of garbage on August 22, 2016. That is two million tons that didn't go to a landfill. Instead, the garbage was used to produce energy. 

Since opening in 1987, the energy produced is equivalent to 6.5 billion kilowatt-hours. Electricity is measured in kilowatt-hours (kWh). One kWh of energy is equal to 1,000 watt-hours and will power a 100 watt light bulb for 10 hours. Energy was supplied in the form of steam to the 38 buildings on the District Energy System in Rochester, and electricity to county owned buildings or sold to the grid. Read the full story here.

2016 Environmental Achievement Awards

Olmsted County and Rochester Public Utilities are seeking nominations for the 2016 Environmental Achievement Awards. These awards are given to individuals, families, youth, organizations, farms, and businesses who have made a significant contribution to environmental quality in Olmsted County. (Projects completed by the City of Rochester or Olmsted County departments are not eligible.) 

The goal of the awards program is to promote innovative approaches to environmental challenges, encourage environmental thinking in business and farm decision making, and to develop an environmental and conservation ethic in Olmsted County.

To nominate your environmental hero, fill in this nomination form, and email it to Brittney Marschall by Friday, October 21, 2016. For more information about the awards, visit RPU's website.

Disposal Discussion - Plastic Bags

Recycling can be complicated. With good intentions, people often throw the wrong things in their recycling container in the hopes that their item will receive a second life.

This is often the case with plastic bags. While it is true that they are recyclable, plastic bags can NOT be recycled through curbside collection. A bag thrown into your recycling bin will make its way to a materials recovery facility (MRF) where it will wrap around sorting equipment and impede the facility's ability to process recyclable materials.

To properly recycle a plastic bag, bring it back to the store in which you received it. Grocery stores and retail stores often have collection bins near the store's entrance.