Small Business Enterprise - Summer edition

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Small Business Enterprise

News from the Small Business Environmental Assistance Program


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Recycling required in many metro businesses

commercial recycling

You may be surprised to learn recycling is required in many commercial buildings that contract for four cubic yards or more of trash per week in the Twin Cities metro area, and has been required since January 1, 2016.

Who must recycle

  • Businesses located in Anoka, Carver, Dakota, Hennepin, Ramsey, Scott, or Washington counties
  • With contracts for four cubic yards or more of trash collection per week — that’s a 6 ft by 4 ft by 5 ft dumpster
  • Classified in sectors 42 to 81 under the North American Industrial Classification System (NAICS). This includes hotels, restaurants, brewpubs, grocery and liquor stores, retail stores, banks, marinas, office buildings, and many others. (Look up your NAICS code.)

What must be recycled

At least three recyclable materials must be collected. Common ones include paper, glass, plastic, metal, and food waste.  Single-sort recycling, where several material types are collected in one container, meets the requirement as long as three or more materials are collected.

Recycling benefits your business

Recycling can save you money. You may be able to reduce the container size or number of times your trash is picked up. State and local solid waste taxes apply only to trash, not recyclables. Contact your hauler to discuss “right-sizing” your service and see what you might save on your monthly bill. If your hauling contract is up for renewal, consider requesting competitive bids from other local haulers.

Customers, employees, and the community notice when businesses are environmentally friendly. If you are a building owner, talk with your employees or tenants about your recycling program and get them involved. If you are a tenant, talk with your building owner and the other tenants about starting or improving recycling.

Getting started

About 75 percent of Minnesota’s trash could be recycled. Think about what types of trash your business generates. How much is recyclable but thrown away?

Making recycling convenient leads to a successful recycling program. Pair recycling bins with trash bins and place them in easily accessible areas with clear, simple signage. You can customize and download free signs at Rethink Recycling. Most Twin Cities metro counties offer free on-site assistance and grant funding to help implement recycling programs. Visit Rethink Recycling for businesses and click on the county where your business is located to learn more. More details about business recycling are available on the MPCA commercial recycling webpage.

Recycling training: RAM/SWANA conference – Mpls, MN

The 2017 Recycling Association of Minnesota/Solid Waste Association of North America Conference is coming this fall.  This conference is the largest solid waste conference in the State of Minnesota.  There will be great information about the commercial recycling mandate in the Twin Cities metro, as well as information about how to set up the best contract for those services.  In addition, a separate track focuses on the best ways to manage organic material as compost.

A new location this year will bring fresh energy and new attendees to the event. The conference and show will be held on Monday, October 16 and Tuesday, October 17 at the Minneapolis Marriott Northwest. Go to annual RAM/SWANA Conference & Show website for full information, including how to register.


Grain elevator outreach

Grain elevator

All grain elevators and animal feed mills in Minnesota are subject to environmental regulations. However, many lack the best management practices, documentation, or permits they need to comply with state and federal requirements, and to address community complaints. Failure to meet requirements can lead to larger permit fees and possibly enforcement action and fines.

The MPCA has partnered with the MN Grain and Feed Association to offer free, confidential, on-site regulatory assistance to help grain elevators and animal feed mills in Minnesota evaluate their compliance with the following regulations:

  • Minnesota Nuisance Dust Rule
  • Minnesota Bulk Agriculture Rule
  • Federal New Source Performance Standard DD
  • Facilities that need or have a registration or individual state permit

Call now for your free assessment!

MPCA staff will visit your facility and offer a short but thorough confidential walk-through, identify any non-compliant areas, and provide prioritized next steps for your facility. Staff will also be available to help you implement the recommendations. For more information about the regulations, please visit the MPCA Grain Elevator assistance page. Call Nate Grand at 651-757-2166 to schedule your free assessment.


MPCA regulatory updates

ISW

Open for comment — water quality fee increases

The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency is looking for input from small businesses on the fees charged for wastewater, stormwater, and feedlot permits. The agency will be rewriting the rules that determine these permit fee amounts. You likely pay these fees if you install or service septic systems, or have a wastewater or stormwater permit. 

The agency is requesting preliminary comments through August 14, 2017. You can find more information on the upcoming rulemaking process on the MPCA’s website. Submit comments on how these fees impact you.

EPA final hazardous waste generator rule

The EPA’s Final Generator Rule for hazardous waste does not become effective in Minnesota until it is adopted into state rules. Minnesota intends to adopt the parts of the federal rule that are more stringent than existing state rules and some of the relaxations.

The proposed changes will be posted for public notice and comment this winter on the MPCA’s website. The MPCA expects the changes to be finalized in the spring of 2018. Updated fact sheets will be available when the changes go into effect.

If your company has locations in Iowa or ships hazardous waste there for disposal, be aware that the federal rule became effective in Iowa on May 30, 2017.


MnTAP updates

Food processing

Cut costs and save resources with a MnTAP food processing assessment

While Minnesota food processors produce high quality products, they must also manage water, chemical, and energy usage to maximize profits. For a short time, the MN Technical Assistance Program (MnTAP) is offering the following on-site assistance to food processors across Minnesota: 

  • No cost waste reduction assessments 
  • Summer 2018 intern projects focused on in-depth waste reduction strategies
  • Industrial refrigeration energy efficiency assessments for businesses in Xcel Energy service territory.

As part of an assessment, facilities can get a free review of cleaning procedures, ways to reduce hazardous chemical use, opportunities for energy and water conservation, and strategies for reducing process-related food waste and related wastewater strength charges.

Past food processing projects:

To take advantage of this opportunity, contact Matt Domski at 612-624-5119 or domsk004@umn.edu.

Make reuse work for your business with the MN Materials Exchange

Minnesota has a robust reuse economy. According to a 2011 MPCA study, the reuse sector employs almost 46,000 employees and generates at least $4 billion in gross sales annually.

Your business can benefit from reuse. Do you have anything no longer useful that needs a new home? Perhaps you want no- or low-cost materials instead of purchasing new?

The Minnesota Materials Exchange is a statewide free service that pairs organizations that have reusable goods they no longer need with others who can use them.

Benefits:

  • Avoiding/reducing disposal costs
  • Freeing up storage space
  • Keeping usable materials out of the landfill
  • Acquiring low- or no-cost goods

Sign up today at www.mnexchange.org! You will be registered for the weekly Materials Exchange Newsletter which highlights new listings, shares facts about reuse, and tips on how to get the most out of the service.

New! Need more help moving or obtaining items? Contact Nathan Landwehr at 612-624-4697 or landwehr@umn.edu for help facilitating exchanges or to learn more.

The Minnesota Materials Exchange is operated by MnTAP at the University of Minnesota. MnTAP provides tailored pollution prevention and energy efficiency solutions for Minnesota businesses.

MnTAP Intern Symposium on August 22 

This August, MnTAP interns will showcase 17 projects from around the state. The interns will highlight the opportunities they have identified for saving water, energy, and waste during their 3-month internships. The businesses being helped this year range from shingle manufacturing to sheet metal fabrication, and from brewing to plant nursery operations — truly something for everyone!  Register to attend.


Clean Air Collaborative event for northern MN businesses

The Blandin Foundation, Environmental Initiative, MPCA, and others invite small businesses and interested partners in northern Minnesota to explore new opportunities for voluntary, non-regulatory emissions reductions, potential project grants and other funding, and economic benefits in northern Minnesota. Minnesota’s air quality has significant economic and community development impacts.

While our state is fortunate enough to have generally good air quality and we’ve made a lot of progress, emissions from smaller, more dispersed sources such as vehicles, small businesses, and pollution generated from activities such as wood burning, have the greatest potential for emissions reductions. Come and learn more about reduction options available in northern Minnesota.

Tuesday, August 15, 2017
9:30 a.m. - 2:30 p.m.
Blandin Foundation
Stender Community Room
100 North Pokegama Ave. 
Grand Rapids, MN 55744

Space is limited. For more details and to register for this free event, go to the Clean Air Collaborative website.


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