In this issue
The family-owned
Wayzata Home Laundry & Dry Cleaners began using perchloroethylene (perc), a common
dry cleaning chemical, in 1968. The current owner, Kevin Dynan, remembers being
around it as a young boy helping his parents run the same shop.
The U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency has since classified perc as a “likely
carcinogen.” And there is growing industry momentum to switch to less-toxic alternatives.
Recently, Minneapolis became the first
U.S. city have perc-free drycleaning.
Dynan was used
to perc, and for a long time had no interest in changing, even after an on-site
environmental cleanup from legal dumping decades earlier. Things shifted when he
added a wet-cleaning process that uses biodegradable soap and water, and often
get clothes cleaner than using perc. But he still needed his older perc
machines for items not able to be wet-cleaned. The machines used lots of fuel
and required expensive repairs. Perc is also expensive hazardous waste to manage
and heavily taxed. Due to these costs and the success of the wet-cleaning, he finally
decided to switch to hydrocarbon machines.
He used a MPCA small
business loan to purchase new equipment. He credited Hennepin County and the
MPCA for being very accommodating. “All I had to do was sign the dotted line
and send a check once a month,” he said. A good installation crew and mechanics
also helped.
Dynan says he’s
been happy with the change since he ran the first load. “The process is gentle
on the clothes, and the customers are happier.” It’s been 6 months and he has
yet to fill a container of waste hydrocarbon solution, which is much less
expensive to dispose of.
Many other small
businesses - such as breweries, gas stations, and printers - can get help
buying environmental capital equipment with the MPCA’s
small business environmental loan program. Benefits include an easy
application process, flexible collateral options, a competitive interest rate,
and a long 7-year payback. Contact Eric
David at 651-757-2218 to learn more.
|
Recycling is required in many Twin Cities metro area businesses, and has been
since January 1, 2016. Building owners are responsible for
compliance, and must provide recycling for facilities under its control. Read full
text of the state law
and the MPCA
commercial recycling FAQs for more.
Who must recycle
Commercial buildings owned in Anoka,
Carver, Dakota, Hennepin, Ramsey, Scott, or Washington counties that produce
four or more cubic yards of trash per week must recycle (a 6 by 4 by 5 ft dumpster). Specifically, it applies to businesses
classified as 42-81 under the North American Industrial Classification System such as hotels, restaurants, retail stores, dry cleaners,
theaters, medical offices, financial and law firms, insurance companies, repair
shops, and many others.
What must be recycled?
At least three recyclable materials must be collected, like paper,
glass, plastic, metal, and food waste. Less common business-specific or
hard to recycle wastes count as one stream, such as restaurant grease or
plastic strapping. Single-sort recycling meets the requirement as long as three or
more different materials are put in one container.
Is each business in a multi-tenant building required to recycle?
Yes. This can be done several ways, depending on open space in the
building and the types and amounts of materials. If tenants create similar
recyclables, a central collection area in a trash room or loading dock is an
efficient way to provide recycling for everyone.
Building
owners: Some tenants may produce significantly different recyclables. Be
prepared to provide flexible options to accommodate their needs.
Tenants:
Work with your building owner on options that work for all or most of the
tenants. Be willing to seek out separate recycling services for unique or
business-specific materials such as plastic wrap, plastic strapping, textiles,
or wood pallets.
Compliance
The
MPCA recognizes not all building owners/businesses were in compliance when the
law went into effect, and remain out of compliance today. MPCA's strategy for enforcing any law starts with outreach and
assistance and encourages all businesses to contact us for help understand
the commercial
recycling law and take advantage of the many resources available to comply with
the law.
Anyone may submit a complaint about a business that
does not recycle. Email the business name, address including city, and
relevant details to commercialrecycling.pca@state.mn.us. If a business fails to meet
requirements, it can lead to possible enforcement action that could include a
monetary penalty.
|
The success of any marina depends
directly on the quality and desirability of the waterway on which it operates.
So complying with stormwater and wastewater regulations tops any marina’s
priority list. Sunnyside is no exception, but they decided to go even more
efficient and sustainable with the water they use for boat washing. The
majority of boat washing occurs during a six-week period in the fall, when they
wash nearly 250 boats and use about 10,000 gallons of water.
In 2015, Sunnyside installed a collection
system that treats and recycles wash water. The water is reused to wash more
boats and prevent run-off. The results are impressive. They have reduced wash
water entering the St. Croix River by 100 percent. By recycling, boat washing
water use has decreased by 80%.
These efforts go above and beyond their stormwater and wastewater regulations,
enhancing the St. Croix River by reducing, reusing, and recycling boat wash
water and rainwater. Sunnyside Marina was featured recently on the MPCA
homepage. They have
been recognized for their many environmental activities through the Minnesota Clean Marina
Program.
|
MnTAP’s intern program provided
on-site technical assistance to several Minnesota businesses last year to
reduce their water use and achieve cost and environmental savings. One way to save
money is by lowering a facility’s SAC charge, or sewer availability fee. Charged
mainly by the Metropolitan Council to all properties, there are initial connection
fees and fees when a business grows, to reflect increased demand on the
wastewater system.
Project
Success: Fulton Brewing
Fulton Brewing sought to
reduce water use and effluent strength to lower their SAC charges. They
discovered the dead yeast, hops, and other fermentation waste from the brewhouse
accounted for 2/3 of the total TSS and COD in the effluent. Collecting and
dewatering this stream would capture 115,000 lbs of solids that could be added to spent grain
animal feed, and save $9,200 per year. The intern also found ways to save 410,000 gallons
of water per year by installing flatjet nozzles in the kettle, recycling rinse
water on the canning line, and recirculating water from the vacuum pump on the
bottling line.
Project
Success: WEG Electric Machinery, Inc.
WEG Electric Machinery was using about
1.8 million gallons of water per year to keep motors cool during testing and to
cool welders. The business recognized the inefficiency in single pass cooling
water, and sought a cost-effective, sustainable solution. Air-cooled heat exchangers
were identified as an alternative for motor testing, and water recirculation
loops for spot welder and machine enclosure cooling. WEG is gradually implementing
these and other changes, which will eliminate nearly all process water use on
site.
See how MnTAP activities resulted
in nearly 60,000,000 gallons of industrial water efficiency in their 2017 environmental benefits report.
|
The MPCA announced last
month it is amending air quality rules in Minnesota Rules chapters 7005, 7007,
7008, 7011, and 7019, and published notice of the proposed rules in the State Register.
The MPCA is proposing rules that exempt very small facilities, such as auto-body shops, coating facilities, and woodworking
facilities from
needing an air permit if they meet certain requirements. These types of
facilities are especially encouraged to comment on the proposed rules.
How to comment on proposed rules
The proposed rules are available for review and comment on
the proposed
rules webpage. Click on “Rulemaking documents” to find the proposed rule text.
You may also want to read parts of the “Statement of need and reasonableness.” It
describes why the rules were written, who they are likely to affect, and what
the expected results are.
Submit comments on the Minnesota Office of Administrative
Hearings rulemaking e-comments website at https://minnesotaoah.granicusideas.com.
There are several sections, so state which part of the
rules you are commenting on. Say who you are and what your interest in the rules
is. Describe any concerns you have. Call out parts of the rules you like. Offer
suggested changes for aspects you don’t like. You can provide as much or as
little detail as you are comfortable with.
Staff working on the rule will read each comment, post the
comments and responses, and make appropriate changes to the rule.
Find
related rule documents, sign up for email notices, review materials from the
May 10 public meeting, and more on the Exempt Source/Conditionally
Insignificant Activities Rule webpage.
Follow us on Twitter for regulatory and sustainability resources for the MN small business community!
|