Haz Waste Quarterly - Spring 2023

Ramsey County, Minnesota sent this bulletin at 05/15/2023 02:32 PM CDT

In-person training, drug destruction, new staff

Spring 2023

Attend in-person hazardous waste training on June 21

You're invited to attend a free, in-person training about managing hazardous waste in Ramsey County. This training will focus on hazardous waste licensing, storage, documentation, emergency planning and more. Attendees will receive a certificate of completion.

Wednesday, June 21
9 a.m. - Noon

Ramsey County Environmental Health, Room 204
2785 White Bear Ave. North, Maplewood, MN 55109

Register

Can't make it? Ramsey County offers an online hazardous waste training in English and Spanish. This training is free and available anytime.

Remember to post your 2023-2024 license

The new license year started on May 1, 2023 and ends on April 30, 2024. As a reminder, licenses are sent via email after paying your license fee. Make sure to print and post your new license in a public area of your building/location.

Destroying pharmaceuticals onsite? Manage them correctly for hazardous waste.

Some health care facilities use products, like Drug Buster or Deterra, to destroy pharmaceuticals onsite. To use these products, pharmaceuticals are generally mixed into a special solution to make them inactive or undesirable.

Hazardous waste considerations
Drug destruction products are designed to meet the Drug Enforcement Administration’s requirement to destroy pharmaceuticals. However, they do not meet hazardous waste requirements for proper disposal and do not make hazardous pharmaceuticals non-hazardous. In addition, some drug destruction products are for non-hazardous pharmaceuticals only.

What you need to know
Every time you use an onsite drug destruction product, the resulting mixture is a fully regulated hazardous waste unless you evaluate it as non-hazardous. Do not put the mixture in your normal trash without a hazardous waste evaluation. Keep evaluation documentation readily available.

Questions?
Contact your Ramsey County hazardous waste inspector or call 651-266-1199.

Learn about hazardous waste in health care

Staff updates

We wish Mindy Stepnick well as she begins a new position as supervisor of the Food, Pools, and Lodging Unit at Ramsey County Environmental Health. We warmly welcome Ahmet Baysal as the new supervisor of Solid & Hazardous Waste Compliance.

Ahmet served as an environmental health specialist since 2019. While most of his time was dedicated to hazardous waste and pre-demolition inspections, he also had roles in the Business Pollution Prevention Program and online portal redevelopment. Ahmet has a master’s in public health (environmental health focus) from the University of Minnesota. Previously, he worked as an environmental health and safety coordinator and project manager for nationwide companies. Ahmet is grateful and excited to serve Ramsey County in his new role.

News Flash

The 2023 Business Advisory Council has been selected! Members will provide feedback on licensing and inspection procedures for hazardous waste, food, lodging, manufactured home parks and public pools. If you’d like to participate, stay tuned for future openings.
Solid & Hazardous Waste Compliance is hiring a hazardous waste inspector. Apply by May 18.
Let your hazardous waste inspector know if your business closes, moves or changes ownership. Your inspector will help you with changes in your license.

Did you know?

Universal wastes are a subset of hazardous wastes with reduced requirements in Minnesota. Wastes, such as batteries, fluorescent lamps and aerosols, are “universal” because they are commonly generated. Learn more

In-person hazardous waste training
June 21, 9 a.m. - Noon
Ramsey County Environmental Health
Register

Hazardous waste portal
Update contact information, see your hazardous waste management plan and more with our online portal.

Hazardous waste fact sheets
The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency publishes fact sheets covering a variety of hazardous waste topics.

Hazardous waste management vendor list
This list (PDF) provides information on businesses that dispose of or recycle hazardous waste.

Online hazardous waste training
Ramsey County’s free, on demand hazardous waste training available in English and Spanish.

Report a spill or release
Learn who to contact if your business has a hazardous material spill.

Grant Roundup

BizRecycling
BizRecycling helps businesses, non-profits, schools, apartment buildings and institutions in Ramsey and Washington counties reduce waste and recycle better.

BizRecycling Waste Reduction & Innovation Grant
Ramsey/Washington Recycling & Energy offers funding to support businesses, non-profits, schools and colleges to implement projects that prevent waste.

Business Pollution Prevention Program
This program offers technical and financial assistance to help businesses reduce the use of harmful chemicals, transition to safer, more sustainable chemicals, and install modern, high-efficiency equipment.

Deconstruction Grant
Commercial properties in Ramsey County can receive up to $10,000 for projects that use deconstruction/salvage techniques.

MPCA Grants & Loans
The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency offers grants and financial assistance for environmental projects in Minnesota.

Inspector Territories

Elsie Lundquist: 55103, 55104, 55106, 55130, 55155, 55414, 55421
Erin Wetzstein: 55101, 55102, 55105, 55107, 55114, 55116, 55118
Paul Gelbmann: 55110, 55119, 55126,55127, 55144 and Facilities
Ahmet Baysal: 55112, 55113, 55432
Molly Flynn: 55109, 55117
Terese Bordeau: 55108, 55449

Self-audits are now distributed according to ZIP code.

Do you have feedback or ideas for the Haz Waste Quarterly? Let us know at RamseyHazWaste@ramseycounty.us.

Having trouble viewing this email? View it as a Web page.

651-266-1199
AskEH@co.ramsey.mn.us
www.RamseyRecycles.com

SUBSCRIBER SERVICES:
Manage Preferences | Unsubscribe | Help