Star Tribune
Why all Hennepin County residents are paying for organics recycling
David Haeg feels like he’s pretty wired in to his Minnetonka community, so when he noticed a new charge for organics recycling on his trash bill, he was confused.
“I follow local issues pretty closely,” said Haeg, who described himself as an environmental advocate. “When I looked at the bill I thought there had been a mistake.”
He’s not alone. There is widespread confusion and frustration across many Hennepin County communities after new charges for organics recycling — a more environmentally friendly way of handling food scraps and other waste — started appearing on garbage bills for residents who never signed up to participate.
The surprise new charges are tied to a 2018 mandate by the County Board that all cities offer curbside organics pickup by 2022. There’s also a recent interpretation by the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) of a 1991 state law that says trash haulers cannot charge people who recycle more than those who don’t.
“It’s sort of opaque to me,” Haeg said of the new $7.50-per-month charge. “There seems to be very little in terms of communication for a program we are mandated to have and are all being charged for.”
Some county and local leaders reluctantly agree, saying they should have done better explaining the new organics recycling program to residents — especially because it’s a key part of the county’s plans for a zero-waste future.
“I think between the county, the cities and the waste haulers, we all could have done a much better job,” said Commissioner Jeffrey Lunde. “We have to do a better job if we want people to adopt organics recycling.”
Why everyone is being charged
When the County Board updated its recycling ordinance in 2018, all cities had to provide curbside organics pickup by 2022, either through a citywide service or by requiring trash haulers to offer it.
All single-family houses and multifamily residences with up to four units were eligible. Smaller communities of fewer than 10,000 residents could offer drop-off sites instead.
Tim Pratt, recycling manager for Brooklyn Park,said some cities “really took the bull by the horns” when it came to creating citywide organics pickup programs. Others waited and largely relied on garbage haulers to implement a system.
After the mandate went into effect, some trash haulers were charging all their customers for organics while others were only billing those who participated. After county leaders learned of the discrepancy, they got a clarification from the MPCA in 2023 that organics should be treated like other recyclables.
To recoup their costs, trash haulers moved to charge everyone for organics pickup, since they couldn’t just charge customers who were participating. But there wasn’t a thorough effort by the haulers, the county or cities to notify residents about the reason for the new charges.
“Some haulers alerted customers, others just put the charge on the bill. It has caused a lot of confusion,” Pratt said. “We’ve been getting a lot of calls from folks.”
Pratt noted that city and county leaders, along with trash haulers, are now working to provide more information to residents. A county mailer is expected to go out to households later this spring.
Mike Moroz, president and CEO of Walters Recycling & Refuse, said organics pickup is an extra expense for trash haulers. They have to provide bins to customers, put dedicated trucks on the road and hire more drivers.
Haulers also have to deal with different rules in different communities, Moroz said. For instance: Residents in Ramsey and Washington counties can put organics in special bags with their other trash and it is picked out later by a machine.
“There’s a little bit of the Wild West going on,” Moroz said. “We’re all trying to figure it out.”
How organics recycling works and why it’s important
Recent “trash audits” by Hennepin County and the MPCA found organic material like food waste, soiled paper and other household items make up roughly 25% of the waste stream. When that material goes to a landfill it takes up a lot of space, and as it breaks down it releases greenhouse gases like methane.
Instead, organic material can be broken down at a composting facility or anaerobic digester, where greenhouse gases can be captured and nutrients can be used as fertilizers.
It’s a practice Haeg has adopted since discovering the new charge on his trash bill. He still thinks government leaders need to do more to get the word out.
“I would love to see this program succeed and thrive,” he said. “It’s a small change, it is not hard and I can see the benefit.”
Keeping organic waste out of the trash is an key part of Hennepin County and the state’s long-term solid waste plans. Residents need to create a lot less waste in order to close controversial trash incinerators and send less to landfills.
In January, Hennepin leaders abandoned plans to build an anaerobic digester, citing the expense and growing number of commercial options available. Instead, the County Board is focused on constructing several advanced sorting facilities that would remove recyclables from the trash stream.
Building, operating and maintaining those facilities could cost as much as $500 million over the next decade or more.
Mohamed Omar is the new board chair of Hennepin Healthcare System, the organization that runs HCMC, making him Minnesota’s first Somali American hospital board leader.
The health care system board permanently appointed Omar to the position Wednesday at their regular meeting. He had served as interim chair since Babette Apland stepped down in September.
Omar has been on the volunteer board for three years, working on the finance, investment, audit and compliance committees. He is the chief administrative officer at the Washburn Center for Children and previously was chief financial officer at the Greater Minnesota Housing Fund.
In a statement, Omar said he was excited to lead a hospital board in the state with the largest Somali American population in the U.S. He said he shared the health system’s dedication to providing “equitable, high-quality care.”
“My commitment is to deepen our community engagement, build more authentic connections between patients and team members, and build a confident future together,” Omar’s statement said.
CEO Jennifer DeCubellis and Nneka Sederstrom, chief health equity officer, praised Omar’s selection to lead the board. They said more inclusive leadership with a commitment to ending health disparities are key to HCMC’s success.
Hennepin County Board Chair Irene Fernando, who is also on health system board, said she was excited to work with Omar. She said county leaders are dedicated to good stewardship of the “state’s last public safety-net hospital.”
“As the first Hennepin County Board Chair of color, I know how impactful it is for our communities to see themselves represented in public leadership,” Fernando said.
DULUTH – The Superior National Forest has lifted its forestwide campfire ban, including the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness, effective Friday.
Recent rain and humidity have improved conditions across the national forest’s 3 million acres, forest officials said in a news release.
The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources has also lifted fire restrictions in Cook, Koochiching, Lake and northern St. Louis counties.
Fire danger is still a concern this time of year, said Karen Harrison, DNR wildfire prevention specialist.
“As leaves fall and vegetation continues to dry out, it’s important for people to be cautious with anything that can cause a spark,” she said.
The national forest imposed its broad campfire ban nearly two weeks ago, after a third wildfire, named for Bogus Lake, was discovered on forest land. No significant fire activity has been reported in recent days for any of those three fires. A fourth fire inside the forest, the 8.5-acre Pfeiffer Lake Fire, started Oct. 17. It was contained within 24 hours, the Forest Service said.
Much of northeast Minnesota is still classified in the “severe drought” stage by the U.S. Drought Monitor.
WASHINGTON — Vice President Kamala Harris was asked this week if she thought Donald Trump was a fascist, and she replied ‘’Yes, I do.’’ She subsequently called him the same thing herself, saying voters don’t want ‘’a president of the United States who admires dictators and is a fascist.’’
But what exactly is a fascist? And does the meaning of the word shift when viewed through a historical or political prism — especially so close to the end of a fraught presidential race?
An authoritarian, ultranationalist political ideology and movement. It is often associated with the far right and characterized by a dictatorial leader who uses military forces to help suppress political and civil opposition.
History’s two most famous fascists were Nazi chief Adolf Hitler in Germany and Italian dictator Benito Mussolini. Known as Il Duce, or ”the duke,” Mussolini headed the National Fascist Party, which was symbolized by an eagle clutching a fasces — a bundle of rods with an axe among them.
At Mussolini’s urging, in October 1922, thousands of ”Blackshirts,” or ”squadristi,” made up an armed fascist militia that marched on Rome, vowing to seize power. Hitler’s Nazis similarly relied on a militia, known as the ”Brownshirts.” Both men eventually imposed single-party rule and encouraged violence in the streets. They used soldiers, but also fomented civilian unrest that pit loyalists against political opponents and larger swaths of everyday society.
Hitler and Mussolini censored the press and issued sophisticated propaganda. They played up racist fears and manipulated not just their active supporters but everyday citizens.
