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Exploring Ordinance 18 amendments as a funding source to further accelerate zero-waste implementation - offered by Commissioner Conley
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WHEREAS, in 2021 the county committed to achieving a zero-waste future and defined zero waste as preventing 90% or more of all discarded materials from being landfilled or incinerated; and
WHEREAS, the county has and continues to follow through on this commitment with increased investments in policy, programming and infrastructure as documented in the creation of the Zero Waste Plan in 2023, a prioritization of the highest impact zero-waste actions in the Plan to Reinvent Hennepin County's Solid Waste System in 2024, and culminated in the county's 2024 Solid Waste Management Plan as required by Minnesota Statute ? 473.803; and
WHEREAS, the county has established dashboard metrics for tracking progress toward the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency's metro policy plan objectives; the county's zero-waste goal and the criteria to be met to responsibly close HERC, including a 75% recycling rate, less than 10% biogenic material in the trash, a 22% reduction in waste generated per capita, and no net increase in landfilling over 2022 actuals; and
WHEREAS, state leadership is needed to make the transition to zero waste, including financing to match desired outcomes, changing state statutes to support the shift away from disposal and toward a circular economy, expanding accountability for zero waste outcomes to include producer responsibility, redeveloping infrastructure to meet state waste reduction and recycling goals, and supporting markets to adapt to changing demands; and
WHEREAS, the county has committed additional resources to the implementation of zero waste by increasing the 2024 waste reduction and recycling budget by $2.8 million, including hiring staff to expand existing programs and develop new initiatives that prioritize reducing materials with the greatest climate impacts such...
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