On the Future of the Hennepin Energy Recovery Center (HERC)
Thank you to the residents and advocates who have offered me feedback and demanded greater accountability. I am grateful for your persistence and clarity, and I am very sorry for not meeting expectations. I am committed to making progress and appreciate your continued engagement on this important issue.
In response to the urgency expressed, I will advocate for Hennepin County to begin reducing total trash burned at the HERC in four predictable quarters. Since City of Minneapolis organized hauling represents 22% of what is delivered to the HERC, then concluding the City's HERC contract in February 2026 will be an impactful first step to ending waste incineration in Hennepin County.
What is the HERC?
The Hennepin Energy Recovery Center (HERC) is a “waste-to-energy” facility that processes solid waste via incineration, which then produces energy that electrifies 25,000 Minneapolis residences and about half of downtown. In 2024, Hennepin County discarded 1.3 million tons of waste – one ton of waste per resident, and enough waste to fill the Twins stadium 11 times.
The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) has designated waste-to-energy as more environmentally favorable than sending waste directly to a landfill. By policy, haulers of waste must prioritize using a waste-to-energy facility before landfilling the waste. Additionally, waste-to-energy is classified as “renewable energy” and eligible for renewable tax credits or other economic incentives.
The County’s governance action was necessary to be responsive to the State Legislature’s governance actions: (1) Passage of the Clean Energy Bill which reclassified waste-to-energy incineration at the HERC as non-renewable energy beginning in 2040, and (2) Bonding funds that were conditioned to submitting a closure plan for the HERC.
Key aspects of this plan include:
Concluding waste incineration (burning trash) at the soonest responsible timeline
Maintaining the County’s role in solid waste infrastructure
Converting the existing HERC facility into a Pre-Sort and Recycling facility, which would conclude burning at the fastest timeline and allow the same process for hauling waste
Partnering with cities as they consider solutions to manage Municipal Solid Waste
What do cities have to do with it?
The HERC operates because people and organizations generate waste, and local governments have various responsibilities in managing waste. Hennepin County operates the HERC to provide a local solution to managing solid waste near where the waste was generated, with responsibilities outlined in the MPCA’s Solid Waste Plan.
Cities are responsible for determining where and how solid waste can be processed within their geography (land use authority), with more prominent responsibilities when a municipality offers organized waste collection (city-issued cans on the curb).
To conclude burning trash at the HERC on the soonest timeline, the County has proposed converting the HERC to a Pre-Sort and Recycling facility – and also recommends up to two additional Pre-Sort and Recycling facilities in suburban Hennepin County.
I am very grateful to our 35 suburban partners for their engagement with County staff on waste diversion and infrastructure. These jurisdictions, representing about 25% of the HERC’s waste stream, have demonstrated readiness and alignment with the County’s diversion goals and the urgency that is required.
Why start with Minneapolis?
In November 2024, the City of Minneapolis passed a resolution to end trash burning at the HERC by the end of 2027 and fully closing the facility by 2033. This is a notable governance action because approximately 75% of what is delivered to the HERC comes from Minneapolis (22% organized residential collection, 53% businesses within Minneapolis).
Unfortunately from my perspective, the resolution does not include support for converting the HERC to a Pre-Sort and Recycling facility. Additionally, full closure of the facility disregards the energy infrastructure at the site. And while the resolution names Zero Waste, I have been disappointed with the City’s funding levels and lack of operational progress by the Mayor to meet the Council’s Legislative Directive.
Throughout 2025, I have expressed my concerns to the Mayor regarding the City’s position in the resolution. Nowhere in Minneapolis is presently zoned to process solid waste at scale – so if the City does not support a County facility, then their plan must be to truck trash to landfills outside of Hennepin County.
Some implications of trucking Minneapolis waste outside of its geography:
Due to farther distances, hauling costs would increase
Tipping fees would also increase because of the likely need to contract with private companies (Hennepin County subsidizes Minneapolis’ tipping costs at the HERC)
Truck traffic will increase through our neighborhoods, which may worsen air pollution and public health outcomes
Costs will be passed to residents – especially renters and low-income households
Methane emissions from landfills will rise dramatically, undermining our climate goals
Landfills are located near other environmental justice communities
However, my concerns have not shifted the Mayor’s position. To align with the City of Minneapolis resolution of concluding incineration no later than December 2027, the HERC would need to reduce burning (and therefore reject waste from haulers) in predictable phases.
An approach I will begin drafting is to first divide the total amount of waste processed at the HERC into four quarters, and then divide the months between now and December 2027 to determine a timeline for reducing total burning at the HERC by quarter. Specifically, reducing burning by approximately 90,000 tons each quarter in the following timeline: February 2026, November 2026, June 2027, and December 2027.
Since City of Minneapolis organized hauling represents 22% of what is delivered to the HERC, then concluding the City's HERC contract in February 2026 will be an impactful first step to ending waste incineration in Hennepin County – this represents 80,300 tons of waste per year, which would result in 284,700 tons remaining being burned per year. In parallel, the County and City would need to work with the MPCA to develop a plan for decommissioning the facility by 2033, since various State processes and approvals are needed for facility closure.
Should the waste disposal contract with the City of Minneapolis conclude in February 2026, City leaders must have alternative waste management systems in place, whether through new agreements with haulers, new infrastructure, and/or waste diversion programming. Any delay in establishing contracts, policies, or solid waste infrastructure may result in service disruptions for residents or businesses, cost increases, impacts to climate goals, or all of the above.
Following this pattern, an additional round of contracts would need to be identified to conclude in November 2026, in order to reduce by another 94,900 tons from the total amount burned at the HERC, which would result in 189,800 tons still being burned per year. Another 94,900 tons would be reduced in June 2027, and finally again in December 2027. This would get us to a conclusion of burning.
While the waste represented in these three quarters is largely generated from businesses with separate contracts, the City of Minneapolis can still play a leadership role in reducing the amount of waste generated in the first place and streamlining services for residents and businesses by:
Coordinating commercial and multi-family waste collection
Mandating large-generator waste reduction and diversion plans
Enforcing service and reporting standards for waste haulers
Implementing multi-family recycling programs with adequate staffing
Improving options for managing large items and specialty recyclables in the multi-family sector
Increasing the use of food-derived compost in city projects
Developing construction and demolition waste diversion ordinances requiring recycling on construction and demolition projects
Enforcing existing waste ordinance
What now?
I will continue to support Zero Waste efforts and expand the County’s climate investments. Hennepin will continue to advocate toward climate action and environmental justice at the Legislature, as well as directly partner with cities regarding municipal solid waste. I will also pursue a joint meeting with the MPCA in order to expedite the process for decommissioning – given the prominent governance actions by the Legislature and City of Minneapolis.
As the most populous city and the largest user of the HERC, Minneapolis residents, businesses, and visitors expect to have reliable solutions for waste management. I reiterate my strong support to convert the HERC facility because I oppose the over-reliance on landfills, and I support staff’s recommendation regarding multiple Pre-Sort and Recycling facilities within Hennepin County.
I will also reiterate my opposition to the full decommissioning of the entire facility. I believe there’s important opportunities for the energy infrastructure at that site. I urge others to reconsider their position because I maintain that a facility within Minneapolis is the best solution to meet the various and complex needs of a city growing in population, the waste generated by consumerism and capitalism, and an intensifying climate reality.
But since the Mayor has reiterated the City of Minneapolis position to conclude waste incineration in December 2027 and complete closure of the facility by December 2033, then I will advocate for the County to begin operationalizing toward their voted timeline. Cities hold the land use authority for a facility, and it’s City trash, recycling, and organics cans at your residence.
To meet their timeline of December 2027, a practical first step is to conclude City of Minneapolis HERC contracts by February 2026, which would reduce burning by 80,300 tons/year – and to reduce total burning at the HERC by similar amounts while assessing these contracts. To prevent service disruptions for households, it is important for the City of Minneapolis to begin planning for where the residential trash will go beginning February 2026. Additionally, businesses who use the HERC should be notified earlier versus later – in order to give ample time for them to identify an alternative plan for their waste.
I look forward to conversations with the Mayor and City leaders regarding their operational plan to ensure there are no service disruptions to organized residential pick-up, as well as the City’s strategies to limit financial impacts to residents in the 2026 Budget.
If you have further questions, comments, or concerns, please reach out to Constituent Services & Policy Aide Bill Emory at bill.emory@hennepin.us.