HERC Closer to Closing Down?

By ZERO BURN COALITION

Brass Solidarity leading a march from the morning rally to the City Council meeting. SOURCE: Mallory Ferguson

On November 7, 2024 Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, joined by City Council Members, Representative Frank Hornstein, and local environmental advocates, signed a resolution urging the permanent closure of the Hennepin Energy Recovery Center (HERC) trash burner located in downtown Minneapolis by 2027. The resolution to close HERC unanimously passed the Minneapolis City Council a week prior, As part of its ambitious Zero Waste Plan, the City has set a goal to recycle or compost 80% of its waste by 2030.

The HERC incinerator, which processes up to 1,000 tons of waste daily, is the largest industrial air polluter in Hennepin County. In recent years, it has faced increasing scrutiny from community and environmental justice groups for its disproportionate impact on nearby low-income neighborhoods and communities of color. Only 22% of what is burned at HERC comes from Minneapolis residents, according to the resolution, and Minneapolis is a state leader in the movement towards zero waste. Meanwhile, many suburbs without zero waste plans and with much higher waste generation per capita send their trash to HERC. Yet Minneapolis has prioritized greatly reducing city waste going to HERC and building a circular system focused on recycling, composting, and reusables. This resolution is being passed on the heels of Oregon and California entering the process of shutting down their last incinerators, and Detroit shut down its incinerator back in 2019.

Community leaders from the Minnesota Environmental Justice Table joined the call to action, emphasizing the importance of this transition for Minneapolis neighborhoods impacted by air pollution and environmental injustice.

“HERC hides the waste problem. Propaganda like “waste-to-energy” and cherry-picked or manipulated facts confuse people. Hennepin County is wasting precious time, resources, and political will defending, lobbying for, operating, and repairing the aging HERC–more than $40 million per year; when instead we need this wealthy county to support a total societal mobilization to reduce waste. Because we know waste in rich countries underpins the climate emergency. This is our chance to start doing things differently,” said Nazir Khan, Executive Director of the MN EJ Table. “We commend the Mayor and City Council for their leadership in pushing for a HERC shutdown. Now it’s time for the county to be transparent and commit to working with the community to get the HERC shut down.”

Minneapolis officials and environmental advocates are urging Hennepin County to commit to a firm timeline for HERC’s closure and to collaborate on innovative, sustainable waste solutions that center on community health and climate action. It remains to be seen how Hennepin County will respond. The city’s proposed zero-waste initiatives are projected to significantly reduce waste, create thousands of local jobs, and improve air quality, moving Minneapolis closer to a sustainable and equitable future.

The Zero Burn Coalition consists of over 50 organizations and hundreds of individuals including impacted community members, waste experts, non-profits, labor unions, businesses, and grassroots organizations. For more information on the Zero Burn Coalition, visit: https://linktr.ee/zeroburn