HF 2054

as introduced - 85th Legislature (2007 - 2008) Posted on 12/15/2009 12:00am

A bill for an act
relating to environment; modifying waste management provisions; amending
Minnesota Statutes 2006, sections 115A.02; 115A.03, subdivisions 21, 32a.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA:

Section 1.

Minnesota Statutes 2006, section 115A.02, is amended to read:

115A.02 LEGISLATIVE DECLARATION OF POLICY; PURPOSES.

(a) It is the goal of this chapter to protect the state's land, air, water, and other natural
resources and the public health by improving waste management in the state to serve
the following purposes:

(1) reduction in the amount and toxicity of waste generated;

(2) separation and recovery of materials and energy from waste;

(3) reduction in indiscriminate dependence on disposal of waste;

(4) coordination of solid waste management among political subdivisions; and

(5) orderly and deliberate development and financial security of waste facilities
including disposal facilities.

(b) The waste management goal of the state is to foster an integrated waste
management system in a manner appropriate to the characteristics of the waste stream
and thereby protect the state's land, air, water, and other natural resources and the public
health. The following waste management practices are in order of preference:

(1) waste reduction and reuse;

(2) waste recycling;

(3) composting of yard waste and deleted text begin food waste deleted text end new text begin source-separated compostable
materials new text end ;

(4) resource recovery through mixed municipal solid waste composting or
incineration;

(5) land disposal which produces no measurable methane gas or which involves the
retrieval of methane gas as a fuel for the production of energy to be used on-site or for
sale; and

(6) land disposal which produces measurable methane and which does not involve
the retrieval of methane gas as a fuel for the production of energy to be used on-site
or for sale.

Sec. 2.

Minnesota Statutes 2006, section 115A.03, subdivision 21, is amended to read:

Subd. 21.

Mixed municipal solid waste.

(a) "Mixed municipal solid waste" means
garbage, refuse, and other solid waste from residential, commercial, industrial, and
community activities that the generator of the waste aggregates for collection, except as
provided in paragraph (b).

(b) Mixed municipal solid waste does not include auto hulks, street sweepings, ash,
construction debris, mining waste, sludges, tree and agricultural wastes, tires, lead acid
batteries, motor and vehicle fluids and filters, and other materials collected, processed,
and disposed of as separate waste streams deleted text begin , but does include source-separated compostable
materials deleted text end .

Sec. 3.

Minnesota Statutes 2006, section 115A.03, subdivision 32a, is amended to read:

Subd. 32a.

Source-separated compostable materials.

"Source-separated
compostable materials" means deleted text begin mixed municipal solid waste deleted text end new text begin material new text end that:

(1) is separated at the source by waste generators for the purpose of preparing it
for use as compost;

(2) is collected separately from other mixed municipal solid wastes;

(3) is comprised of food wastes, fish and animal waste, plant materials, diapers,
sanitary products, and paper that is not recyclable because the commissioner has
determined that no other person is willing to accept the paper for recycling; and

(4) is delivered to a facility to undergo controlled microbial degradation to yield
a humus-like product meeting the agency's class I or class II, or equivalent, compost
standards and where process residues do not exceed 15 percent by weight of the total
material delivered to the facility.