Agenda - Council - 08/26/1980 - Laserfiche WebLink

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-1- I. PURPOSE This document is a summary of major issues that need to be resolved as the Metropolitan Area shifts the emphasis of the regional solid waste disposal system from a reliance, almost exclusively, on land- fills, to increased use of alternative methods of solid waste dispos- al. The State Waste Management Act, passed by the Minnesota Legisla- ture in April 1980, requires the Metropolitan Council to prepare a report by January 1981 that identifies ways of dealing with solid waste other than by use of sanitary landfills. Public discussion of this document will serve as a useful basis for preparing the land disposal abatement report required by the act. The land disposal abatement report is to be submitted to each of the seven metropolitan counties. The counties, in turn, are to use the Council's abatement report to prepare plans for using alternative disposal methods. The Waste Management Act recognizes that diminishing landfill space and unresolved environmental questions 'about continued landfilling of solid waste warrant an examination of alternative solid waste dis- posal methods. The abatement report is to contain an analysis of abatement achievable through waste reduction, waste separation, waste processing and resource recovery. In addition, the act calls for the Council, as it prepares the report, to encourage public discussion on alternative abatement strategies. Pursuant to those requirements, this document is intended to initiate public discussion on abatement strategies, solicit comments on specific issues and determine the precise scope of the abatement report.