Minneapolis leaders call for shutdown of Hennepin County incinerator
Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey signed a resolution Thursday calling for the closure of a local trash incinerator by the end of 2027.
The Hennepin Energy Recovery Center , or HERC, burns a little less than half the trash produced in the county. It's located in Minneapolis' North Loop, near residential neighborhoods on the city's north side.
Frey met with city council members and local activists to sign the resolution, which the city council passed last week.
"The emissions that we have seen over the last several decades that come out of the HERC are dangerous to communities, have been problematic in terms of the carbon emission and obviously have a disparate impact on communities of color," Frey said.
Local activists have pushed for a closure for years, citing pollution and health concerns stemming from the facility.
In 2023, the Hennepin County Board of Commissioners directed its staff to create a plan to close the facility sometime between 2028 and 2040. The Minneapolis resolution calls for a tighter timeline.
Council member Katie Cashman wrote the resolution supporting the closure of the HERC, which the council passed unanimously. She said the city is planning for ways to meet that sooner deadline.
"The resolution is just the start," Cashman said. "We need to rapidly ramp up our zero-waste programming to make that possible."
Before shutting down, the county will need to make a plan for what to do with the trash that currently goes to the HERC. Plans could include ways to cut down on the amount of waste in the county through composting and recycling, or diverting trash to landfills instead of the incinerator.
With the support of the Minneapolis council and mayor, activists are now calling on the board to set a date and make a plan for a shutdown. Mayor Frey said having a date will help the city form its plan to reduce and divert its waste.
Nazir Khan is a local organizer with the Environmental Justice Table.
"Our coalition is happy with this progress, but we're still needing the county to step up and finally set this process in motion," Khan said.
