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Home My WebLink About9.b. Resource Recovery Conference - July 20-22, 1987CITY OF ROSEMOUNT N E N 0 R A N D U N TO: Mayor Knutson Councilmembers: Napper Tucker Walsh Willard FROM: Stephan Jilk, Administrator/Clerk DATE June 12, 1987 RE: Resource Recovery Seminar - Portland, Oregon Gentlemen: Attached is a brochure pertaining to the "Resource Recovery Leadership Institute" to be held in Portland, Oregon on July 20-22.. The institute is especially designed for the "education" of local government officials as to solid waste disposal/resource recovery. As you may note, only public officials are allowed to participate. Dakota County is going to be sending two, possibly three county commissioners and two staff members to the conference. I would recommend we make an effort to send representation. If possible, it would be good if one or two councilmembers could attend. I would also request that I attend. Involvement in this project, keeping educated as to the issues and ramifications surrounding such a project, and keeping the interest and pressure on the county board to locate the project in Rosemount should, I feel, be a priority issue for us. The potential for benefit, in dollar amounts, to the City of Rosemount from this project is enormous. Being educated as to all facets of the project will allow us as staff and elected officials to continue to be part of this process. smj Attachment The manual systems inmost existing plants monitor emissions from the stack rather than burn conditions in the chamber. Our system makes automatic and i instantaneous adjustments. G. BOILER —The boiler, directly above the combustion chamber, produces the steam w ich generates electricity and heats the buildings of the Commun- ity Hospital, the Human Services Campus, the VoTech and the Federal 1 u Medical Center. A recovery system reduces water requirements by reusing water that's already in the system. The boiler can produce up to 50,000 pounds of steam per hour (burning 28 cubic feet, or 8.34 tons of refuse). H. TURBINE—GENERATORS — Steam from the boiler is piped into a R ,` turbine -generator that can produce 1.9 megawatts of electricity per hour (1,900 kilowatt hours per hour or enough to light 1,600 homes). This turbine - generator can handle the maximum 50,000 pounds per hour that the boiler' can produce. After passing through the turbine -generator, the steam is piped into the local ` heating network. When demand for steam heat is low, the steam is rerouted to a second turbine -generator, which generates up to 2.4 megawatts of electricity from a 40,000 pound peak load. At maximum generating capacity, the two turbines can produce enough electricity to serve more than 3,500 homes. Electricity not needed by the �a nearby government buildings is sold to the power grid. 1. ASH REMOVAL What began as 17,000 cubic feet of waste will sift out under the combustion chamber as 1/10 that volume of ash. Water filled ` chutes quench and cool the ash; a hydraulic ram presses the water out; then a� the dry ash falls into hopper cars. ' The ash removal system is another of our plant's unique features. Everything is automatic. A sonar system senses when each car is fully loaded and sends a signal to move the next car under the ash chute. Other waste burning plants have as many as eight people handling this tedious job. The hoppers are pulled onto a truck chassis, covered and taken to the county t landfill where the ash is deposited in specially designed cells. Someday, this relatively clean, compact substance will be the only thing Olmsted Countywill place in a landfill. J. ELECTROSTATIC PRECIPITATOR - This large device with the even u larger name is basically a magnet. As the flue gasses pass through it, particles in the gasses are given a magnetic charge. The particles are attracted to oppositely charged plates and remain inside the precipitator rather than ao ` entering the stack. As with the ash from the boiler, these particles are eventu- ally trucked to a landfill. You might notice that there is a long run between the precipitator and the chimney. This gives us space to add extra pollution controls as technology or For every ten truckloads of government regulations develop. refuse dumped into the storage bunker, one K. CHIMNEY —The main substance which rises from our 190 foot tall truckload of .ash is chimney is a compound of nitrogen, oxygen, hydrogen, argon, neon, helium, hauled away. This etc. -- in other words, plain, ordinary, breathable air. means that only one tenth the landfill space is needed. 7 BREAKIPC THE LANDFILL HABIT WASTE REDUCTION r WHAT IS WASTE REDUCTION? Waste reduction is simply creating less garbage. This can be done by purchasing fewer throw -away items and by buying more reusable products and — returnable containers. We can also reuse some wastes that would otherwise end up in a landfill. TOO MUCH GARBAGE Minnesota's existing- landfills are filling up quickly, and new sites are in short supply because most state residents oppose the development of new la-ndfills. Buried garbage has also polluted ground water beneath many landfills, in some cases making water from nearby wells unsafe to drink. In order to reduce further ground water pollution from chemicals in household garbage and to ease the shortage of landfill space, we need to use alternatives to burying the 3 to 4 million tons of garbage disposed of annually in Minnesota. BENEFITS OF WASTE REDUCTION Saving your money- As consumers, we pay for everything we buy . either directly or indirectly. The price :of a product in the store is not only for the item itself, but also for its container, any outside' packaging and even the paper bag we use to carry it home. This means we pay a high price for the privilege of throwing away wrappers, packages and disposable goods: By eliminating any of these "extras," we can usually lower the cost of the product and reduce the amount of garbage we create. As an illustration, bulk foods are usually less expensive because you don't pay for individual packages. Most beverages inreturnablebottles are less expensive than the same drinks in throw -away containers. It's been estimated that we spend 9 percent of our grocery bills on packaging that is discarded when we could be buying products without disposable wrappers. Conserving Raw materials ore used to make virtually every consumer goodwe buy. Iron, tin and aluminum are mined to make metal cans; trees are cut to make paper and cardboard; and petroleum is pumped out of the ground to make most plastic products. When we throw away any of these items, we are also discarding the 'valuable raw materials that were used to make them. We help conserve these natural resources when we buy reusable products and returnable containers instead of throw-aways or items with excessive packaging. August, 1985 MINNESOTA POLLUTION CONTROL AGENCY Saving energy - Energy is consumed to make almost everything we buy. When we throw away glass and plastic bottles, paper plates, disposable razors, styrofoam food containers, disposable diapers, drink cartons, disposable flashlights, and countless other throw -away items and containers, we are also discarding the energy that was used to make them. If we buy products that can be reused many times -- such as reusable drinking glasses instead of disposable paper cups -- then the energy is only consumed to make the item once . . . not every time we use a throw -away item. SHOPPING FOR A CLEAN ENVIRONMENT The manufacture of virtually every item we buy consumes energy and raw materials. When these products are thrown away, valuable land is used up for landfilling, and the buried wastes may add to ground water contamination at disposal sites. For these reasons, we should consider the effects of our buying habits on the clean air, water and land we enjoy. We should look for alternative products and household practices that protect the quality of Minnesota's natural resources. Ask yourself why you are purchasing an item. Are you buying it because you really need it or because of advertising and fads? Will a returnable or reusable product serve the same purpose? WAYS TO CREATE LESS GARBAGE The following is a list of ways you can reduce the amount of garbage you put in your trash can and at the same time lower your household expenses. Buy products with long service lives. Consumer goods with long guarantees and good service records may cost more than less -durable items, but you won't need to replace them as often. For example, a high -mileage tire costs less per mile driven than a cheaper low -mileage tire -- and you won't have to dispose of used tires as often. Consumer research publications can give you information on the expected life spans of products. • Avoid using disposable goods. Reusable products usually save money and create less garbage. For instance, cloth diapers delivered by a.diaper service are reusable, sanitary and cheaper than disposable diapers. For the years of service they give, reusable food storage containers are also less expensive than disposable food wraps. Other products, such as disposable watches, throw -away flashlights, and non -returnable bottles cost you extra money in the long run and add to Minnesota's garbage problem. • Buy reusable products and containers. You can save money by buying reusable items, such as rec argeab a flashlight batteries, reusable cloth napkins, and razors with replaceable blades. Because these items are used over and over, you throw away less garbage. • Avoid wastefulacka in . When you buy `items with excessive packaging -- such as individually' wrapped candies, variety packs of cereal, prepackaged screws and nails in plastic containers -- you pay for the cost of the extra packaging and for disposing of the wrappings. Buying bulk items whenever they are available can save you money. ' 3 ' • Buy returnable containers. Most beverages are available in returnable bottles made o• glass or heavy-duty plastic. By purchasing milk, soft drinks, beer and other drinks in these reusable containers, you pay for the liquid inside, not the container -- and you don't have to throw away the empty bottle. • Reuse waste products whenever possible. Many items we throw in the garbage have other uses we may not have considered. Gift wrapping paper can be saved and used again for smaller packages; grass trimmings can be left on the lawn as mulch; and plastic picnic cups and utensils can be washed and used again. Reusing these "wastes" usually helps lower some of your household bills, too. CONSUMER POWER Many waste reduction techniques require us to change our buying habits as consumers in order to help protect our environment and conserve energy and natural resources. Unfortunately, not every store sells alternatives to throw -away products and wasteful packaging. As consumers, we can encourage retailers to stock these alternative products by patronizing stores that sell them. Be sure to tell the store manager that these items are one reason you buy from that store. Ask stores to stock- returnable and reusable products and ones that do not have wasteful packaging., Because they depend on your business, most store owners will try to provide the -items you request. Use your consumer power to'get products that save your money and reduce our use of landfills. It's estimated that waste reduction efforts by consumers could eliminate up to 3 percent (about 100,000 tons) of the trash we bury in Minnesota each year. By creating less garbage and then using alternatives to landfilling -- such as recycling, composting, and waste -to -energy incineration -- we can eliminate or reuse up to 80 percent of the state's garbage . . and break our landfill habit. MORE INFORMATION Contact your county solid waste office or the nearest Minnesota Pollution Control Agency office for more information: Twin Cities - 612/296-7373 Detroit lakes - 218/847-1519 Duluth 218/723-4660 Marshall - 507/537-7146 Brainerd - 218/828-2492 Rochester - 507/285-7343 Olmsted County Recycling Hotline 285-7039 ' Whs Recycle 0 ° To protect the environment, especially the groundwater supply ° To save natural resources and energy ° To save landfill space ° To make the garbage a better "fuel" to burn and improve the efficiency of the incinerator How to Recycle Aluminum ° Beverage cans should be clean and dry. May be crushed ° Aluminum foil (clean) - ° No steel or tin food cans Newspaper ° Tie newspaper with twine or put it in grocery bags ° Do not include colored, glossy paper. No magazines The paper should be clean Glass ° Clear, brown and green glass is accepted ° Remove all metal and caps ° Do not crush Corrugated Cardboard ° Corrugated boxes should be broken down flat Office/White Paper ° Bundle Like newspaper Waste Motor Oil ° Disposal facility or information available where oil is purchased How to Reduce the Waste Stream ° Avoid disposable, convenience items ° Buy products without bulky, obviously unnecessary packaging (9% of the average grocery bill is packaging) ° Look for products that are recyclable, repairable, or have a longer life ° Reuse containers, whenever possible • Reduce yard waste by allowing grass clippings to return to the soil. Compost leaves and kitchen scraps ° Use sheets of paper on both sides ° Tell your friends!! <G)=ooCn a:>Cncn p v OK (00 Z`° �0n°°° o te nCOo o O 0 N 7 a) _CL CD � - -t ZO�D w� mm 0) o o _rn� 0o C) N3: ° -- c} Op CADp ` 0 � 2) DCU)Z o o�� CD 0 �oD 3aE� t O Q(D3 �- N° ° e o 0-0 CD n o �C o � Z�rn� 0 Z -0 n.� U) mC„ ao nsv (D u,�nQM. (VI (D o CD o CD 0o � m Cl o m 0t C) � o o —I w C K (a <<0 :3 w y a m CD :' (0 3 r- � CD W m m� m( Cn ro w0` ' c � n Z n OL m o --= C 5 , f v> ::rO -s Rochester Metal Recycling 1950 3rd Ave. SE Rochester, MN 55904 288-3228 Material i f Large appliances Farm, auto Shop scraps All metals Aluminum cans Hoehne Brothers Pine Island; MN 55963 367-4325 Tires I Stan Watson Recycling 929 SE 10th Street Rochester, MN 55904 282-5510 Corrugated Cardboard Quality Distributing 2728 NW 7th Street Rochester, MN 55901 282-5462 Aluminum Leaf Composting: The Olmsted County Solid Waste Ad- visory Board is sponsoring a leaf com- posting project. The project is located at the former State Hospital grounds. The site will be open every fall. Please bring only grass clippings and leaves -no brush or trash. Within 18 months, you can return and pick up compost free of charge for your garden or flower beds. The compost project is located off Silver Creek Road behind the Recycling Center. N O j Q CD � N3 � m ? N y d CD C7 n m3a�a �c r y W< o AfnCCD M 0