Mixed Municipal Solid Waste

About Mixed Municipal Solid Waste (MSW)

MSW is what most of us refer to as garbage. It consists of a mixture of waste from all kinds of places. It includes general household waste, office waste, waste from retail stores or other businesses, other miscellaneous, and non-hazardous waste.

Because it is a mixture of many kinds of waste, MSW has the potential to cause environmental harm and must be disposed of at a facility licensed for MSW. MSW landfills have special liners and leachate collection systems for protecting the environment from the impact of MSW. MSW does not include hazardous waste.

Facilities

MSW is typically collected from homes and businesses by licensed solid waste haulers. There are currently two facilities in Blue Earth County permitted to accept MSW:

• The Ponderosa Landfill - The Ponderosa is an MSW Landfill owned by Blue Earth County. It accepts MSW, approved industrial waste, C and D waste, and process residue from the resource recovery system. The Ponderosa accepts waste from licensed waste haulers, self-hauling businesses, and general public.
• Minnesota Waste Processing Company (MWPC) transfer facility - MWPC is a privately owned MSW transfer station. MWPC transfers waste to an RDF production facility, where it is processed into fuel for electricity production. MWPC also processes some materials into fuel on site. MWPC is also licensed and inspected by the MPCA and accepts waste from licensed waste haulers, or general public. MWPC functions as the entry point to the resource recovery portion of the Integrated System.