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The landfill near Mora that ends up holding much of the household trash hauled out of Chisago County is running out of air space and the policymakers for the solid waste program plan to expand.  

The Chisago County Board is one of the five counties involved in the east central landfill that are being asked to approve.

Chisago County first needed to adjust its tonnage numbers that were projections in a 10-year plan the counties will use to justify the landfill expansion.  The numbers for the plan originally were from 2012.  Local experts are now projecting the amount of waste disposed of at the landfill will increase by over 10,000 tons per year over the next several years.  

In 2022 solid waste from the county tipped at the East Central facility was 33,732.  

By 2030 it will be 44, 013 tons annually.  This excludes demolition and construction debris which varies, and is dependent on prices charged by private demo landfills.  The data also excludes those customers who have trash hauled by Waste Management Inc. to Wisconsin landfills.

The tonnage adjustment factors in the actual SCORE report data, firmer future growth numbers and other considerations.

The director for  solid waste programming noted in a memo to the County Board the hauling picture in Chisago County has changed dramatically over the past 10 years.  Rush City area hauler  East Central and SRC in Wyoming sold to Waste Management.

The Chisago County Commissioner serving on the East Central Solid Waste Commission, Rick Greene, acknowledged when the issue was reviewed last week that projecting 10 years out is still a guesstimate.  

He stressed the County Board needed to act along with the other Boards, on this mixed municipal solid waste projection so the ECSWC can apply to expand.  “We want to get this (landfill) renewal in early, we’re running out of space,” Greene noted.

Chisago County has laid plans to try to reduce waste mostly through recycling.  But, the reality is that the development of information for this Certificate of Need  is a step in the process to build new landfill cells.

One measure meant to enhance recycling is the remodel and new hours at the Household Hazardous Waste Facility in the North Branch Industrial Park, run by Chisago County.  The site is hosting an opening Friday June 23 at 10 a.m. to showcase work that was done in the first part of an improvements effort to store more inventory and process items more efficiently.  The drop-off yard was built leveraging a 2021 greater MN Pollution Control Agency  grant.  The county is also working on boosting e-waste recycling.

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