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-- --------- .~ -2() .~ ~ Fact Sheet THE ROLE OF THE RAMSEY COUNTY WASTE MANAGEMENT SERVICE CHARGE .- - The Evolution of a Successful Waste Manae:ement Svstem - In the past 16 years, Ramsey County has moved from an almost total reliance on landfills for waste disposal to - an integrated system of reduction, recycling, composting, and resource recovery. We currently recover almost I 80% of our trash for recycling or energy, land filling far less than we did in the early 1980's. This integrated system is environmentally superior to land disposal, because it protects the environment by preventing or reducing pollution, recovering energy, and conserving natural resources. I The accomplishment of achieving an environmentally sound waste management system is due in part to the Ramsey/Washington County Resource Recovery Facility in Newport, MN. That facility was developed in 1986 - following State mandates to reduce the amount of waste placed in landfills, in order to protect public health and the environment. Ramsey and Washington Counties have a contract with Northern States Power Company to - operate the Resource Recovery Facility. ~ - The Resource Recovery Facility is one ofthe most successful resource recovery systems in the U.S. Since - 1987, almost 3,000,000 tons of waste has been processed, creating fuel that has generated over 1.4 billion - kilowatts of electricity. Had this waste not been processed for fuel, a landfill covering about 30 acres, 100 feet deep, would have been needed. - l WMSC Backe:round .1 The Waste Management Service Charge (WMSC) has appeared on Ramsey County property tax statements since 1986. Commercial properties fall into one of three categories depending upon the volume of waste I generated at the property. The WMSC funds collected from commercial property taxpayers for 1986 through 1989 paid for solid waste I planning, technical assistance to businesses and local governments, ordinance enforcement expenses, and operating expenses related to the Resource Recovery Facility. From 1990 through 1993, the Resource Recovery Facility component was not included in the WMSC, because operating expenses were fully recovered I by tipping fees charged at the Facility. Chane:es in 1994 - 1995 I In 1994, Ramsey and Washington Counties reduced the tipping fee that is charged to waste haulers for delivering waste to the Resource Recovery Facility, from $66.79 per ton to $50.00 per ton. This action was I taken following a U.S. Supreme Court decision that modified the ability of local government to require by ordinance that garbage be taken to a specific facility. Reducing the tipping fee was one way to assure that garbage from Ramsey County would continue to be processed in an environmentally sound manner. It also I created the need to collect revenue from a source other than the tipping fee to pay for waste processing. From April through December of 1994, waste haulers were required by law to collect and remit to the Counties I a Resource Recovery Service Charge (RRSC). The RRSC was charged to each waste customer based on the waste volume collected. In 1995, Ramsey County determined that the funds for resource recovery services .. could be more efficiently collected by the County through the WMSC, as had been done in 1986 through 1989. .