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. There are two production lines running 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, and room to add a third line. The limiting factor is capacity of the burners. It is not universally agreed that burning of waste is better for the environment than landfills. Some potential pollutants, such as heavy metals, are more concentrated in incinerator ash than they are in the unprocessed waste. At least one published "hierarchy of solid waste management" places incineration at the bottom, as the least desirable. (4) A study for the Minnesota EP A was inconclusive, but suggested slightly more potential for toxic pollution from incineration than from landfilling. (5. And see below.) Lanqfills At the meeting for haulers on May 12, the haulers made a strong effort to show that landfills are, at least, "just as good" as processing for fuel. Commissioners were sbown an educational video about modern landfills and given a large amount of printed material, including documents from tlle U.S. Environmental Protection Agency describing the regulations modern landfills must meet. . Since the mid 1990s, landfIlls have been required to meet impressively stringent standards (RCRA Subtitle D, which became effective in 1993) designed to keep waste from polluting the surrounding land. Rainwater draining through the waste leaches out toxic chemicals that can drain into the soil and pollute groundwater. Modern landfills are designed to be, essentially, enormous bathtubs that collect this water, called "leachate," and collect it to be treated. The pits are lined with a base of compacted soil covered witll a membrane of thick plastic. Each day's waste is covered with a layer of soil. In the landfill the waste composts slowly, producing methane gas as a byproduct. Methane is a greenhouse gas, but at Elk River and many other modern landfills the methane is captured and burned to produce electricity. When a landfill is filled to capacity it is capped, and the space on top can eventually be used for another purpose, such as recreation. (6) On June 22, some of the Commissioners went on a tour of the Elk River landfill and had the opportunity to see the technology first hand. They watched the day's soil cover being moved into place and observed that there was very little odor from the landfill. Methane collected from the facility provides enough power for about 7500 households. Leachate (rainwater that drains through the waste) is collected and recirculated to speed the composting action. The site, which is operated by Waste Management, is 80 acres, plus an additional 40 acres that has been purchased on the north. They are trying to buy another 40 acres on the south or west, because the County has limited the height of the fill. The old dump will be capped off and turned into a ski hill. According to facility manager Debra Dehn the Elk River facility is "state of the art," but it will be full in 10 to 15 years' time. They need more land. . According to the haulcr's representative, all "active" landfills in Minnesota meet the current federal standards. When they asked about the waste that is shipped to landfills out of state, Commissioners were assmed that those, also, meet federal standards. City of Falcon Heights Final Report on Organized Collection October 13, 2004 19