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There is more demand for compost that comes from organics composting facilities. Facilities such as the NRG compost facility in Rosemount accept only what are called organics that in- cludes food waste, yard waste and compostable paper products. That material requires very little processing and the resulting compost is cleaner and higher in nitrogen making it easier to sell. Transfer Stations A transfer station is just a temporary storage facility for the garbage. Garbage is collected there before being shipped to another facility for final disposal. For instance Walter's hauls the gar- bage it collects to its own transfer station in Blaine, compiles it and ships it to a landfill in Eau Claire, Wisconsin for final disposal. Transfer stations may also accept garbage from private citizens. Ramsey County licenses nine privately run transfer stations. Landfills There are 32 landfills (including three in the metro area) that serve Minnesota. Minnesota has enacted stronger environ- mental and financial requirements for landfills and a higher tax on tipping fees (the charge for dropping offwaste) than sur- rounding states. As a result, no companies are planning to build new landfills in the metro area. And the State estimates space at existing landfills in Minnesota will run out in the next ten to fifteen years. Instead more waste is being shipped to out of state landfills. _��. �� �:� - -- ''` � ...,_. �'�Ii1l�_ ._ �_.,,� � l.r: .� " �._ ° � ��'{ . � ��`-� �� _ ". At a landfill the material is dumped into the ground, compacted and at the end of the day covered with either dirt or another approved cover material such as broken glass (this prevents material from blowing away and animal scavenging). That closed off area is called a cell. Garbage is added much faster than it can decompose under these conditions (some items such as plastic and glass rarely, if ever, decompose under these conditions). Eventually landfills can accept no more garbage and are capped meaning a final layer of dirt is placed over the site, it is landscaped and officials monitor the site basically forever for health and safety effects of the decomposing material. Minnesota also requires landfill operators use methane collection systems in capped sections of landfills. Methane gas is given off in the natural decomposition process and is linked to global warming. A methane collection system traps the gas before it can be released into the atmo- sphere. Although estimates are that in a best case scenario only about 20% of the total methane produced is captured. Typically the gas is then burned on site. Companies such as BFI use the burning gas to produce electricity. Currently federal regulations require new landfills to have a double lining (usually of plastic) to prevent leachate from sinking into the ground. Leachate is the water (rainwater, etc.) that settles to the bottom of the landfill carrying chemicals and particulate from the decomposing material. Federa] regulations require that leachate be collected and treated at a wastewater treatment facil- ity that is usually constructed at the landfill site adjacent to the burial area. Once treated the water can then be pumped to where wastewater typically goes (in Minnesota that's usually major rivers). 37