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RETH INK 6a RECYCLING® Yard Waste Minn. Stat. §115A.931 prohibits yard waste from being mixed with MSW, but yard waste can be collected by MSW haulers using separate collection vehicles or by special yard waste collectors, such as lawn services. Public and private collection sites are also available for residents to drop off yard waste, and there are over 40 yard waste sites currently serving the Region. The MPCA estimates that roughly 500,000 cubic yards of yard waste is managed in the metropolitan area through yard waste composting programs. Unlike many areas in the country, wood waste is not currently included in the calculation of yard waste collected for the Region. The SWMCB will therefore work with the MPCA to include yard waste in future performance measures so as to better reflect overall organics diversion activity within the Region and improve the ability of the Region to compare its progress to other areas across the country. Organics Recovery In 2010, 4% of the total MSW managed was through source separated organics (SSO) composting programs. Over the past five years, the number of SSO composting programs has risen. At least ten school districts, seven institutions, approximately 35 businesses, and four cities offer SSO composting programs. This does not include the many food -to- people and food -to- animal feed programs that also increase organics diversion. Two permitted organics composting facilities are located within the Region. One fully permitted SSO composting facility is located in Dakota County and a yard waste and organics composting facility with a pilot project permit from the MPCA is located in Carver County. A third facility was recently opened on tribal land in Scott County. All of the facilities are operated by private vendors. Resource Recovery (Waste to Energy) Four MSW resource recovery facilities serve the Region, with 28% (862,290 tons) of the Region's total MSW delivered to resource recovery facilities in 2010. The Hennepin Energy Resource Center (HERC) in Minneapolis uses mass - burn technology to produce steam for district heating and to generate electricity. Ferrous metal is then recovered for recycling from the resultant ash. Hennepin County owns HERC and contracts for its operations. To date the facility has been permitted by the MPCA to burn 365,000 tons annually but has a design capacity of approximately 405,000 tons per year. The Ramsey /Washington County Resource Recovery Facility located in Newport converts MSW into refuse - derived fuel (RDF). The facility is 2011 -2030 Regional Solid Waste Master Plan Approved by the Solid Waste Management Coordinating Board on December 14, 2011 Appendix V Page 18