What do wood chips, chicken eggs and incinerator ash have in common? They are all candidates for beneficial reuse, according to Matt Herman, MPCA.
In an effort to keep waste out of the landfill, MPCA is assisting people who generate solid waste with identifying beneficial use options. The solid waste utilization rules identify three conditions under which wastes can be used rather than disposed of.
Wood chips, and 16 other specified wastes, have a standing beneficial use determination. When reused in accordance with applicable rules, MPCA does not need to be contacted.
For chicken egg shell waste, the agency is making a case-specific beneficial use determination to see if the material can be used as an alternative liming material to adjust the pH of soils to facilitate plant growth.
Incinerator ash from a municipal burner is being tested as a component in parking lot asphalt. This demonstration/ research project is undergoing extensive monitoring and testing and is considered exploratory. The results of this type of research may be used as future justification for a case-specific beneficial use determination.
For more information, contact Matt Herman at 651/296-6603 or see the MPCA Web site Solid Waste Utilization.
