Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey says he wants HERC incinerator to close by 2027
MINNEAPOLIS — Mayor Jacob Frey on Thursday signed a resolution urging Hennepin County to speed up its timeline for closing down its downtown trash incinerator.
The Hennepin Energy Recovery Center, or HERC, burns trash and then uses the steam to create energy. But a new state law no longer considers that renewable energy, so commissioners want HERC closed as early as 2028.
The HERC, built in 1989, sits right next to Target Field.
"We have long talked about the closure of the HERC, and this brings this a little bit closure to fruition." Frey said. "We are presently actively implementing a plan to get to zero waste. We are doing everything possible to expedite that plan so that we can get zero waste faster."
Frey says he wants the HERC closed by 2027.
About 40% of all the trash in Hennepin County is destroyed by the HERC, which according to officials powers some 25,000 homes. Officials say the recycling rate in Minneapolis is only 35%, which means if there's no HERC, all the trash must go somewhere else.
Critics argue that that the closure will mean more landfills, which would lead to more trucks and higher costs. However, Frey argued the more preferable option is reducing the amount of waste in the first place.
"If you just do the work to understand what can be compostable, you could dramatically reduce your own waste stream," he said.
If and when HERC closes, it will affect about 50 full-time employees and an additional 200 or so contractors.