Every six years, Dakota County is required to revise its solid waste management plan. This plan guides how waste is managed over the next 20 years. It must include strategies to:
On Oct. 29, 2024, the Dakota County Board approved to submit the county’s draft plan to the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency. State approval of the revised plan is anticipated in late 2024-early 2025.
Project schedule
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Fall 2023: Gathered stakeholder input on solid waste issues, barriers and solutions - round 1.
Engagement Findings Report - Round 1
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January 2024: State finalized Metropolitan Solid Waste Management Policy Plan with prescribed strategies for metropolitan counties to include in revised county plans.
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April 2024: Gathered stakeholder input on potential strategy approaches - round 2 Engagement Findings Report - Round 2
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Summer 2024: County plan drafted based on Metropolitan Solid Waste Management Policy Plan requirements and stakeholder feedback. Public review and comment on the draft plan was conducted Aug. 1–21.
- October 2024: Dakota County Board of Commissioners reviewed public comments and the revised draft Dakota County Solid Waste Management Plan (2024-2044). The approved the plan will be submitted to the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency for its review and approval.
- Late 2024-early 2025: Minnesota Pollution Control Agency approval of Dakota County's plan.
County generated more than 524,000 tons of waste in 2022
The Solid Waste Management Plan will provide the county with ways to prevent waste and improve how it is managed. It will also guide us in how we work with residents, businesses and other partners to meet state goals. In 2022, residents and businesses in the county generated 524,111 tons of waste. The county's recycling rate was 55 percent, lower than the state's goal of a 75 percent recycling rate by 2030.
The annual recycling report provides progress on implementing Dakota County's current 2018-2038 Solid Waste Master Plan.