Cooperative Agreement 00E03483

DESCRIPTION:THE OBJECTIVE OF THIS PROJECT IS TO ENHANCE MINNESOTA'S INITIATIVES IN MEETING THE SOLID WASTE INFRASTRUCTURE FOR RECYCLING (SWIFR) GRANT REQUIREMENTS ESTABLISHED BY THE ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY (EPA). THROUGH THE SWIFR GRANTS, STATES AND TERRITORIES RECEIVE FUNDING TO SUPPORT ACTIVITIES THAT CONTRIBUTE TO LONG-TERM PLANNING, DATA COLLECTION, AND PROGRESS TOWARDS THE NATIONAL RECYCLING GOAL, FOOD LOSS AND WASTE REDUCTION GOAL, AND THE ADVANCEMENT OF A CIRCULAR ECONOMY FOR MATERIALS. ADDITIONALLY, THE GRANTS AID IN THE IMPLEMENTATION OF STATE-LED PLANS TO ENHANCE POST-CONSUMER MATERIALS MANAGEMENT. IN LINE WITH THESE OBJECTIVES, MINNESOTA AIMS TO BOLSTER ITS EFFORTS BY UNDERTAKING THE FOLLOWING ACTIONS: 1) CONDUCTING A WASTE SORT: A COMPREHENSIVE ANALYSIS WILL BE CARRIED OUT TO EXAMINE THE COMPOSITION OF WASTE, ENABLING A BETTER UNDERSTANDING OF THE MATERIALS THAT ARE BEING DISCARDED AND THEIR POTENTIAL FOR RECYCLING OR REUSE. 2) CONTRACTING FOR DATA ENGINEERING EXPERTISE: IN ORDER TO IMPROVE THE INFRASTRUCTURE FOR MANAGING SOLID WASTE DATA REPORTED TO THE STATE, MINNESOTA WILL SEEK THE SERVICES OF DATA ENGINEERING EXPERTS. THIS COLLABORATION WILL HELP STREAMLINE DATA COLLECTION PROCESSES, ENHANCE ACCURACY AND RELIABILITY, AND ENSURE THAT THE STATE HAS ROBUST DATA INFRASTRUCTURE TO SUPPORT ITS RECYCLING AND WASTE REDUCTION GOALS. BY IMPLEMENTING THESE ACTIVITIES, MINNESOTA AIMS TO STRENGTHEN ITS CAPACITY TO MEET THE REQUIREMENTS OF THE SWIFR GRANTS, ADVANCE SUSTAINABLE MATERIALS MANAGEMENT PRACTICES, AND CONTRIBUTE TO THE OVERALL OBJECTIVES OF THE CIRCULAR ECONOMY FRAMEWORK.ACTIVITIES:THE ACTIVITIES TO BE PERFORMED INCLUDE: (1) CONDUCTING A WASTE CHARACTERIZATION STUDY, (2) ESTABLISHING DATA COLLECTION PROTOCOLS, (3) DEVELOPING A METADATA FRAMEWORK, (4) CREATING A RELATIONAL DATABASE STRUCTURE, (5) INTEGRATING WASTE DATA WITH LCA TOOLS, (6) ESTIMATING ANNUAL GHG EMISSIONS, (7) DATA ANALYSIS AND REPORTING, (8) CONTINUOUS MONITORING AND IMPROVEMENT, (9) COLLABORATION AND KNOWLEDGE SHARING. SUBRECIPIENT:NO SUBAWARDS ARE INCLUDED IN THIS ASSISTANCE AGREEMENT.OUTCOMES:DELIVERABLES: 1.UPDATED STATEWIDE WASTE CHARACTERIZATION STUDY: THIS INCLUDES DETAILED INFORMATION ON THE PERCENTAGES OF EACH MATERIAL FOUND IN THE WASTE STREAM IN MINNESOTA, ALONG WITH MARGINS OF ERROR. THE STUDY WILL ALSO PROVIDE A DISCUSSION OF NEXT STEPS AND PROPOSALS BASED ON THE FINDINGS. 2. METADATA FOR SOLID WASTE DATA FIELDS: A COMPREHENSIVE METADATA FRAMEWORK WILL BE DEVELOPED TO ORGANIZE AND DESCRIBE THE SOLID WASTE DATA FIELDS CURRENTLY COLLECTED IN RE-TRAC (WASTE DATA TRACKING SYSTEM). THIS WILL IMPROVE DATA ORGANIZATION AND ACCESSIBILITY. 3. PROPOSED SCHEMA AND DATA MAPPING: A PROPOSED SCHEMA, INCLUDING PRIMARY KEYS, FOREIGN KEYS, AND REFERENCE TABLES, WILL BE DEVELOPED FOR THE SOLID WASTE DATA FIELDS IN RE-TRAC. THIS WILL ENHANCE THE STRUCTURE AND INTEGRITY OF THE DATA, MAKING IT EASIER TO ANALYZE AND REPORT. 4. TRAINING AND ONBOARDING DOCUMENTATION: DOCUMENTATION AND TRAINING MATERIALS WILL BE PROVIDED TO ALL INTERNAL MPCA (MINNESOTA POLLUTION CONTROL AGENCY) STAFF TO ENSURE THEY ARE WELL-EQUIPPED TO USE THE NEW DATA INFRASTRUCTURE EFFECTIVELY. OUTCOMES: 1. TONS OF MSW/CANDD COLLECTED, RECYCLED, COMPOSTED, OR MANAGED VIA OTHER PATHWAYS: THE OUTCOME MEASURES THE QUANTITY OF MUNICIPAL SOLID WASTE (MSW) AND CONSTRUCTION AND DEMOLITION (CANDD) WASTE THAT IS EFFECTIVELY COLLECTED, RECYCLED, COMPOSTED, OR MANAGED THROUGH OTHER PATHWAYS IN THE STATE. IT REFLECTS THE SUCCESS OF WASTE DIVERSION AND RESOURCE RECOVERY EFFORTS. 2.TONS OF MSW/CANDD GENERATED PER MATERIAL TYPE AND SOURCE: THIS OUTCOME MEASURES THE AMOUNT OF MSW AND CANDD WASTE GENERATED PER MATERIAL TYPE AND SOURCE IN THE STATE. IT PROVIDES INSIGHTS INTO WASTE GENERATION PATTERNS AND HELPS IDENTIFY AREAS WHERE WASTE REDUCTION STRATEGIES CAN BE IMPLEMENTED. 3 .GHGS REDUCED (IN MTCO2E): THIS OUTCOME MEASURES THE REDUCTION IN GREE