Earlier this week, Mayor Jacob Frey announced the plans to reopen a North Minneapolis waste facility, hoping to reduce illegal dumping.
The Minneapolis Public Works Department secured a $4 million federal grant which will go towards reopening the facility.
The city plans to invest $3 million in the transfer station as well. Frey commented that the area sees a high volume of illegal dumping and the hope is the facility will cut down on that.
The transfer station will allow residents to bring in their items, such as mattresses and clothes, to the facility.
“This grant will also help us reach our zero waste goals and divert items like clothing, excess recycling ... even home construction debris out of landfills. So rather than put these huge, hugely polluting sources into landfills, we're going to find ways to divert and to recycle them,” Frey said.
The application for the grant said that an operational waste and recycling center north of Minneapolis would benefit residents by providing a self-hauling waste and recycling center and reducing illegal dumping in neighborhoods.
“The North Transfer Station has the capacity to become a local resource for proper waste disposal but has remained unusable while the surrounding area has the highest number of reported illegal dumping incidents month over month,” the grant application said.
The transfer station is aiming to reopen in 2026.