2025 SWAA Day on the Hill & Winter Training: March 10 & 11
SWAA Day on the Hill
Monday, March 10, 2025
Time TBD
Meetings with legislators will be scheduled for all participants. There is no charge to participate in the Day on the Hill.
SWAA Winter Training
2025 Tentative Winter Training Agenda
Tuesday, March 11, 2025
8:30 a.m. – 3:30 p.m.
MCIT Building
100 Empire Drive, St. Paul
There will also be a tour of the SMSC Organics Recycling Facility in Shakopee on Monday afternoon. Space is limited!
All SWAA members are invited to join the SWAA Executive Board for dinner at AMC on the evening of Monday, March 10.
Pre-registration is now closed. Please contact Bob Libal with any questions or if you’re still interested in attending.
2024 WINTER TRAINING – PRESENTATIONS/HANDOUNTS
SWA101: Certificate of Need for County Government & Landfills (Heidi’s Presentation & Drew’s Presentation) – Heidi Ringhofer, MPCA & Drew Hatzenbihler, Morrison County
Historic Preservation & the Deconstruction Movement: Looking to the Past for a More Sustainable Future – Emily Noyes, Rethos
Lithium Ion Battery Safety Products & Battery ERP Law – Jennifer Volkman, MPCA
Ramsey/Washington Food Scraps Pickup Program – Annalee Garletz, Ramsey/Washington Recycling & Energy & Gabe Reynolds, Ramsey County
MPCA Materials & Solid Waste Management Grants – Jeannie Given, MPCA
Ponderosa Landfill: Rustling Up Change – Mark Manderfeld & Jason Steffen, Blue Earth County
Utilizing Compost – John Exner, Dakota County
2023 WINTER TRAINING – PRESENTATIONS/HANDOUTS
Strategies for Surplus Goods – Emily Barker, Executive Director, ReUse Minnesota
Source Reduction and Reuse Survey Summary – Colleen Hetzel, Waste Reduction Policy Specialist & Annika Bergen, Reuse Specialist, Minnesota Pollution Control Agency
Small Town, Big City Services: Customizing Recycling for Rural Minnesota – Cory Suonvieri, Deputy Clerk, City of Floodwood & Dawn Lamping, Executive Director, Floodwood Services and Training, Inc.
SWA 101 (SCORE Report)
- Presentation: Ben Crowell, Solid Waste Planner, Minnesota Pollution Control Agency
- Presentation: Lorilee Blais, Environmental Program Coordinator, Western Lake Superior Sanitary District
Reclaiming Gold: A Business Case for Fair Chance Employment – Dara Strickland, HR Generalist, Repowered
- Minnesota Employers’ Fair Chance Hiring Guide – Twin Cities RISE
Tribal and Local Government Collaboration in Solid Waste – Amy Moore, Environmental Coordinator, White Earth Reservation & Sandy Gunderson, Regional Household Hazardous Waste Coordinator/Recycling Coordinator/Waste Educator, Becker County
Leading in Organics Recycling: The Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux (SMSC) Organics Program – Megan Dobratz, Owner/Founder, LEED AP, Native Sustainability & Erin Skelly, Environment and Compliance Technician, SMSC Organics Recycling Facility & Dustin Montey, Assistant Manager, SMSC Organics Recycling Facility
Legislative Update – Brian Martinson, Environment and Natural Resources Policy Analyst, Association of Minnesota Counties
Improving Nutrition Access to the Food Insecure through Food Rescue – Greg Pavett, Executive Director, The Humanity Alliance
2022 SWAA WINTER TRAINING – PRESENTATIONS/HANDOUTS
Hennepin County Anaerobic Digestion Project
Mitigation of Constituents of Concern in St. Louis County Landfill Leacchate
Olmsted County SCORE Reporting Process
PFAS Legislative Updates from AMC
Reintroduction to Leachate Recirculation
The State of Solid Waste in MN – MPCA Commissioner Kessler Presentation
2021 SWAA WINTER TRAINING – PRESENTATIONS/HANDOUTS
Bonds & Insurance 101 – Megan Corradi & Margaret Corradi | Stein Insurance Agency
The Evolving Insurance Market – John Frank & David Lewis | Mahoney Group
Dakota County’s Internal Sustainable Purchasing Efforts – Renee Burman | Dakota County
“Out of the Box” Waste Prevention Ideas and Practical Plan for Creation and Outreach – Brian Olson | Beltrami County
Reuse Centers 101 – Panel Discussion
Tim Lundell | WLSSD
Sandy Gunderson and Steve Skoog | Becker County
Josh Holte | Hubbard County
Capital Assistance Program (CAP)
Overview – Jeannie Given | Minnesota Pollution Control Agency
CAP Funding and the Legislature – Brian Martinson | Association of Minnesota Counties
CAP Planning and Implementing – Steve Vrchota and Nathan Reinbold | Pope/Douglas Solid Waste Management (PDSWM) – full video here!
Innovations and Success Stories
Cedar Walters | Otter Tail County
Christine McCarthy | Lake County
Compost Plant Management – Joseph Aschl, Dipl.-Ing. | Aschl Management Systems
Olmsted County’s System – Erick Brower & Tony Hill | Olmsted County
2020 SWAA Winter Training – presentations/handouts
Solid Waste 101: Designation, Chris McConn – Solid Waste Director, Otter Tail County
Solid Waste 101: Certificate of Need, Sig Scheurle – Planning Director, MPCA
Solid Waste 101: Solid Waste Management Tax, Mark Rust – Supervisor, Sustainable Materials Management Unit, MPCA
Solid Waste 101: Market Price, John Helmers – Former Director, Olmsted County Environmental Resources Department
Vape Device and Battery Management: Jennifer Volkman – Household Hazardous Waste Program Coordinator, MPCA
Solar Panel Disposal and Recycling: Rick Tisdale – Senior Engineer, Cedar Creek Energy
Minnesota Pollution Control Agency Updates – February 2020
Chronic Wasting Disease Handout
Laboratory Analyses & Chemicals of Concern: Isaac Schmidt and Daniel George – Account Executives, Pace Analytical Services
Background Concentrations of Geologic Contaminants in Minnesota Groundwater: Jared Trost – Hydrologist / Mindy Erickson, Ph.D. – Research Hydrologist, U.S. Geological Survey, Upper Midwest Science Center (Handout only: presentation is not available.)
Recycling Contracts – Best Practices: Robert Craggs, P.E. – Department Manager, Solid Waste and Resource Recovery, Burns & McDonnel