Facility serves residents from four area counties

By Tom Hintgen

Otter Tail County Correspondent

The counties of Otter Tail, Becker, Clay, Todd and Wadena comprise the Prairie Lakes Municipal Solid Waste Authority which operates a waste-to-energy facility in Perham. This resource recovery facility includes solid waste reduction and disposal, recycling and household hazardous waste management.

Employees at the facility in Perham process more than 50,000 tons per year of municipal solid waste into steam that is utilized by Tuffy’s Pet Foods and Bongards Creameries in Perham. This burning process generates less pollutants than burying waste in a landfill.

“Without resource recovery facilities, there would be a significant increase in the amount of materials landfilled, going against the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency’s preferred methods of waste management,” said Bob Lahman, chairman of the Otter Tail County Board of Commissioners.

In 2014 the Prairie Lakes Municipal Solid Waste Authority made several state-of-the-art improvements at the facility in Perham. These investments, with the approval of Otter Tail County and neighboring counties, improved air quality and removed recyclable materials prior to combustion.

“We also look at the sources of waste,” Lahman said. “Waste reduction, reuse and recycling are all of the utmost importance.”

Chris McConn is the solid waste director for Otter Tail County. McConn and his employees recognize waste reduction, reuse, recycling, composting and resource recovery as keys to a sustainable waste management system. They reduce landfilling by sending waste to the Perham Resource Recovery Facility.

“We also educate county residents about waste reduction, recycling, composting and property disposal,” McConn said.