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Clay County approves land‑gas monitor; solid waste director reports recycling, leachate and staffing improvements
Summary
The board approved purchase of a QED GEM 5000 gas monitor for $19,345 and heard a Solid Waste Department update that highlighted household hazardous waste tonnage, reuse/distribution, leachate management, a new compactor and a successful freon‑removal program.
The Clay County Board on March 11 approved the purchase of a QED GEM 5000 landfill gas monitor for $19,345 and received a comprehensive Solid Waste Department update.
Director Corey told the board the county’s 15‑year‑old landfill gas monitor could not be upgraded and that staff obtained two bids; the QED unit was chosen although its bid was slightly higher because it matches the county’s existing unit type (used by the county’s consultant) and stores data internally—advantages for field use in cold weather. The Solid Waste Advisory Committee (SWAC) recommended the purchase.
Corey reported 2024 highlights for the Solid Waste and Resource Recovery Center (RRC): - Household hazardous waste (HHW): 99,314 pounds (49.7 tons) processed in 2024, serving 1,745 households; 2,656 pounds of usable product were redistributed to 393 individuals. - Customer counts: the RRC averaged about 46 private customers per day (about 12,450 customers for the year). - Landfill volumes: the county compacted 47,801.64 tons of material in 2024, with municipal solid waste, mixed demo, fines/bypass and ash reported in staff slides. - Leachate management: the county delivered 1,549,800 gallons of leachate to Pelican Rapids in 2024, producing reported savings of $32,545.80; in total the county delivered roughly 1.73 million gallons last year across destinations. - Equipment and operations: a new landfill compactor (delivered September 2024) provides a seven‑year useful life with two potential rebuilds; on‑site freon removal started late last year and generated an estimated $34,825 positive swing to the solid waste budget (not counting metal recycling reimbursements). The department plans to seek about $25,000 in a future budget item to insulate/heat a garage to enable year‑round freon removal.
Corey also said staffing turnover in 2024 included the departure of three senior employees (landfill manager, recycling and education coordinator, and one equipment operator). The department reorganized roles and hired four employees, creating a landfill technician and an office clerk to improve operational coverage.
Why it matters: improved leachate management, on‑site freon removal and the new compactor reduced operating risk and produced budgetary savings; the gas monitor purchase is intended to keep monitoring and reporting current and maintain compliance.
Action: The board approved the QED GEM 5000 purchase after SWAC recommendation.
Ending: Solid Waste staff said county and neighboring counties are studying regional responses to forthcoming MPCA rules on construction and demolition material, and the department will present options before final decisions are required.
