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HF1352 would class nonprofit thrift resale as residential generators for solid‑waste tax purposes
Summary
Rep. Witte’s bill would change the definition of residential generators to include nonprofit thrift resale stores that accept donated goods, lowering the state solid‑waste tax rate applied to those organizations from the commercial rate to the residential rate, proponents said the savings would be reinvested into community programs.
Representative Witte said House File 13 52 aims to recognize that nonprofit thrift retailers receive residential donations and are primarily diverting material from the waste stream rather than producing commercial waste. “Nonprofit thrift retailers are not commercial producers of waste, but rather recipients of residential donations,” Witte said.
Deanna Smiley Gulliford, Director of Public Affairs for Goodwill Easterseals Minnesota, testified that nonprofit thrift organizations divert millions of pounds from landfills and that taxing their trash at the commercial rate penalizes donations that are mostly residential. “Including nonprofit thrift in the residential definition will impact organizations across the state and in your communities,” she said and listed groups such as Value Village, Salvation Army and Goodwill.
Emily Barker, Executive Director for Reuse Minnesota, said thrift organizations receive donations that sometimes cannot be resold (broken, moldy, too dirty) and that the current commercial rate of 17% on solid‑waste disposal charges imposes a higher cost than the residential rate of 9.75%. Barker said savings would be reinvested in programs providing employment, housing supports and services for people with disabilities.
Committee members asked the department and members had no formal objections on record; Representative Witte renewed his motion and the committee laid the bill over for possible inclusion in the omnibus tax bill.
