& Recycling
The Western Lake Superior Sanitary District was created by the Minnesota Legislature in 1971 to address serious environmental pollution problems in the lower St. Louis River Basin. Initially, the legislature charged the District with the responsibility of improving and protecting the waters of the St. Louis River and its tributaries. Additional legislation was passed in 1974, giving the District the added responsibility of solid waste management.
WLSSD covers an area of 530 square miles that includes the cities of Duluth, Cloquet, Carlton, Scanlon, Wrenshall, Hermantown, Proctor, and Thomson; and the rural townships of Silver Brook, Thomson, Twin Lakes, Canosia, Duluth, Grand Lake, Lakewood, Midway, Rice Lake and Solway. WLSSD is governed by a nine-member citizen board. Four members are appointed by the City of Duluth, three by the City of Cloquet, one by Carlton County cities and townships and one by St. Louis County cities and townships.
The District also has an expanded solid waste service area, which includes Lake, Cook and Carlton counties and a portion of south St. Louis County. The District works with the authorities in these areas to encourage waste reduction, recycling and appropriate disposal of waste. Waste from these counties passes through the WLSSD transfer station.
The WLSSD Board of Directors passed the Solid Waste Ordinance on September 21, 2009. The ordinance establishes standards for regulating Solid Waste Management with the intention of promoting the health, welfare and safety of the public and protecting the environment.
The Ordinance covers the following general topics:
- Solid Waste Management and Recycling
- Enforcement
- Solid Waste Management Charges and Fees
- Collector Licensing
- Facility Licensing
- Solid Waste Management and Recycling
The sheer magnitude and nature of the wastes generated by our society demands a coordinated, comprehensive approach to the problem. Proper management of waste materials is the most basic aspect of protecting human and environmental health.
The WLSSD’s approach to managing solid waste is very different from those of the past. Waste is no longer considered merely a material to burn or be discarded in a landfill, but is often given another look to determine if valuable resources exist where waste was seen before. The District’s progress toward resource recovery and pollution prevention is the result of dedicated individual effort and close cooperation by industry and federal, state, and local governments.
Educational efforts aimed at helping both residential and business customers to reduce their negative impact on the environment are an important aspect of the District’s pollution prevention programs. The District believes that preventing pollution beforehand, rather than cleaning up afterward, provides a sound and cost-effective approach to waste management for both today and the future.
Solid Waste Ordinance (pdf)
Solid Waste Management Fee (pdf)