Minnesota city declares state of emergency over waste collection

St. Paul, Minnesota, Mayor Melvin Carter has declared a state of emergency to ensure waste collection will continue uninterrupted, Minnesota Public Radio reports.

Carter’s declaration temporarily suspends zoning regulations to allow waste collection while a zoning dispute with Houston-based global waste management and recycling firm FCC Environmental Services is settled, allowing the company to start collecting waste for the majority of St. Paul residential households this week, according to the report.

“Trash collection is not optional,” Carter says. “It’s a basic public service that impacts the health and safety of every single person in our community. This week, over 65,000 St. Paul households are scheduled to have their trash picked up by a new provider. That change must happen on time and without disruption.”

Carter is asking the St. Paul City Council to extend his three-day emergency declaration for 90 days so the city can work through the zoning issues, which center around the proposed St. Paul headquarters for FCC Environmental Services. City officials declared the property compliant with zoning requirements, but the approval process was delayed when council approved an appeal of that decision, Minnesota Public Radio reports.

The city awarded FCC with a seven-year contract in May of 2024. The comprehensive contract includes providing waste management for about 300,000 residents as well as recycling services for 1,770 residential properties with five or more units.

As part of the agreement, FCC pledged to invest more than $25 million to build a headquarters facility with a compressed natural gas station for fueling, maintaining and storing 30 collection trucks.

Nearby residents have expressed concerns about noise, air pollution, traffic congestion and other issues related to the proposed facility.