North Shore Waste aims to use electric vehicles, composting to improve waste management in Cook County

North Shore Waste is looking for a greener way to handle waste management in Cook County.

A small group of local officials and community members gathered Sept. 19 on 11 acres the local waste management company purchased to build a new waste transfer station. The site is located near the eastern edge of city limits in Grand Marais.

North Shore Waste co-owner Dustin Hanson said the new transfer station, which the business hopes to complete by 2024, will feature a collection solar panels. The facility will include chargers to support a fleet of electric garbage trucks the company plans to purchase in the coming years, both large trucks and smaller pickups. Also included in the plan is a composting system at the indoor facility and transfer station. The composting system would help eliminate the amount of waste that needs to be transferred from Cook County to a dump site in the Duluth area.

The history of waste management in Cook County is complex and can be a heated topic when viewed through a historical lens. The history dates back decades and includes issues with bears, shuttered landfills and great costs associated with transferring garbage down the North Shore.

Purchasing an electric garbage truck was the highlight of Monday’s gathering at North Shore Waste. Purchasing the truck, which the company hopes to do in the coming years, would not only reduce the amount of fuel the business needs, it would also be better for the environment in terms of carbon emissions. As it stands, Hanson said North Shore Waste can spend up to $1,200 daily on diesel collecting and transferring garbage.

Hanson said the transfer station on the 11 acres adjacent to the current transfer station remains in a design phase but that progress is happening quickly.

WTIP’s Joe Friedrichs attended the event and shares this report. Audio below.

Joe Friedrichs September 20, 2022