MPCA investigating origin of infectious waste found at trash facility

The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency is investigating how loads containing infectious human and animal waste ended up at the Ramsey/Washington Recycling and Energy Center in Newport.

Employees at the waste-to-energy facility began noticing the loads – which included blood and organs – in May. They reported the illegal materials to supervisors, who, in turn, notified officials from the MPCA, said Michael Reed, Ramsey County’s division manager for public health and environment.

“It wasn’t just one load and then we didn’t see anymore, it was a number of loads coming in,” Reed said. “The safety of our employees is our highest priority, and this represents an unacceptable risk to them. It is disgusting, and it’s unacceptable.”

Among the items found: human tissue; IV tubing containing liquids that could be blood; suction devices or suction canisters used in surgery centers that contained blood, an...