Increasing concern about a lack of landfill space, groundwater contamination, and the public taking a “Not In My Backyard” stance toward landfills, many communities began to look for alternatives to landfilling solid waste in the 1980’s. By the late 1980’s and early 1990’s as many as 46 counties in Minnesota sent their waste to 17 facilities such as Municipal Waste Incinerators, Municipal Waste Compost Facilities and Refuse Derived Fuel Facilities.

The Perham Resource Recovery Facility, governed by the Prairie Lakes Municipal Solid Waste Authority, is a Waste to Energy facility in Perham, MN. Waste to Energy (WTE) facilities burn Municipal Solid Waste (MSW), also called garbage, and use it to generate steam. The steam can either be used directly as a heating source, or it can turn a turbine to produce electricity. WTE facilities help reduce the volume of MSW and generate energy at the same time. The Perham Resource Recovery Facility is a vital part of our integrated waste management system which includes solid waste reduction and disposal, recycling, and household hazardous waste management and disposal.