What Pope/Douglas Solid Waste Management does

Pope/Douglas Solid Waste Management is an intergovernmental joint-powers partnership established in 1983 by the County Boards of Commissioners of Pope County and Douglas County in western Minnesota, formed pursuant to the Minnesota Waste Management Act of 1980. It provides integrated solid waste management services to residential and commercial customers across five counties (Douglas, Pope, Grant, Stevens, and Otter Tail), operating from a single integrated campus. Core infrastructure includes a Waste-to-Energy facility commissioned in 1988 with capacity to process 240 tons of municipal solid waste per day through three combustors, a 4-megawatt electrical generator, and steam offtake equivalent to 76,000 thousand pounds per year supplied to Pope County. Supporting assets include a Materials Recovery Facility (MRF) built in 2003 for recyclable sorting, the Glacial Ridge Compost Facility opened in September 2022 for organics processing, an Ash Landfill for combustion residuals, and a distributed network of Environmental Centers for source-separated collection and household hazardous waste disposal.

The partnership's service portfolio spans residential curbside and drop-off recycling, business recycling subscriptions, organics recycling for more than 130 commercial accounts, household hazardous waste disposal, appliance and electronics recycling, specialty burn programs, and ash disposal. Underlying technology centers on combustion-based volume reduction with energy recovery, mechanical recyclables sorting, and aerobic composting; the entity does not disclose proprietary software platforms but relies on standard supervisory control systems for facility operations.

The business model is a regulated government-utility construct with no sales motion. Revenue is generated through solid waste service assessments (mandatory county-level fees), hauler tipping fees at the WTE/MRF scale, and item-specific fees for items such as appliances, tires, televisions, and household hazardous waste. The partnership holds MPCA permits and CHWMEG certification, and is governed jointly by the two founding counties. Staffing is lean at approximately 11 employees, with operational labor supplemented by contracted haulers serving the regional environmental-center network.

Name

Pope/Douglas Solid Waste Management

Legal name

Pope/Douglas Solid Waste Management

Website

https://popedouglasrecycle.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1983

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Pope/Douglas Solid Waste Management is an intergovernmental partnership between Pope and Douglas Counties in western Minnesota that operates integrated municipal solid waste services — including a waste-to-energy facility, MRF, compost facility, ash landfill, and environmental centers — for residential and commercial customers across five counties.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Waste Management Services

NAICS

Waste Treatment and Disposal (56221), Solid Waste Collection (562111), Materials Recovery Facilities (56292), Hazardous Waste Collection (562112)

SIC

Refuse Systems (4953), Hazardous Waste Management (4955), Sanitary Services (4950)

akta.pro primary industry

Inert / Monofill Disposal (Ash, Sludge, C&D Fines, Contaminated Soils) (EUAIACAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Universal Waste Management (Batteries, Lamps, Mercury-Containing) (BPALAHAL), Hazardous Waste & Universal Waste Handling (Batteries, Lamps, Aerosols) (BPABALAE), Universal Waste Management (Batteries, Lamps, Mercury Devices, Aerosols) (BPALAFAJ)

Keywords

• Solid waste management
• Waste-to-energy processing
• Recycling services
• Composting operations
• Household hazardous waste

Headquarters

HQ city

Alexandria

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices6 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Supply Chain, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Solid Waste Service Fees: County-level service fees adopted by the Pope/Douglas Solid Waste Management Board to fund operations. Mandated by the State of Minnesota's Waste Management Act of 1980. Covers most services including household hazardous waste drop-off, recycling programs, organics recycling, and specialty burn programs for county residents.
2. Hauler Tipping Fees: Fees charged to licensed waste haulers for dropping off waste at Pope/Douglas facilities (Resource Recovery Facility/WTE, MRF). Services for MRF and WTE are made possible with hauler tipping fees. Non-hazardous industrial waste, specialty burn programs, and commercial drop-offs also generate tipping fee revenue.
3. Item-Specific Fees: Fees charged for specific items/services such as electronics recycling at the Environmental Center. Appliances are accepted at no charge. Specialty burn programs charge county-of-generation-based price structures.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Pope/Douglas Solid Waste Management is a county-level intergovernmental partnership providing integrated solid waste, recycling, organics, and household hazardous waste services for Pope and Douglas Counties, Minnesota. Core operations include a Resource Recovery Facility (Waste-to-Energy) processing up to 240 tons/day, a Materials Recovery Facility removing recyclables from the waste stream, the Glacial Ridge Compost Facility serving five counties with Aerated Static Pile technology, public drop-off Environmental Centers for residential and business recycling and hazardous waste, curbside single-sort recycling, and CHWMEG-certified specialty burn programs for confidential documents, pharmaceuticals, and confiscated drugs.

Product overview

Pope/Douglas Solid Waste Management is a county-level solid waste management partnership providing integrated waste, recycling, and organics processing services across Pope and Douglas Counties, Minnesota. The organization operates a unified system centered on a Materials Recovery Facility (MRF) and Resource Recovery Facility (Waste-to-Energy), with ancillary facilities including an Environmental Center for hazardous waste and public recycling drop-offs, and the Glacial Ridge Compost Facility for regional commercial composting. Key service offerings include curbside single-sort recycling, organics recycling drop sites, specialty burn programs for confidential documents and drugs, electronics/appliance recycling, household hazardous waste drop-off, and business recycling grant programs. The portfolio is managed as a single integrated operation rather than a platform-plus-modules architecture, with all facilities coordinated under one administrative structure.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Glacial Ridge Compost Facility: Regional composting facility owned and operated by Pope/Douglas Solid Waste, serving Douglas, Pope, Grant, Stevens, and Otter Tail counties in Minnesota. Accepts organics including food scraps, napkins, paper towels, and certified compostable products for processing into STA Certified Compost.

Products and services

• Resource Recovery Facility (Waste-to-Energy) A waste-to-energy incineration facility that processes garbage from Pope and Douglas Counties, combusting waste at 1,800°F to generate 76,000 M pounds of steam at 170 psi. Operates 24/7/365 with a permitted capacity of 240 tons per day. Restricted to licensed haulers and contracted entities.
• Materials Recovery Facility (MRF) A pre-processing facility that removes recyclables, hazardous items, and problematic materials from delivered trash before it is sent to the Waste-to-Energy facility. Runs two shifts Monday–Friday with occasional Saturday operations. From 2004–2007 it processed 97,800 tons of MSW and removed 6,800 tons (7%) of recyclable materials.
• Environmental Center (Alexandria) A public-facing drive-through facility at 1916 Nokomis Street, Alexandria, accepting household hazardous waste, appliances, electronics, scrap metal, single-sort recycling, cardboard, mattresses, styrofoam, bagged garbage, bulky furniture, and organics. Includes a Reuse Center for recovered household hazardous waste items. Open Monday/Tuesday/Thursday/Friday 8–4 and 2nd & 4th Saturday 8–2.
• Environmental Center (Starbuck) A drop-off site located at 827 Industrial Park, Starbuck, serving Pope County residents. Accepts single-sort recycling, cardboard, and other materials. HHW only accepted at the Alexandria Environmental Center. Open Tuesday & Thursday 8–4 year-round.
• Glacial Ridge Compost Facility A regional commercial composting facility that processes organics (food scraps, yard waste, and certified compostable items) from a multi-county area, producing STA-certified compost and bagged compost products for soil amendment and erosion control. Uses Aerated Static Pile bunkers designed in partnership with Engineered Compost Systems, achieving PFRP (Process to Further Reduce Pathogens). Accepts large-scale organics from garbage haulers, contractors, and industrial manufacturers only — no public drop-off. 1,000 tons/year transfer capacity.
• Specialty Burn Program Specialized incineration programs, certified through CHWMEG, for household and business confidential documents, confiscated drugs, pharmaceuticals, and non-hazardous industrial wastes. Business confidential burn available Tuesdays & Wednesdays by appointment; drug/pharmaceutical burn available Wednesdays by appointment. Local law enforcement items generated in Pope/Douglas Counties are free of charge.
• Ash Landfill & Metal Recovery Facility A hazardous-waste-designed ash landfill receiving ash from the Waste-to-Energy Facility, combined with a Metal Recovery Facility that extracts ferrous and non-ferrous metals from mined ash for recycling. The metal recovery process extends landfill life by recovering volumetric headspace.
• Curbside Recycling Single-sort curbside recycling service for single-family households, duplexes, and triplexes in Pope and Douglas Counties. Materials are processed at the Materials Recovery Facility.
• Household Hazardous Waste Drop-Off Drop-off and reuse center accepting household hazardous waste including paints, batteries, motor oil, fluorescent bulbs, pesticides, and Sharps/medical waste, plus satellite collection at Ace Hardware in Glenwood. Free disposal for items generated in Pope/Douglas Counties through solid waste service fees.
• Electronics & Appliance Recycling Acceptance of electronics (with per-item fees) and appliances (no charge) at the Environmental Center, including scrap wire, cell phones, printer cartridges, and household landline phones.
• Organics Recycling Drop Sites Network of year-round organics drop sites across Pope and Douglas Counties — over 10 locations including Alexandria (Central & North), Garfield/Ida Township, Brandon, Miltona, Starbuck, Villard, Long Beach, and Osakis. The North Alexandria/Habitat for Humanity site is open 24/7/365. Materials are delivered to the Glacial Ridge Compost Facility.
• Competitive Business Recycling Grants Program Competitive grant program assisting businesses and commercial entities in setting up or improving recycling and organics recycling programs through funding for bins, signs, stickers, and facility modifications.
• Events Recycling Assistance Program Program providing loanable recycling and organics recycling bins, compostable supplies, and the Green Warrior Assistance Program with youth group grants for bin monitoring and event education.
• Swap Events & Fix-It Clinics Community reuse events providing opportunities to exchange reusable items (Swap Events) and repair clinics connecting volunteers with residents to fix broken items and teach repair skills (Fix-It Clinics). Fix-It Clinics are funded through a Statewide Waste Reduction and Reuse grant from MPCA in partnership with Reuse Minnesota.
• Waste Warrior Disposal Guide An interactive search tool powered by ReCollect that allows residents and businesses to look up how to properly recycle or dispose of specific waste items, directing users to the correct disposal method via the ReCollect widget embedded on the website.

Quantifiable outcome

• 17,202 tons of waste processed in first year (1988); 31,671 tons in 2007; 476,009 tons over 20 years
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers12 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration2 records

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered core, supporting and minor.

• Engineered Compost SystemscoreTechnology or IntegrationTechnical partnership for the design and development of the Aerated Static Pile (ASP) composting system at the Glacial Ridge Compost Facility. Engineered Compost Systems provided the facility and equipment design agreement, including bunkers and monitoring systems to achieve PFRP (Process to Further Reduce Pathogens) efficiently.
• SEH (Short Elliott Hendrickson)supportingTechnology or IntegrationTechnical assistance and partnership with SEH to develop a site plan for the Glacial Ridge Compost Facility expansion (Phase 2), including development of an Aerated Static Pile system adjacent to the existing organics transfer station.
• CHWMEG (Clinical and Environmental Health Waste Management Expert Group)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCHWMEG is the 3rd Party Environmental Certification Agency through which Pope/Douglas is certified for its specialty burn programs. Certification ensures compliance and environmental standards for burn disposal operations.
• ReCollect (Routeware)supportingTechnology or IntegrationReCollect (via routeware.com) provides the Waste Warrior Disposal Guide widget on Pope/Douglas's website, allowing users to search for proper disposal/recycling guidance by typing in a waste item name.
• Tri-County Organics (St. Cloud, MN)supportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerDuring the organics pilot phase (2017-2019) and Phase 1 (2020), organics collected by Pope/Douglas were transported to Tri-County Organics near St. Cloud for composting. This partnership supported the regional organics program until the Glacial Ridge Compost Facility became operational in 2022.
• Agralite Electric Cooperative, Lake Region Cooperative Electric Association, Alexandria Light and Power, Runestone Electric Association, Xcel EnergysupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerPope/Douglas manages a cooperative fluorescent bulb recycling program in partnership with these electric utilities. Residents and businesses served by these utilities can recycle fluorescent bulbs at the Pope/Douglas Household Hazardous Waste Facility or designated recycling partners free of charge.
• Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMPCA is the state regulatory agency that sets solid waste and recycling mandates, issues permits for Pope/Douglas facilities (WTE, Ash Landfill, MRF, Compost Facility), and provides funding through programs such as the Capital Assistance Program (CAP) for composting infrastructure.
• Minnesota Department of AgriculturesupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerSponsors the pesticide waste collection program at Pope/Douglas. The program accepts pesticide wastes from farms, agricultural businesses, and pesticide applicators. Free disposal for pesticides in 55-gallon and smaller containers.
• Minnesota Pollution Control Agency / Reuse MinnesotasupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerFix-It Clinics are funded through a Statewide Waste Reduction and Reuse grant from the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency, in partnership with Reuse Minnesota. The program connects community volunteers with residents to repair broken items and divert waste from landfill/WTE.
• Justin Pearson FoundationminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerJustin Pearson Foundation funded the bin construction for drug drop-off locations in Pope and Douglas Counties, including drop boxes at Brandon City Hall, Douglas County Sheriff's Office, Pope/Douglas Solid Waste Management, and Osakis Police/City Hall.
• Local Law Enforcement AgenciessupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerDrug drop-off box sites are monitored in partnership with local and county law enforcement agencies. Local law enforcement agencies also use Pope/Douglas specialty burn programs for confiscated drug destruction. No charge for local law enforcement items generated in Pope/Douglas Counties.
• Pope and Douglas CountiescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPope/Douglas Solid Waste Management is a partnership created by Pope and Douglas Counties in 1983 to manage the solid waste stream generated in both counties. Counties are responsible for meeting state mandates and adopt solid waste service fees to fund operations.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves10 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Waste Management Inc. North America's largest waste services company with landfills, transfer stations, recycling, and organics processing. Comparable in offering collection, MRF-style recycling, organics, and HHW (through WM's environmental services arm) at massive scale.
• Recology: Employee-owned integrated waste management company operating MRFs, composting facilities, and collection services on the West Coast. Comparable in operating materials recovery facilities, organics composting, and integrated diversion services.
• Wheelabrator Technologies: One of North America's largest waste-to-energy operators running dozens of combustion facilities with metal recovery from ash. Broadly comparable technology stack (WTE combustion, ash metal recovery, energy generation) but at much greater scale and as a private operator rather than a county partnership.
• Covanta Holding Corporation: Major publicly traded waste-to-energy and environmental services company operating facilities across North America. Comparable WTE combustion, energy recovery, and metals-from-ash processes, though at industrial scale and with a broader service portfolio.

Regional players

• Casella Waste Systems: Regional solid waste, recycling, and resource management company serving the Northeastern US with a growing organics and recycling footprint. Comparable integrated services in waste collection, materials recovery, and organics processing, though in a different geographic region.

Direct peers

• Sherburne County Solid Waste: Sherburne County operates a solid waste facility including a balefill and HHW/recycling programs. Comparable as a Minnesota county-owned integrated waste authority performing collection, processing, and disposal functions similar to Pope/Douglas.
• Stearns County Solid Waste: Central Minnesota county partner of Tri-County Organics (which supported Pope/Douglas's pre-2022 organics processing). Similar regional role in HHW, recycling, and organics for a comparable rural county footprint.
• Carver County Environmental Services: Carver County's C&D recycling facility and integrated solid waste services adjacent to the Twin Cities metro. Comparable as a Minnesota county solid waste authority delivering recycling, organics, and disposal services to residents and haulers.
• Olmsted County Environmental Resources: County-operated environmental resources department serving Rochester, MN and Olmsted County with HHW, recycling, and disposal programs. Closest peer in scale and structure: another Minnesota county partnership delivering integrated waste, recycling, and education services under state mandate.
• Washington County Environmental Center: Washington County operates the Environmental Center providing HHW drop-off, recycling, and household services. Comparable county-run environmental center model serving residential customers in a similar regulatory framework under MPCA oversight.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCU31YjZDNTfRfKZZf9UeBsg
• Facebookfacebook.com/popedouglasrecycle
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/pope-douglas-solid-waste-management

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Pope/Douglas Solid Waste Management