Zero Burn Coalition

06/18/2026

💯 Council Member Chavez: Smith Foundry. Bituminous Roadways. The HERC trash burner. Polluting facilities get almost always get placed in historically disenfranchised communities.

06/17/2026

"Why not make sure bets instead of risky ones? Why not build green infrastructure in the foundations of a climate-resilient city that creates a bounty of stable, green union jobs? A moratorium creates the boundary that could invite a just future like this into being." - Prof. Leslie Myint, Policy and Research Director, MNEJT

06/16/2026

TODAY: DEFEND THE MORATORIUM! When speculative bubbles burst, BIPOC communities hold the bag. Every time. Data centers are no different. Show up today -- 1:30 PM, City Hall, Business, Housing & Zoning Committee.

06/11/2026

The HERC trash burner poisons the air over Minneapolis. Then it ships the toxic ash to northern Dakota County and landfills it near the river and the prairie where bison have returned to land they hadn't roamed in nearly two centuries.

"The same machine that has poisoned the air over Minneapolis is threatening the ground and the water in Dakota County." - Anita Martinez, Inver Grove Heights.

06/10/2026

The Minnesota Center for Environmental Advocacy, a member of the Zero Burn Coalition, will send Hennepin County a legal demand letter requiring the county to comply with state law by accounting for the lead, mercury, dioxins, and forever chemicals in the HERC trash burner's ash.

06/05/2026

The waste management industry is increasingly pushing trash incinerators as a solution to waste from synthetic forever chemicals known as PFAS. A new industry trade group report alleges that Minnesota's incinerators are reducing their PFAS chemical emissions by 99.6 percent. However, experts say that U.S. incinerators are largely failing to eliminate PFAS air pollution.

A former DuPont PFAS scientist criticized the industry-backed study in Minnesota, saying there is insufficient data to support the conclusion. Research suggests incineration can create smaller toxic PFAS byproducts, and airborne PFAS risks may be greater than previously understood.

These findings raise serious concerns about how PFAS can spread through the air and persist in the environment. If PFAS incineration is creating toxic byproducts, we need stronger oversight and faster action to reduce the use of PFAS-containing products.

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/may/30/garbage-incinerators-pfas-forever-chemicals

06/02/2026

Hennepin County says the HERC trash burner is safe.

But a study they point to was funded by the trash incinerator industry's own trade group 🤔

And the county official who oversees the burner, David McNary, is that group's secretary-treasurer.

That isn't oversight. It's a conflict of interest.

05/30/2026

HUGE NEWS: The incinerator industry says burning trash destroys PFAS. The The Guardian just reported on the indepedent science that proves that's false.

Who do you trust to keep us safe?

Henn. County Commrs: follow the science. Close HERC.

05/28/2026

We're heartbroken for our labor comrades, coalition members, and everyone grieving this tragic loss. Please support Khalid's family if you're able.

MACE, the staff union of the frontline workers of AFSCME Council 5 MN … Dane Ryan needs your support for Supporting Khalid's young family after tragic death.

05/27/2026

“...a federal lawsuit filed by Earthjustice and the Environmental Integrity Project has confirmed what communities like ours have known for decades: the EPA and agencies like it have been captured by the industries they were created to regulate. The rules are written to protect the polluters. The communities breathing the pollution are an afterthought,” said Nazir Khan, a member of the coalition and co-founder of the Minnesota Environmental Justice Table."