Work to begin on new Washington County toxic waste facility

Washington County will soon begin work on a second household hazardous waste facility, this one in Forest Lake, to make it easier for county residents to safely throw away paint, batteries, cleaners, oils, pesticides and other toxic products. The groundbreaking for the 30,000-sq.-ft. Northern Environmental Center will take place next month, said Joe Welter, senior product manager for building services at Washington County.

The site, at 20001 N. Forest Blvd., is expected to open in the fall of 2024. It will be open year-round, but hours will likely vary depending on the time of year.

The county's existing household hazardous waste site in Woodbury has been open for about a decade, but is not convenient for residents living in the northern part of the county to reach, Welter said. The point of building a second site was to make it possible for anyone in Washington County to get to a household hazardous waste drop-off site within 25 minutes of driving.

The Forest Lake site will also accept grass clippings, leaves, wood trimmings, and general yard and wood waste, Welter said. The materials will be transferred to other facilities for burning in waste-to-energy sites or composted elsewhere.

Kraus-Anderson will construct the facility, including loading docks, covered drop-off areas and an adjacent yard waste drop-off area. The site's two buildings will be attached by a canopy. The construction phase will cost $11.4 million; the project's total cost, including last purchase, equipment and other costs, comes to $18.34 million, Welter said.

Kraus-Anderson, founded in 1897, is based in Minneapolis. The site was designed by HCM Architects, also of Minneapolis.