Sustainability is an important part of the mission of the Metropolitan Mosquito Control District and we have enacted several programs and work groups with the goal of finding innovative ways to reduce waste, control costs, and protect the environment. We are constantly striving to improve our sustainability efforts to ensure we are supporting our staff, communities, and environment.
Below are some of the initiatives that have helped MMCD become more sustainable:
Reducing Waste
Saving plastic, fuel, and staff time by switching to bulk containers for black fly treatments
Reducing the numbers of biting black flies that emerge from rivers requires applying a liquid control material to their habitat. Early in the MMCD black fly program this process consisted of using dozens of plastic jugs and more 20-28 staff members to do a single treatment. This process was necessary to reduce black fly numbers, but created lots of plastic waste, used excessive fuel for transporting staff and materials, and required an inordinate amount of staff time.
Recently, MMCD has switched to an innovative bulk treatment which was pioneered by staff at the Jordan facility. This method uses a bulk container with an attached hose that distributes the liquid control materials from a bridge via a truck or on a boat. This process creates much less plastic waste and requires only 3-5 staff members, saving gas, staff time, and resources. This allows MMCD to be more effective in our treatments of black flies, and more environmentally friendly.
Recycling bags and re-using pallets to reduce waste
MMCD uses over 20,000 bags of control materials annually, which are shipped on pallets and often using cardboard or plastic packaging. Through partnerships with vendors, we return most of these bags annually preventing over 9,200 pounds of trash from entering the waste system. We have also converted to bulk containers for much of our control materials to reduce the amount of plastic bags that we use.
We also return over 500 pallets to be re-used each year and re-use or recycle cardboard packaging. We continue to explore ways to reduce our use of packaging.
Composting and switching to organics recycling
In addition to recycling bins that are located at all MMCD facilities, we have begun using organics recycling bins to separate organic waste. We estimate that around 1,500 gallons of organic waste is removed from our St. Paul office alone each year.
Renewable Energy
Participating in a community solar farm as a source of energy
MMCD continues to explore the possibility of adding solar panels to our various facilities. As a short-term solution we are exploring the possibility of participating in a community solar garden.
Switching to hybrid and fuel-efficient vehicles
As we continue to update the MMCD fleet we seek options for vehicles that use less fuel. Currently the District has seven Toyota Prius sedans in the fleet, which get much better gas mileage than typical trucks or cars. We continue to explore the possibility of electric vehicles and hybrid trucks to increase our energy efficiency.
Social Responsibility
Converting grass to native plants and restoring natural habitat for pollinators
The seven MMCD field facilities have begun converting areas with grass that required maintenance and was not hospitable to wildlife to prairie habitat that features native plants. The photos above are from the Main Office in St. Paul where all of the grass on the east and north side of the building has been converted to native plants. This not only provides great habitat for wildlife and plants for beneficial pollinators like bees and butterflies, but it also reduces the amount of staff time and fuel required to maintain these areas.
Prairie restoration will continue in places where it may be effective. Several facilities have also converted open grass areas to vegetable gardens with fresh food that can be shared with staff.
Organizing coat drives to support our community
Every year MMCD staff organize a coat drive to donate to Joseph's Coat, a local organization that provides winter gear for those in need. It gets cold in Minnesota so organizations like this are needed and MMCD is happy to support them!