Energy Education for Educators at the Ramsey/Washington Recycling & Energy Center

The Minnesota State Energy Center of Excellence, in collaboration with Ramsey/Washington Recycling & Energy, conducted a continuing education program for secondary educators, career specialists, and state workforce development leaders on May 19 & 28, 2026. The two-part initiative offered participants insight into how materials typically considered "garbage" are actually better treated as a valuable resource, and even a source of energy. Even better, this revolution in thinking creates a number of rewarding career opportunities.

The program began with a context-setting webinar (the recording is available via Zoom) that covered the following:

  • Regional Waste Designation and Scale: The public governance and operational scope managed across the East Metro by the joint powers board, which oversees solid waste generated by approximately 800,000 residents and 70,000 businesses.
  • Mechanical Refuse-Derived Fuel Processing: The mechanical and operational distinctions of the Newport facility, detailing how incoming municipal solid waste is processed using industrial hammer mills, magnetic separators, and disk screens to isolate non-combustible grit from combustible paper and plastics.
  • Waste-to-Energy Utilization and Environmental Outcomes: The environmental impact of diverting approximately eighty percent of incoming processed volume to Xcel Energy generation facilities for steam-turbine electricity production, thereby reducing transport emissions and avoiding greenhouse gas release relative to landfill disposal.
  • Workforce Entry Points and Technical Qualifications: Detailed breakdowns of educational requirements across the resource recovery sector, encompassing entry-level union labor classifications, technical maintenance apprenticeships, and administrative oversight.

Recycling and Energy Facility Career Pathways and Workforce Profiles

A central focus of the instructional session was detailing the primary occupational categories required to operate and maintain municipal resource recovery facilities, along with their specific hiring standards and educational prerequisites:

  • Facility Division and Plant Operations: Representing the operational core of the processing center, this division is structured around union seniority and in-house progression. The primary entry-level portal is the Plant Laborer classification, which requires candidates to be at least eighteen years of age, hold a valid driver's license and a high school diploma or equivalent, and demonstrate strong work ethic. Laborers maintain physical plant cleanliness, clear conveyor obstructions with pneumatic tools, assist equipment operators, and build seniority to bid into internal Processor or Mechanic apprenticeship training classes. Plant Electricians represent the primary union role recruited externally, requiring an active Minnesota state electrician license.
  • Facility Oversight and Technical Management: Frontline operations are overseen by non-union Plant Supervisors, who frequently advance from entry-level union laborer backgrounds. Specialized operational roles include Scale House Operators, Transportation Logistics Coordinators, and Supply Chain Inventory Coordinators. Management roles typically prefer degrees in operations management, engineering, public administration, or environmental science.
  • Administration Division: This division oversees organizational accounting, public procurement, information technology infrastructure, and human resources. An Environmental Health and Safety Coordinator manages occupational safety compliance, worker training, and site environmental standards across industrial floor operations and contractor teams. Degrees in business administration, occupational safety, or related disciplines are generally required for administrative roles.
  • Programs Division and Community Engagement: Staffed by non-union professionals alongside county matrix personnel, this division designs and deploys upstream waste diversion strategies. Key profiles include Program Coordinators leading initiatives like regional curbside food-scrap recovery, Customer Support Associates serving participating households, and Communication Specialists directing public education and outreach. Candidates generally possess academic credentials in environmental studies, public health, communications, or behavioral sciences.

Following the webinar, educators participated in a guided tour of the Recycling & Energy Center in Newport, Minnesota, on May 28, 2026. Attendees examined tipping floor operations, sorting equipment, heavy machinery, and the central control room.

The Energy Center extends its sincere thanks to the Ramsey/Washington Recycling & Energy personnel whose leadership and gracious partnership made this site visit possible:

  • Shannon Conk, Community Engagement and Outreach Coordinator
  • Susan Jamison, Human Resources
  • Andrea McKennan, Program Supervisor – Education, Communications and Outreach

We were joined by educators and workforce leaders from the following organizations:

  • Academy of Sciences and Agriculture
  • BlueSky Online Charter School
  • Career Pathways
  • Center for Energy Workforce Development (CEWD)
  • Dakota County Area Learning School (ISD 917)
  • Forest Lake Area High School (Forest Lake Area Schools)
  • ISD 917 Career & Tech Center
  • Midwest Renewable Energy Society (MRES)
  • Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED)
  • TriDistrict CAPS

The Minnesota State Energy Center of Excellence remains committed to equipping teachers with the technical context and career guidance resources required to support the next generation of Minnesota technical professionals.

Photograph: Educator cohort on-site during the technical walkthrough at the Newport Processing Facility.