The SMSC broke ground on the new Dakota Prairie Composting facility on June 27, 2023. Construction is underway, and the facility is expected to be operational in 2024.

The SMSC Organics Recycling Facility is currently operating at capacity. The new Dakota Prairie site will have state-of-the-art technology that will allow the facility to process more organics in a location better suited for industrial activity. The facility will help Minnesota reach its goal of recycling 75% of the state’s waste by 2030 while protecting and enhancing the environment for future generations by taking in more organic materials and diverting them from local landfills.

After several years of research and site visits across the country, the new facility will include the latest, state-of-the-art technology and processes to control odors and increase efficiency. The new facility will collect and recycle commercial organics, as well as sell industry and commercial wholesale products like the existing facility in Shakopee.

The new facility will have the capacity to compost up to three times as much food waste as the previous facility. This will help contribute to the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency’s (MPCA) goal of recycling 75% of Minnesota’s waste by 2030.

Improvements to the Highway 41 intersection are included in the plan and can be viewed below. These improvements will include the addition of turn lanes on Highway 41.

After the new facility is operational, all active composting operations at the Shakopee site will be transitioned to the new facility over a period of several months. In the interim, the wood mulch operations will remain on the existing site until they can be relocated to the new site, and a portion of the site may be used for the sale of residential and commercial products like colored mulch and compost. The existing bison operations will utilize remaining facilities and the disturbed portions of the site will be restored.

The existing site in Shakopee will not accept residential yard waste drop off.

Carver County residents will be welcome to use the facility to drop off yard waste (for a fee) and to purchase landscaping products, such as compost, soil blends, and mulch.

The new facility will be regulated by the MPCA, the entity that regulates all composting facilities in Minnesota.

Online comment forms are available now on smscorf.com and will be available on the Dakota Prairie Composting website when it’s complete.

The new site will be open to the public for all product sales.