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Quick Facts about Resource Renew

General Information

• Resource Renew is the brand of the Western Lake Superior Sanitary District (WLSSD).
• Resource Renew serves the cities of Carlton, Cloquet, Scanlon, Wrenshall, Duluth, Hermantown, Rice Lake and Proctor, and many townships, including Canosia, Duluth, Grand Lake, Lakewood, Midway,  Solway, Thomson, Silver Brook, and Twin Lakes.
• Resource Renew operates
  • a regional wastewater treatment plant,
  • a regional solid waste transfer station,
  • the Household Hazardous Waste (HHW) Facility,
  • the Yard Waste Compost Site (and associated Organics Composting Facility), and
  • the Materials Recovery Center (MRC).
• About 140,000 people make their homes in Resource Renew’s 530-square-mile service area; 109,000 people are connected to the regional sewer system.
• Resource Renew employs about 120 people to provide wastewater and solid waste services.
• Resource Renew’s main campus at 27th Avenue West in Duluth spans 40 acres.

Wastewater and Water Quality

• Resource Renew’s regional treatment plant treats 40 million gallons of wastewater every day. That’s nearly 14 billion gallons each year.
• The treatment plant is designed to treat up to 49 million gallons per day. Resource Renew’s treatment plant has the capacity to handle another medium-sized city or large industry.
• Resource Renew maintains about 75 miles of interceptor sewer (end to end, it would stretch from the wastewater treatment plant in Duluth to Toby’s in Hinckley).
• Pipe diameters throughout the Resource Renew system vary, from 6 inches to 72 inches.

Solid Waste

• Nearly 105,000 tons of solid waste moved through Resource Renew’s transfer station in 2024. Garbage from as far away as Grand Marais, MN is brought to Resource Renew’s transfer station where its inspected before being transferred to Superior, WI’s landfill.
• The region served by Resource Renew produced 56,800 tons of municipal solid waste in 2024. This waste comes from the homes and businesses located within the 17 communities Resource Renew serves.
• Resource Renew’s Materials Recovery Center served 65,172 visitors in 2024.
• Resource Renew’s Household Hazardous Waste Facility served 20,836 visitors in 2024.
• Resource Renew’s Yard Waste Compost Site serves about 19,800 visitors each year.
• About 2,200 tons of source-separated food waste is delivered annually to Resource Renew’s Organics Composting Facility from area restaurants, hospitals, schools and more.  Food waste is mixed with yard waste to produce premium compost.
• About 2,100 cubic yards of premium compost are sold each year.