ÌýLJP 91²Ö¿â Solutions, a leading environmental solutions company headquartered in North Mankato, MN, celebrated the grand opening of its new De-Packaging, Solidification, and Special Projects (DSSP) facility. The event, held on October 27, 2026, was attended by customers, elected officials, state regulators, environmental consultants, community partners, and LJP staff — all gathered to mark a significant milestone in the company’s 30-year history of environmental innovation in the Mankato region.Ìý
The new DSSP facility is expected to process approximately 20,000 tons of material per year — material that would otherwise be destined for a landfill — and supports approximately 120 jobs in the greater Mankato area from the LJP Environmental campus in North Mankato.Ìý
The DSSP facility expands LJP’s already robust suite of environmental solutions, which includes waste collection, recycling, processing, shredding, product destruction, and zero waste programming. The de-packaging operation allows LJP to accept packaged organic and industrial waste materials, mechanically separate organic content from packaging, and direct both streams to legitimate recovery and recycling pathways — resulting in zero landfill disposal.Ìý
The facility complements LJP’s existing Minnesota 91²Ö¿â Processing Company (MWPC) operation, located on Xcel Energy’s property in Mankato, which annually provides approximately 50,000 tons of Refuse Derived Fuel (RDF) to Xcel Energy’s Wilmarth Generating Plant — displacing fossil fuels and generating clean energy for Minnesota homes and businesses.Ìý
Together, the two facilities position LJP as one of the most comprehensive and innovative environmental solutions providers in the Upper Midwest. Kent Harrell, President of LJP 91²Ö¿â Solutions, said, “This is a proud day for LJP, for North Mankato, and honestly for everyone in this region who cares about where their waste goes. We are talking about 20,000 tons of material per year that will never see a landfill. That is real. That is meaningful. And we are just getting started.”Ìý
He continued, “What excites me most about this facility is what it represents for our customers and for the environment. When a food manufacturer or a distributor sends us packaged material that did not make it to market, we can now take that material, separate it, recover it, and put both the organics and the packaging back into productive use. Nothing gets buried. Everything gets a second life. That is exactly the kind of circular economy solution that businesses and communities are looking for right now. This is not the finish line — it is a launching pad. LJP is growing, our capabilities are expanding, and our commitment to finding better, smarter, more sustainable solutions for our customers has never been stronger. Watch this space.”Ìý