The hunger strike is on! We're going live on FB soon to deliver our demands directly to the county. We demand the county call the vote to set a closure date of Dec. 31, 2027. And we demand a community-led taskforce so the people closest to the harm have a say in our future. #FreedomToBreathe
Graphic with bold cream and white text on red background over an illustration of the HERC trash burner with smoke stacks and billowing dark clouds. Text reads: "WHAT HENNEPIN COUNTY COMMISSIONERS DON'T WANT YOU TO KNOW ABOUT BURNING TRASH" with hashtag #FreedomToBreathe, followed by large text: "HUNGER STRIKE TOMORROW!" A "SWIPE" arrow icon appears in the upper right corner, indicating a carousel post. Zero Burn Coalition logo at bottom right.
(No Vote. No Closure. No Plan.):Graphic with bold cream text on red background reading "NO VOTE. NO CLOSURE. NO PLAN." over an illustration of the HERC trash burner with dark smoke billowing from stacks. A dark brown text box reads: "The 2023 'closure resolution' doesn't close anything. It directed the county to develop a closure plan. The county's own plan states that a separate Board action is required before closure can begin. That vote has never happened. Nothing is automatic. The county's own compliance officer confirmed it in writing to Xcel Energy in late 2024: there are no plans to terminate operation." Zero Burn Coalition logo and source citation bit.ly/hercfaq at bottom right. #FreedomToBreathe Hunger Strike April 10.
Tomorrow it begins. Community members put their bodies on the line just by living here. Now they're going on hunger strike because the Hennepin County Board still hasn't called a vote. Join us at Hennepin Co. Government Plaza tomorrow at 9:30: bit.ly/48pkkUv ⬅️ #FreedomToBreathe
2 days until the hunger strike begins Friday, April 10. The county had the data. They left it out. The Board can vote to decommission the HERC trash burner. Demand they do: bit.ly/endthestrike26
#FreedomToBreathe #CloseHERC
Screenshot of a Minnesota Star Tribune opinion article titled “North Siders are going on hunger strike — the HERC trash burner must shut down,” by Audua Pugh, published April 8, 2026. The subhead explains that members of the Zero Burn Coalition will begin a hunger strike on April 10 to protest the health impacts of Hennepin County’s waste incineration. Below the headline is a close-up image of bright orange flames inside the HERC trash burner.
The HERC trash burner must shut down | On April 10, members of the Zero Burn Coalition are putting their bodies on the line on behalf of everyone whose health has suffered from the incineration of Hen. Co's wast. #mnleg #FreedomToBreathe
(5/5) We call on County Board Chair Irene Fernando and Health Committee Chair Angela Conley to vote NOW to close the HERC trash burner by December 31, 2027. Delay = Harm. Email your Commissioner: bit.ly/endthestrike26
#FreedomToBreathe #CloseHERC
Image 2: Carousel cover graphic with bold red background and HERC facility photo. Headline reads "WHAT HENNEPIN COUNTY COMMISSIONERS DON'T WANT YOU TO KNOW ABOUT BURNING TRASH." Freedom to Breathe Hunger Strike Countdown: 03 Days. Swipe prompt in upper right corner. Zero Burn Coalition logo.
Countdown graphic with bold red background and HERC facility photo. Headline reads "THE RULES ARE RIGGED." Body text states: Other states have lowered nitrogen oxide limits — which trigger asthma attacks — to 90–170 parts per million. Minnesota still allows 205. HERC continuously monitors just three pollutants. The most toxic ones — dioxins, heavy metals, PFAS — are not among them. Dioxins, among the most toxic chemicals known to science, are tested once every two years. When continuous monitoring has been used at comparable facilities, hydrochloric acid ran 62% higher than annual tests showed. For dioxins, actual emissions ran 30–1,300 times higher than stack tests indicated in studies from the EU. Freedom to Breathe Hunger Strike Countdown: 03 Days. Zero Burn Coalition logo. Sources: bit.ly/hercfaq
3 days until the hunger strike begins. The rules that keep the HERC trash burner running were never based on science. EPA staff admitted it directly. Demand the Board act: bit.ly/endthestrike26 #FreedomToBreathe
9/ The hunger strike begins Friday. The vote to close the HERC trash burner by December 31, 2027 is long overdue. Email your Commissioner: bit.ly/endthestrike26
Join the Hunger Strike Day 1 Rally: www.facebook.com/share/17Hjs5... #FreedomToBreathe #mnleg
8/ When asked how public health factors into prioritizing incineration over landfilling, MPCA couldn't give a straight answer. #mnleg #FreedomToBreathe
6/ Dr. Joanne Hill: HERC is not scheduled to close. It will not close at all until commissioners take an additional vote. People in North Minneapolis are dying at 40 and 50 of preventable disease. That is a policy choice. #FreedomToBreathe
3/ HERC's permits mean bigger is allowed to be dirtier. It can legally emit 4x the pollution of a smaller facility and still be "in compliance." #mnleg #FreedomToBreathe
1/ Today at the MN Capitol, experts told legislators what Hennepin County won't say out loud. Read on... #mnleg #FreedomToBreathe
Cover slide of a carousel graphic. Bold white text on red background reads: "What Hennepin County Commissioners Don't Want You to Know About Burning Trash." Below, a flip-clock countdown shows 04 Days. Text reads "#FreedomToBreathe Hunger Strike Countdown." Background shows a smokestack billowing dark smoke over a city skyline. Zero Burn Coalition logo in bottom right. "Swipe" prompt in top right corner.
Carousel slide with bold cream text on red background reading "Legal Doesn't Mean Safe." Below, a dark rounded text box states that HERC's pollution permits were set in 1989 based on equipment capacity, were found inconsistent with the Clean Air Act in 2008, and that under EPA's own updated 2024 standards the HERC trash burner would fail limits for hydrochloric acid, nitrogen oxides, and particulate matter. Hunger strike countdown shows 04 days. Zero Burn Coalition logo bottom right. Source: bit.ly/hercfaq.
4 days until the hunger strike begins. The HERC trash burner's permit was written in 1989 using technology that is now understood as outdated. Under the EPA's own 2024 standards, the HERC would fail.
Demand the Board call a vote to close it: bit.ly/endthestrike26 #FreedomToBreathe #CloseHERC
2024 McKnight Fellow and Environmental (In)justice Storytelling Contest winner Stephani Maari Booker performed "In the Shadow of the Smokestacks" in solidarity with the Freedom to Breathe hunger strike.
Demand the Board act: bit.ly/endthestrike26
#FreedomToBreathe
youtube.com/shorts/FRjrG...
(Day 5 — composting): A bold red graphic with smoke clouds reads "HERC Delayed Composting for Decades." Below, a screenshot of a 2014 MPR News headline: "Hennepin County to push Minneapolis to begin curbside organic waste collection." Body text explains that after community pressure stopped expanded burning, the county pivoted to promoting organics collection. The bottom shows the #FreedomToBreathe Hunger Strike Countdown at 5 days, with the Zero Burn Coalition logo and a source link to bit.ly/hercfaq.
(Day 5 — carousel cover): A dark red graphic with smoke stacks and the text "What Hennepin County Commissioners Don't Want You to Know About Burning Trash." Below, in large cream letters: "#FreedomToBreathe Hunger Strike Countdown" with a flip-clock showing 5 days. A "SWIPE" prompt with arrows appears in the upper right corner.
5 days until the hunger strike begins. HERC blocks progress. When they couldn't expand HERC in 2014, the county turned to composting overnight. The alternative has always been there. Take action: bit.ly/endthestrike26 #FreedomToBreathe
"This awakens the consciousness of our city"
Pastor Charvez Russell of Greater Friendship Missionary Baptist Church stands with hunger strikers demanding clean air for all. Hennepin County: call the vote to close the HERC trash burner by Dec. 31, 2027. Delay = Harm. #FreedomToBreathe #minneapolis
6 days until the hunger strike begins. Burning trash: 28x more dioxin than coal. 14x more mercury. 6x more lead. In a dense residential neighborhood since 1989. Tell your county commissioner: meet the demands ➡️ bit.ly/endthestrike26 #FreedomToBreathe
Cover graphic for day 7 of the Freedom to Breathe Hunger Strike Countdown series. Red background with illustrated HERC trash burner stacks billowing dark smoke. Text reads: "What Hennepin County Commissioners Don't Want You to Know About Burning Trash." Below: "#FreedomToBreathe Hunger Strike Countdown" with a flip-clock counter showing 07 days. A "SWIPE" arrow appears in the upper right corner.
Slide 2 of the Hunger Strike Countdown series, day 7. Red background with HERC trash burner stacks and dark smoke. Large headline: "HERC Is Burning Tax Dollars." Body text in a dark rounded text box reads: "The HERC trash burner loses millions of dollars every year and carries $37.7 million in debt as of 2022. The county claims revenues exceed costs. That's not possible while carrying $37.7 million in debt. And to have any hope of breaking even, it has to keep burning — incinerators require a guaranteed stream of trash to function economically. That's why they undermine recycling and composting. The business model depends on waste never going away." Bottom left: "#FreedomToBreathe Hunger Strike Countdown" with flip-clock showing 07 days. Bottom right: Zero Burn Coalition logo.
🚨 1 WEEK! HERC Loses millions every year. It has nearly $40 million in debt. And the only way it pencils out is if the trash never stops coming. The Board can vote to decommission the HERC trash burner and move to more economical methods that do not poison our neighbors.
#FreedomToBreathe
Cover graphic for day 9 of the Freedom to Breathe Hunger Strike Countdown series. Red background with illustrated HERC trash burner stacks and dark smoke. Text reads: "What Hennepin County Commissioners Don't Want You to Know About Burning Trash." Below: "#FreedomToBreathe Hunger Strike Countdown" with a flip-clock counter showing 09 days. A "SWIPE" arrow appears in the upper right corner.
Slide 2 of the Hunger Strike Countdown series, day 9. Red background with HERC trash burner stacks and dark smoke. Large headline: "200 Trucks. Every Day." Body text in a dark rounded text box reads: "The HERC trash burner puts more than 200 heavy-duty diesel trucks through a dense residential neighborhood every weekday. That's before you count a single breath of stack emissions." Bottom left: "#FreedomToBreathe Hunger Strike Countdown" with flip-clock showing 09 days. Bottom right: Zero Burn Coalition logo.
9 DAYS: 200 trucks. Every weekday. Nearly 100 more every weekend. That's the neighborhood. That's the air. The Board can vote to decommission the HERC trash burner. Demand they do: bit.ly/dontburntrash #FreedomToBreathe
Cover graphic for the Freedom to Breathe Hunger Strike Countdown series. Red background with an illustrated image of the HERC trash burner stacks billowing dark smoke. Text reads: "What Hennepin County Commissioners Don't Want You to Know About Burning Trash." Below: "#FreedomToBreathe Hunger Strike Countdown" with a flip-clock counter showing 10 days. A "SWIPE" arrow appears in the upper right corner.
Slide 1 of the Hunger Strike Countdown series. Red background with HERC trash burner stacks and dark smoke. Large headline: "Who Pays the Price of Delay?" Body text in a dark rounded text box reads: "The neighborhoods closest to the HERC trash burner are majority Black and low-income, with ZIP codes 55411 and 55415 ranking among the highest asthma ER rates in the Minneapolis metro area. The county's own health risk assessments pretend that proximity doesn't increase your risk. Independent scientists say that's wrong — and the county's own data proves it." Bottom left: "#FreedomToBreathe Hunger Strike Countdown" with flip-clock showing 10 days. Bottom right: Zero Burn Coalition logo.
10 Days until 4 community members go on hunger strike after years of lies and being ignored. Sign the petition: bit.ly/dontburntrash
#FreedomToBreathe #Minneapolis
(2/2) Their demand: Close the trash burner by 12/31/2027 and establish a community-led taskforce for a just transition towards a zero-waste future. The hunger strike ends when they act. Join us Thursday: 4/2 Why a Hunger Strike? #FreedomtoBreathe Virtual Panel and Rally - bit.ly/4sLBjZw
Proud to be in this fight alongside these badass community members. “People have lost patience,” said Geoff Dittberner, a coalition leader. “All traditional advocacy has failed.” #FreedomToBreathe #Mpls
We're at #NoKingsMN because what's happening to the EPA is happening in #mpls. A captured EPA. A complicit county. A 37-year-old trash burner poisoning a BIPOC working class community.
NO KINGS. NO TRASH BURNERS. ALL POWER TO THE PEOPLE. SIGN: bit.ly/dontburntrash
#FreedomToBreathe #NoKings
Doesn't this piss you off? It has been so normalized, and the county is complicit. We're raising the alarm. Join us on Tuesday! #FreedomToBreathe #Minneapolis
Graphic with red background and industrial photo of the HERC trash burner with smoke stacks. Text reads: "Multiple people die every year from the pollution of the HERC trash burner. Source: EPA COBRA tool." Zero Burn Coalition logo and #FreedomToBreathe hashtag at bottom.
Tuesday. Government Plaza. Noon. The County has a plan to close the trash burner making our neighbors sick — and refuses to act. Community members are putting their bodies on the line. Show up with them: bit.ly/4dgnXiQ #FreedomToBreathe #mpls
...not to invest in real zero-waste infrastructure.
You can't recycle your way to zero waste with a trash burner in the way.
Close the HERC. Sign the petition: bit.ly/dontburntrash
#FreedomToBreathe #CloseHERC #GlobalRecyclingDay
Zero Burn Coalition cosponsor graphic for the No Kings March on March 28. Bold text reads "No Thrones. No Crowns. No Kings." against a dark red background with crossed-out crown imagery and megaphones. A crowd of protesters holds signs reading "Close HERC," "HERC Hurts," "Shut It Down," "Just Transition Now," "Stop Let MPLS Breathe," and more.
(3/3) No community vote. No community voice. Just a county and a captured EPA deciding what North Minneapolis gets to breathe.
No kings. No trash burners. All power to the people!
See you on 3/28!
#FreedomToBreathe #CloseHERC #NoKings #mpls
No community vote. No community voice. Just a county and a captured EPA deciding what North Minneapolis gets to breathe. No kings. No trash burners. All power to the people! See you on 3/28!
We're the Zero Burn Coalition, fighting to close the county-run trash burner poisoning lungs in North Minneapolis. We're proud to cosponsor the No Kings March on March 28th — because what's happening to the EPA is happening to our community. (1/3) #mpls #FreedomToBreathe
Image of the HERC trash burner smokestacks against a blue sky. Text reads: "Toxic Burner Alert — HERC is one of the largest permitted sources of nitrogen oxide and hydrogen chloride emissions in Hennepin County, along with dioxins, lead, sulfur dioxide, and particulate matter. The EPA estimates the HERC burner released 404 tons of nitrous oxide and 44 tons of particulate matter in 2019 alone." Zero Burn Coalition logo in upper right corner.
The county is lucky Biden's EPA rules didn't go into effect — the HERC trash burner would have been out of compliance on hydrochloric acid and nitrogen dioxide. Happy St. Patrick's Day to everyone not delaying the shutdown of this toxic burner. #FreedomToBreathe #mpls #stpatricksday #environment
This is not an accident. It is a policy choice. The harm is concentrated in Black, Brown, and working-class communities — and it is preventable.
Hennepin Co. can initiate HERC's closure right now.
Delay = Harm.
The time is now. Sign the petition: bit.ly/dontburntrash
#FreedomToBreathe #mnleg
The Board has the authority to close HERC right now. No new legislation required. Just a vote.
The harm is preventable. The authority exists. The time is now. Join us: bit.ly/endtrashburn...
#FreedomToBreathe #environment
