South St. Paul Community and Sanimax

Community Update – April 2026

For generations, our South St. Paul facility has been part of this community. We recognize the responsibility that comes with that presence, and we remain fully committed to improving the odor concerns that have impacted our neighbors.

In March 2025, we finalized a settlement agreement with the City of South St. Paul that formalized a shared commitment to odor improvement between Sanimax and the City. Since then, we’ve been working on long-term plans for odor management in coordination with the City of South St. Paul and maintaining communication with the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) as appropriate.

Building the Right Plan
The majority of 2025 was dedicated to developing a clear, responsible roadmap for odor improvement. We engaged leading experts in environmental engineering, odor control, and industrial process optimization to ensure we are implementing the most effective, durable solutions. While working with Sanimax, these professionals are also coordinating with the City of South St Paul’s consultant to keep objectives aligned and in sight.

A major component of our current work is an odor “fingerprinting” study. This effort includes detailed measurements of facility sources and surrounding conditions to establish a baseline characterization of odor sources and impacts. Once this analysis is complete, it will provide a transparent benchmark to measure future improvements.

Upgrades and System Improvements
While planning progressed, we also moved forward with several facility upgrades:

• Installation of a new odor scrubber and new cooker in late 2024, which contributed to improved performance entering 2025
• Enhancements to our cooking system controls and automation to reduce operational variability
• Upgrades to mechanisms within air-handling and odor-removal systems

The record-setting Minnesota temperatures in July and August 2025 placed unusual stress on facility operations and odor control systems. Lessons from those conditions are informing equipment adjustments and operational improvements designed to enhance performance during similar extreme weather events

Preparing for Warmer Weather
As we prepare for upcoming warm-weather months, we have already initiated our summer preparedness sessions. These sessions focus on system readiness, preventative measures, and operational adjustments informed by last year’s learnings.

Continuing Our Collaboration
Ongoing conversations with our community partners remain an essential part of our commitment to transparency, accountability, and partnership with the community. In the coming weeks, we will meet with the City of South St. Paul for our regular quarterly update, followed by an update to the City Council.

We appreciate your ongoing support and engagement as we remain dedicated to continuous improvement and open communication with the community. As always, if you have questions, please email us directly at SSP-Community@sanimax.com.