By keeping mercury out of wastewater, dental clinics assist Metropolitan Council Environmental Services to minimize the release of amalgam and mercury — a potent neurotoxin — into the environment. We partner with the Minnesota Dental Association and dental clinics across the seven-county metro area to carry out the Amalgam Recovery Program.
General practice dental clinics and endodontic clinics that place or remove amalgam and are located in the Metropolitan Council Environmental Services service area (PDF) must install and properly operate an amalgam separator and comply with our Amalgam Recovery Program.
Our Amalgam Recovery Program complies with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) dental effluent rule, published June 2017.
Protecting public health and the environment
Metropolitan Council Environmental Services operates the wastewater conveyance and treatment system serving more than 2.8 million people in the Twin Cities metro area. We regulate discharges into the system to ensure compliance with local and federal regulations. We have partnered with dental clinics and the Minnesota Dental Association since 1998 to quantify and minimize the discharge of amalgam and mercury.