Brown County Recycling

The purpose of the Brown County Port & Resource Recovery Department is to meet the solid waste disposal needs of local communities and businesses through methods which are environmentally sound and economical. These methods incorporate waste reduction, material reuse, recycling, composting, landfilling and waste-to-energy to the extent that they are technically feasible, economically appropriate and desired by the public.

Brown County currently operates a Single Stream Recycling Transfer Facility that transfers paper and commingled containers for county residents, business and municipalities to the Tri-County Material Recovery Facility. During 2003, a Solid Waste Transfer Station opened on West Mason Street to transfer waste to landfills as part of a three county waste disposal plan. The county also maintains two closed sanitary engineered landfills. These landfills hold an estimated seven million cubic yards of waste produced by county residences, businesses and municipalities.

Brown County Port & Resource Recovery Department

The Brown County Port & Resource Recovery Department is an Enterprise Fund of Brown County. The Resource Recovery area of the Department offers services to municipal, commercial, industrial and residential interests. The Department has been in business for more than 40 years providing cost-effective, efficient and environmentally responsible disposal for Brown County residential and commercial waste and recycling. The department's resource recovery operations include a Solid Waste Transfer Station, a Single Stream Recycling Transfer Station, a regional Household Hazardous Waste Collection Facility, the East Landfill Gas-to-Energy Facility, maintenance of two closed landfills, and coordination of household sharps and pharmaceutical collection and disposal programs. The Resource Recovery Department also provides programs for disposal of shingles, construction & demolition material, tires, Freon-containing appliances and electronics. These programs have been successful due to commitments to the solid waste management system through solid waste and recycling agreements with local communities and businesses.

Brown-Outagamie-Winnebago (BOW) System

The department is part of a three county regional waste agreement with Brown, Outagamie and Winnebago Counties known as the 'BOW'. The three counties coordinate their waste disposal using each county-run landfill in sequence thereby sharing administration and operational costs. In Brown County, the department operates a Solid Waste Transfer Station that collects, compacts and transports waste produced by county residential, commercial and industrial users. The waste is trucked to landfills operated by one of the Tri-County Solid Waste partners.

BOW operates a regional single stream Materials Recovery Facility (MRF) in Appleton that is one of the largest municipal MRFs in the country. The 'MRF' processes and markets comingled residential and commercial recyclable containers and paper from the partner counties and other northeastern Wisconsin counties. Curbside recycling began in Brown County in 1994 and converted to single stream recycling countywide in 2009. Single Stream Recycling (plastic bottles & containers, aluminum, tin cans, glass, and paper) in Brown County collects more than 25,000 tons per year, and returned more than $3.1 million to customers since 2009.

The Resource Recovery Department also operates the Brown County Household Hazardous Waste Facility. The facility collects household hazardous waste directly from Outagamie and Winnebago County residents at sites in Appleton and Oshkosh and serves as a regional collection facility for much of northeastern Wisconsin. The facility has collected more than 110 million pounds of hazardous materials since opening in 1996 and collects more than 800,000 pounds each year.

Brown County Solid Waste Management Board

The Brown County Solid Waste Management Board sets policy for the Brown County Port and Resource Recovery Department's solid waste services. It is authorized by Wisconsin State Statute and Chapter 12 of the Brown County Code of Ordinances. The nine (9) members of the Board are appointed by the County Executive and serve as an oversight committee of the County Board. Three members of the Board are from the City of Green Bay, three from incorporated non-Green Bay municipalities and three from unincorporated areas of the County. Two Board members are County Board Supervisors. Board members serve three-year terms. Minutes of the Solid Waste Board meetings are reviewed and approved by the County Board.

BROWN COUNTY IS A SINGLE STREAM RECYCLING COMMUNITY

What is single stream recycling? Single stream recycling allows you to put all your recyclable materials into one cart or bin. Paper, glass, steel, aluminum, plastic, cardboard, etc. can be placed into the same bin. No need to separate anything! You still need to rinse your containers and cut your cardboard to size. This service is available to everyone so please contact your local city, town or village to find out how you can take advantage of single stream recycling and if new carts are available.

Recyclable plastic, glass, tin/steel cans and aluminum can be placed curbside in a designated recycling curbside cart. Recycling carts are available by contacting the municipality in which you live. Containers should be rinsed to remove all product from the container. Remove all caps and lids. Plastic caps can be placed in the trash. Metal lids can go into the recycling bin. Flatten boxes to save space and cut down large pieces of cardboard to 3' x 3'.

We are able to recycle many things in Brown County. For more information contact us at (920) 492-4950 or check out the Tri-County Recycling Guide.

DON'T RECYCLE

• Tissue paper and other tissue products
• Paper that is contaminated by food grease or other debris (pizza boxes)
• Bows and ribbons
• Gift wrap
• Plastic bags, wrap or film
• Motor oil bottles
• Styrofoam containers
• Solvent, adhesive or chemical containers
• Paint containers
• Medical supplies
• Plastic toys, flower pots, garden plastics
• Pesticide or herbicide containers

What Is Sustainability?

Sustainability is based on a simple principle: Everything that we need for our survival and well-being depends, either directly or indirectly, on our natural environment. Sustainability creates and maintains the conditions under which humans and nature can exist in productive harmony, that permit fulfilling the social, economic and other requirements of present and future generations.

Sustainability is important to making sure that we have and will continue to have, the water, materials, and resources to protect human health and our environment.

BUSINESS RECYCLING

Planning for a Successful Recycling Program
Successful program planning includes appointing a recycling coordinator, assembling a task force, conducting a preliminary waste audit, researching available markets, developing a collection method, revising a procurement policies and developing an education program.

Recycling Coordinator
The coordinator administers the overall program. To ensure program stability and continuity, the coordinator should be a permanent employee. Coordinator's duties should be included in their job descriptions.

Task Force
The primary function of the task force is to assist the coordinator in developing the initial program, however, it can become a permanent advisory committee. Task force members should represent: 1) Custodial Staff experienced in trash removal, 2) Management to ensure top-level support and participation incentives, 3) Staff Supervisors to develop motivation techniques and an educational program, 4) General Employees to provide peer leadership.

Waste Audit
Planning begins with a waste audit to determine waste composition and volume, the point of origin, what portion could be recycled, re-used, reduced or eliminated and what recyclable/reusable materials could be substituted for materials currently in use. Audited areas should include offices, cafeterias, break rooms, vending machine areas, production areas, maintenance areas and storage areas.

Available Markets
Collectors market recyclable materials through brokers, intermediate processors or end users. Brokers link customers with businesses that accept recyclables. Intermediate processors accept recyclables and prepare them for end use. Some pick up materials, but most require delivery. End users are manufactures who use recyclables in their processes and sufficient volumes of a material may justify direct contact with and end user. Research local markets to discover what materials each business accepts, how to prepare the materials and if the business will pick up the material (for a fee?) or if they must be delivered.

Collection
The main points in developing a collection system are a central storage area, personnel and material preparation. Containers for recyclables can range from corrugated boxes to those made of a variety of materials designed specifically for recycling. Consider where containers should be placed, quantity needed, size, shape and appropriate design. The central storage area should be clean, dry and free of fire hazards. Covered storage areas are necessary to prevent litter and protect quality if located outside. Collection personnel are designated to collect recyclables form various areas of the building and deliver them to the central storage area. If the business must deliver recyclables, delivery personnel also must be designated. A collection schedule is helpful. If marketing requirements include materials preparation such as crushing or bundling consider further staffing requirements. Maintaining good quality is essential for ensuring the materials are marketable and to obtain the highest prices possible.

Procurement
Based on the waste audit the task force may decide to substitute products that are recyclable and/or contain recycled content or revise existing procurement policies. Buying items that are recyclable and ones made form recycled materials helps close the recycling loop.

Educational Program
The task force should design an ongoing educational program to inform staff and workers about he program, its goals and the value of waste reduction and recycling. This should include newsletter articles, signs, posters and fliers.

Follow Up Audits
Periodically review the success of your program. The review can include determining the reduction of waste sent to the landfill as well as determining what percentage of the total waste stream is being recycled. Having a good plan is important, but in order for it to be successful it needs to be followed.

COMPUTER AND ELECTRONICS RECYCLING

Beginning January 1, 2010, Wisconsin ACT 50 required manufacturers to collect and recycle certain electronics, including computers, TVs and printers. The law banned landfill disposal for electronics beginning September 1, 2010. Computers, computer accessories, TVs, cell phones and other electronics contain harmful materials including lead, mercury, cadmium, chromium, other heavy metals and chemical flame retardants. Electronics recycling protects against environmental issues and salvages reusable materials including plastics, glass, metals and circuit boards reducing the need for virgin materials in new electronics.

SUSTAINABILITY

Sustainability is based on a simple principle: Everything that we need for our survival and well-being depends, either directly or indirectly, on our natural environment. Sustainability creates and maintains the conditions under which humans and nature can exist in productive harmony, that permit fulfilling the social, economic and other requirements of present and future generations.

Sustainability is important to making sure that we have and will continue to have, the water, materials, and resources to protect human health and our environment.