Garbage & Recycling

The Manitowoc County Department of Public Works and Manitowoc County Recycling Center would like to thank all the participants of the 2014 Hazardous Waste Clean Sweep. This year the collection had 447 households, 15 farms and 13 businesses participate and collected a total of 31,489 pounds of hazardous waste. Households turned in 24,764 pounds of hazardous chemicals. Farms turned in 2,147 pounds. Most of the items turned in were old paints and pesticides, though a significant amount of solvents and corrosive substances were also dropped off.

The business portion of Clean Sweep served 13 local businesses who qualified as “Very Small Quantity Generators” under the program. These businesses brought in 4,578 pounds of hazardous waste. Businesses are offered a substantial discount when they bring their materials to the Clean Sweep event. This year it is estimated that the total savings to participating businesses was $9,435.

The Manitowoc County Hazardous Waste Clean Sweep started in 1985. Since it began, households and farms have turned in approximately 889,117 pounds of material. All of the collected items are properly recycled, neutralized or disposed of at special disposal sites or hazardous waste incinerators that render the materials harmless.

Many cleansers, home improvement products, automotive products and pesticides can be dangerous when stored or disposed of improperly. They can contaminate the soil, water, and air when spilt or illegally dumped. Improperly stored items could be involved in accidental poisonings of children and pets. The Clean Sweep Program provides an opportunity for households and farms to safely dispose of these materials for free and for eligible businesses save on their disposal costs.

Clean Sweep is an annual collection typically held in mid-May. The Manitowoc County Clean Sweep is part of a regional partnership with Sheboygan, Calumet, Fond du Lac, Winnebago and Outagamie Counties. It is made possible partly through grant funding from the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection, a donation from the Ridgeview Landfill and volunteer labor.

The Manitowoc County Recycling Center has a number of programs throughout the year that you can use to help our environment and clean up at home including Composting and Drug Disposal programs, an ongoing Electronics Collection, a Tire Collection as well as the Hazardous Waste Clean Sweep Program. To learn more about these and other programs log onto www.manitowocrecycles.org, call (920) 683-4333, or visit the Recycling Center office at 3000 Basswood Road.

Manitowoc County residents can be proud of their commitment to recycling and the betterment of our environment. Thanks to the many participants, the Manitowoc County Recycling Center’s 2013 Tire Collection brought in 86.4 tons of waste tires. The majority was car tires, though there were many other types, such as; bicycle, ATV, lawnmower, tractor, semi, and race car tires. The annual Waste Tire Collection was started in 1998 and has collected approximately 1447 tons of waste tires since it began.

Waste tires can be reused in a number of beneficial ways. They can be shred into rubber chips and used as artificial turf or as a groundcover in playgrounds. Finely ground ‘crumb rubber’ can be used in asphalt roads, athletic tracks, sidewalks and other rubber products. Depending on what other materials are in the tire they may also be used as a fuel source. When burned in specially designed incinerators the release of noxious smoke can be controlled.

The Recycling Center has a number of programs throughout the year that you can use to help our environment and clean up at home including Drug Disposal programs, an ongoing Electronics Collection, the Shingle Recycling Site, Hazardous Waste Clean Sweeps and the Tire Collection. To learn more about these and other programs log onto www.manitowocrecycles.org, call (920) 683-4333, or visit the Recycling Center office at 3000 Basswood Road.

Beginning November 2, 2013, The Recycling Center Main Office will be closed on Saturdays and will reopen on Saturdays beginning April 2014. Beginning November 16, 2013, the Basswood Road and Woodland Drive Compost Sites will have new operating hours. The Basswood Road Compost Site will be open Monday-Friday, 7:00 am to 4:00 pm and Saturday from 8:00 am until noon. The Woodland Drive Compost Site will be closed until April 2014.

Both Compost Sites and the Main Office are closed on Sundays and holidays.

If you have any questions, visit www.manitowocrecycles.org or call the Manitowoc County Recycling Center at (920) 683-4333.

Our country produces around 251 million tons of municipal waste every year. Manitowoc County produces around 36,000 tons of waste annually. When strolling over to the waste can or recycling bin at home or work to toss in that unwanted item, remember that November 15 is America Recycles Day and recycling is one of the easiest things that we can all do to improve our communities, conserve natural resources and create green jobs. America Recycles Day is November 15, 2014. It is a nationally recognized day designed to build awareness of recycling and its benefits and to encourage people to buy recycled products. By recycling, you can help reduce emissions of greenhouse gas and water pollution, save energy, supply valuable manufacturing materials, create jobs, and reduce the need for new landfills.

People can easily participate by making an effort to learn about the recycling programs in their community. Visit the Manitowoc County Recycling Center website at www.manitowocrecycles.org to learn more about local recycling and disposal options. Or try www.recyclemorewisconsin.org for information about recycling guidelines throughout Wisconsin. If you want to do more, then make an effort to buy products that contain recycled content or purchase products that can be easily recycled in your community. Visit the America Recycles Day website at http://americarecyclesday.org and take the recycling pledge. If you use social media you can share a photo of yourself recycling on Facebook, Twitter, Tumbler or Instagram with the hashtag #RecyclingSelfie for a chance to receive prizes.

Manitowoc County has demonstrated a very proactive approach towards recycling. In the early 90’s, before the existing recycling program, approximately 58,000 tons of solid waste was landfilled from Manitowoc County per year. That number has been reduced to around 36,000 tons in 2013 because of the recycling and waste reduction efforts. In 2013 there was 6.6 million pounds of paper and cardboard and 589,000 pounds of plastic bottles recycled at the local recycling center. Despite these impressive numbers, there is still room to improve. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) estimates that Americans recycled 63% of their paper and cardboard in 2010. The National Association for PET Container Resources estimated that just 29% of the PET bottles were recycled in 2011.

Manitowoc County recognizes Thursday, November 15th, 2014, as America Recycles Day and acknowledges our county’s recycling efforts. The Manitowoc County Recycling Center and Department of Public Works would like to thank Manitowoc County residents and businesses for participating in recycling and special collection programs like Shingle Recycling, Food and Beverage Carton Recycling, Hazardous Waste Clean Sweep, Drug Disposal Program, Waste Tire Collection, Electronics Collection and the Composting Sites. By taking the time to learn about and use these programs and others, participants have helped improve our community, environment and economics. Visit the Recycling Center at www.manitowocrecycles.org or call (920) 683-4333 to learn more about these programs and help improve recycling in Manitowoc County.