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HomeMy WebLinkAboutManaging Waste Chapter Managing Waste The City of Oshkosh collects recyclable and solid waste materials and disposes of them in partnership with Winnebago County. The county is a member of a 25-year tri-county agreement with Brown and Outagamie counties, begun in 2002. As the conclusion of this agreement occurred in 2018, it will be increasingly important to reduce the solid waste stream volume and postpone the siting of a new landfill in Winnebago County for as long as possible. Single-stream recycling, established in 2009, has already shown an increase in recycled items, as well as cost savings with usage of automated equipment. Materials collected from residences through the single-stream recycling program are transferred to the Tri-County Single-Stream Recycling Center in Outagamie County for sorting and sustainable redistribution. While recycling is an important factor in a sustainable community, promoting the reduction of initial use and reuse of materials is a preferred method. Area residents and businesses have many options, ranging from grinding masonry materials from demolished buildings for reuse in road construction projects,to utilizing resale and thrift stores for both donations and purchases,to composting yard waste to feed a family garden. As technology advances and new markets are created,we can expect to see a significant increase in options for waste reduction and uses of recovered materials. Currently, prescription drugs can be disposed of at a drop-off box at the Oshkosh Police Department. Leaf waste is spread on farm fields. The yard waste collected is sent to the urban biodigester system. 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Policies Education • Minimize waste creation by improving public understanding of source reduction as the most preferred method of waste management. • Educate and promote reduction, reuse, recycling, and recovery of waste materials through information on the City's Sustainable Oshkosh website. • Provide information such as a green business list to increase consumer product awareness and environmentally preferable purchasing. • Distribute updated information such as an annual mailing included with water bills about proper disposal of hazardous waste, prescription drugs, electronic waste, and other banned items through the Sustainability website and events such as the farmer's market. • Identify cost-saving benefits of waste reduction, as well as environmental gains for local residents and businesses. Waste reduction 0 Improve institutional and business waste reduction and recycling programs. • Educate restaurants on the potential cost savings and waste reduction by allowing customers to ask for single use disposables like straws, napkins, and plastic silverware. • Work with restaurants to minimize the use of Styrofoam containers whenever possible. • Encourage use of reusable shopping bags and other multi-trip containers to reduce usage of plastic bags and single-use containers. • Promote alternatives to paper usage, as well as 100%post-consumer recycled content when feasible. • Provide information and incentives to promote recovery, reuse, and recycling of demolition debris and building scraps at construction sites through programs such as WasteCap. Recycling • Consider recycling containers in public areas and at public events next to waste barrels. Ensure that single-stream recycling containers are well marked and visible. • Encourage 'away from home' locations, such as gas stations and convenience stores,to also provide recycling containers. • Continuously review the municipal recycling program for updated methods or technologies to improve the system. • Educate the public on what items are and are not appropriate for recycling streams. • Finalize and distribute a one-page educational handout on resources, websites, etc. directing residents to more information on recycling. Composting • Provide education on setting up and maintaining compost bins at home, community gardens, and the workplace for organic waste (e.g. grass, leaves, brush, leftover fruits, vegetable waste, and garden debris). • Communicate with local employers who have existing compost programs to share best practices across the city. • Continue to promote use of monthly pickup collection and drop-off sites for community composting of leaves and other organic materials. • Continue partnering with the renewable energy facility biomass digester to convert community organic waste to electricity and heat with the local dry anaerobic biogas system. • Explore the municipal collection of organic waste. Communicate with other areas of the state and country to determine how to get over hurdles related to curbside compost pickup. Consumer reuse • Encourage reuse of furniture, clothing, household, building and decorating items through local thrift stores (e.g. Goodwill, St. Vincent De Paul, Habitat for Humanity Restore) or online forums (e.g. Freecycle, Craigslist, eBay). Non-biodegradables • Encourage use of cloth or reusable shopping bags by educating retailers and shoppers about advantages of reusable bags. Promote reusable bag programs providing customers with a monetary or other incentive to participate. • Encourage restaurants to use bio-degradable single-use take out containers instead of non- biodegradable containers. • Educate the community about water bottle waste and high quality of city tap water. • Promote sale of safe multi-use containers and encourage restaurants and retailers to provide means for customers to refill bottles with city water. Electronics • Provide education regarding statewide collection and recycling system for consumer electronic devices, including banning from landfills or incineration effective September 2010. • Promote diversion of a-waste to responsible recycling or disposal facilities. Promote a-waste recycling events at local businesses on the Sustainability website. • Encourage establishment of a local collection and disposal site for e-waste. • Partner with local electronics stores to create awareness on recycling programs available for e- waste products. Prescription and over-the-counter drugs • Continue to encourage and facilitate the collection and disposal of unwanted/excess prescription and over-the-counter drugs. • Work with law enforcement to establish additional collection sites beyond the drop box at the Oshkosh Police Department. • Educate the public on the need to keep these items out of the wastewater and landfill systems. Hazardous waste • Continue to promote the availability of the household hazardous material facility at the Winnebago County landfill. Investigate expanding hours for additional drop off times. • Remind residents on a regular basis that items such as tires, batteries, and waste oil should be taken to the landfill for proper disposal. Special events • Create a pilot project to make an established community zero-waste event by using products that are bio-based, recyclable, or compostable using glass, bioplastics and paper products instead of plastic. Expand to include all community events. • Partner with the Chamber of Commerce to create incentives to promote zero-waste events. Littering • Encourage citizens/visitors to pick up litter in parks, public places, along waterways, during special events, and in the general community. • Continue to enforce littering laws and encourage carry in, carry out. • Continue to evaluate public spaces and events for adding waste and recycling receptacles. • Increase public awareness on the locations of plastic bag recycling containers and on what plastics these locations accept.