Wisconsin’s composting rules include basic operating and location requirements to prevent composting from becoming a nuisance to neighbors and to ensure nutrients are not released to groundwater or nearby lakes and streams. The rules require most…
The solid waste reduction, recovery and recycling law was enacted to promote the development of waste management structures and encourage reduction, reuse and recycling of Wisconsin’s solid waste. When the law passed in 1990, only about 17 percent…
The Wisconsin Council on Recycling, authorized in s. 287.22, Wis. Stats., is a citizens group, appointed by the governor, to advise the governor, Legislature and state agencies on solid waste reduction, recovery and recycling policy. The DNR staffs…
Compost is an environmentally friendly way to create healthy soil for Wisconsin's landscape. Compost made from yard materials and other organics, like food scraps, can replenish soil with microorganisms and nutrients.Wisconsin law prohibits landfill…
Wisconsin businesses and other workplaces can save landfilling costs, earn money from the sale of materials and help Wisconsin's economy and the environment by recycling. Wisconsin's recycling laws banned certain materials from landfill disposal,…
Many types of light bulbs contain metals such as mercury. Examples include: tube- and compact-style fluorescent bulbs, including compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs); mercury vapor bulbs – i.e., high-intensity lamps with blue-white, originally used…
Batteries used in many household and office products, as well as motor vehicle batteries, contain a variety of heavy metals and other materials that can be harmful to human health and the environment if not handled properly. Many of these materials…
Congratulations to the 13 organizations that won a 2024 Wisconsin Recycling Excellence Award! Read more about their recycling and waste reduction achievements.In Wisconsin, many recyclable or compostable items cannot be put in the trash.
Plastic film, which includes many types of bags and wrap, is everywhere in our lives. In part because of their convenience and abundance, though, plastic bags and wrap are often used in excess, wasted, buried in landfills or littered in our streets…
State and local laws require recycling both at home and away from home. All events and gatherings must provide ways to collect recyclable clean cardboard, aluminum cans and glass or plastic bottles. Such events include fairs, festivals, concerts,…