Recycling_Content Page_Recycling and waste reduction for all seasons

Recycling and waste reduction for all seasons

We are lucky enough to live with four beautiful seasons here in Wisconsin, and each one presents new opportunities for us to reduce our impact. Look through the activities below to learn about things you can do each season to reduce waste and recycle more.

Halloween

Green your Halloween

Celebrate a "green" Halloween this year and reduce your impact on the environment. The traditions usually associated with the holiday can create extra waste and pollution, but there are alternative options make for a more creative and family-friendly event. These tips will help you to reduce, reuse and recycle this Halloween season.

Buy local

Source your pumpkins and other natural fall decorations from local farms. You can also find inexpensive costumes and supplies from local thrift stores and yard sales.

Get creative with decorations

Use natural Halloween decorations like gourds, pinecones, leaves, pumpkins and cornstalks. Recycled paper can be used to make window decorations like spiders, pumpkins or witches' hats. Grocery bags easily transform into Halloween lanterns. Make a graveyard scene with paper tombstones and spooky trees.

DIY or thrift your costume

Instead of buying a Halloween costume that you or your children will wear once and throw away, test your creativity and create a costume from items you already have around the house. Host a costume swap where kids choose from available, reused costumes. Once your kids are done with this year's disguise, pass the favor on and donate their old costumes for someone else to enjoy.

Trick-or-treat with a reusable bag

When your family goes trick-or-treating this Halloween, carry reusable bags or containers that don't need to be thrown out after use. Cloth or canvas bags, or even pillowcases, are terrific eco-friendly choices to paper or plastic bags, or molded plastic jack-o-lanterns. Bonus points if you carry an extra bag and pick up any stray candy wrappers off the street!

Walk, don't drive

If possible, stick close to home this Halloween and walk from house to house instead of driving to reduce your fuel use and air pollution.

Compost

Help save landfill space and compost your jack-o-lantern. Wax and paint-free pumpkins can be added to your compost bin, along with fallen leaves, food scraps and other organic yard and household waste.

If you don’t compost at home, check with your community to see if there is a local compost site accepting pumpkins. Some municipalities also collect pumpkins for composting.

Fall Yard Care

Fall Yard Care

Mulching leaves and composting yard materials allows residents to protect the state's air quality and public health, reduce costs for local governments and households and relieve communities and the environment of the hazards of burning.

Try one of the following methods to manage leaves, branches, grass clippings and other yard trimmings.

Home Composting

There are many structures you can buy or easily build to start a compost pile. Be sure to maintain a mix of "browns" (fallen leaves, dead plants and small branches) and "greens" (grass clippings, green plants and food scraps). Finished compost can be sprinkled into lawn soil or used in a garden to provide organic material and nutrients. Ultimately, this builds soil organic content and reduces the need for fertilizers.

Mulching Leaves In Place

Leaves are rich in carbon, phosphorus and potassium — all essential nutrients needed by plants, including turf grasses. Mow leaves along with the grass during fall and leave the finely chopped material on your lawn. Another option is to rake up the leaf pieces and use them as winter ground cover for gardens and around trees and shrubs. This will help insulate plants and protect them from winter freeze damage.

Store Leaves For Next Season

Dry leaves keep well in plastic bags. Many people keep a few bags of leaves from the fall to add "browns" to their compost piles throughout the year. You can also use your stored leaves for mulch. In the spring, spread them on your garden and around trees and shrubs to save on the cost of buying new mulch.

Avoid Burning Yard Waste

State regulations allow individual households to burn small quantities of dry leaves and plant clippings unless prohibited by local ordinance. Burning yard waste is generally discouraged because of the air pollution it causes and because of the benefits of alternative disposal options such as mulching and composting.

The DNR’s Can I Burn? Tool asks a series of questions to determine if a burn is feasible under state waste and air regulations. A growing number of communities have local rules in place that further restrict or completely prohibit burning yard materials, so check locally as well.

Keep Pollinators in Mind

Many pollinators use leaves, pieces of wood and stems of plants as shelter over winter. A few simple practices can help ensure habitat for native bees, butterflies and other invertebrates.

The most hands-off practice is leaving leaves where they lay. If that isn’t possible, rake or blow them into garden beds, around tree bases or into a designated leaf pile. Stack fallen branches into a pile and wait to cut back your perennials until late spring.

 

Green Moving

Green Your Move

Whether it's the big apartment switchover in a college town or a job opportunity that sends a family to a new community, moving means dealing with—and often throwing out—a lot of stuff.

Although some waste is to be expected with moving, there are simple steps that can help reduce the amount of stuff thrown away.

Planning Your Move

A little planning can save a lot of time and money in the long run. Sorting through belongings ahead of a move allows time to sell items online or through a yard sale, to drop off donations or to take them to a collection site or event. Contact donation centers and collection sites for a list of what they accept and give new life to items that would otherwise be thrown away.

Many colleges and universities sponsor waste reduction or swap programs during move-out, providing opportunities to recycle carpets, electronics and other large or bulky items. Students can return or sell old textbooks for other students to use and avoid sending them to a landfill.

Community garbage and recycling programs may have special requirements for disposing of large items such as mattresses and furniture. In areas where many people move at once, checking if there is a change in schedule or rules for the big move-out day could help a move go smoother.

Reducing Waste During A Move

Reusing boxes from previous moves or asking retailers for used boxes reduces waste and saves money. Moving companies may have reusable materials to secure and protect larger items.

Certain packing materials are more easily recycled than others. Newspaper and cardboard can be used to protect breakable items and are recyclable anywhere in Wisconsin. Styrofoam and packing peanuts can be saved for the next move or given to friends for reuse. Plastic film, bags and wrap as well as Styrofoam are generally not recyclable through curbside recycling services. 

When furnishing a new home, some people purchase gently used furniture, plates, silverware and other household items to reduce the need for new materials and save money.

Home Remodeling

Home Remodeling For Residents

Adding a new deck? Slapping on a new coat of paint? Finally fixing the roof? When improving your home, you can reduce, reuse and recycle, saving money and protecting the environment as well.

Make A Plan

Before you begin a house project, consult the DNR's step-by-step checklist for evaluating hazards, keeping your home and family safe and providing recycling and waste disposal options. Although the checklist is geared toward commercial and industrial projects, it still provides helpful information for homeowners.

Conserve Paints And Stains

The easiest way to avoid wasting paint is by purchasing only as much as you need for the job. If you have leftover paint, find a use for it in other projects or share it with a neighbor. Paint and stain outdoors with dark colors that will not need excessive cleaning or recoating over the years.

Dispose Of Leftover Materials Safely

Check product labels to see if you are using hazardous materials and be sure to store them safely, reuse them when able and dispose of them properly. Water-based and latex paints are generally non-toxic but should be air-dried (or mixed with an absorbent like kitty litter) until solid before being placed in the trash. Solvent-based or oil-based paints are toxic and flammable and can contaminate drinking water if disposed of improperly. They should be treated as hazardous waste.

Recycle Asphalt Shingles

If you are re-roofing a house, you may be able to recycle your asphalt shingles. Check with your roofing contractor to see if they will recycle shingles. Recycled shingles can be used in road repairs and kept out of landfills.

Reuse Or Donate Materials And Fixtures

When possible, preserve doors, wood, light and bathroom fixtures, cabinets and other items in good condition that can be reused. Organizations like Habitat ReStore accept these items for reuse in homes and other building projects. Other businesses accept scrap wood, metal, carpeting and other products for recycling.