Wisconsin Task Force Reports Findings

Wisconsin’s Blue Ribbon Task Force on Waste Materials Recovery and Disposal, which was formed by Gov. Jim Doyle in June 2005, has issued its recommendations in its final report, which was completed in December 2006.

The Task Force was assembled to study and make recommendations regarding the economics of landfilling and recycling solid wastes in the state. The Task Force is comprised of 19 members representing communities, private sector business and other organizations across the state.

In its report, the Task Force identified a number of materials the state should focus on when it comes to increasing recycling rates. The report highlights several strategies to boost the recovery of C&D material, which represents more than 28 percent of Wisconsin’s solid waste stream. The task force recommends initiating market development and research on the recovery and reuse of C&D material and supporting the development of infrastructure for recycling and marketing C&D debris. The Task Force also recommends promoting the adoption of local ordinances to require C&D recycling as part of construction permitting processes, as well as instructing the state DOT to determine how shingles can safely be incorporated into road construction projects.

C&D recycling is not the only area of improvement mentioned in the report. The Task Force also identifies scrap paper and organics as materials that are currently under-recovered. The report states a goal of reducing the amount of usable paper in landfills to less than 15 percent in five years and less than 10 percent in 10 years. This can be achieved by promoting household and business recycling of recoverable paper, increasing education on the value of recovered paper as a resource and reducing the contamination of recoverable scrap paper, according to the report.