Column: Get to know the ‘ugly eight’

By Amanda Haffele

Plover — Portage County Solid Waste built a Materials Recovery Facility or MRF [pronounced “murf”] and began collecting and sorting recyclables in 1993.

The county operated the facility until the early 2000s when it became financially advantageous to hire an outside agency to sort the county’s recyclables instead.

This company was sold and bought three times during their contract.

The final company stopped sorting onsite on December 31, 2021. The county transitioned from the old and outdated sorting equipment and technology to transferring materials to a larger updated facility. Currently, the department partners with Outagamie County Solid Waste and Recycling — the largest publicly owned MRF in Wisconsin — to process the county’s materials. By transferring materials to Appleton, where the facility is located, it has greatly reduced the county’s costs.

This partnership has been working well and they keep us abreast of incoming contamination issues.

Together, we have created the Ugly Eight so we can become better recyclers, reduce the cost, and increase the safety of processing recyclables. The Ugly Eight are items that should never be recycled curbside. Let’s take a look…

Plastic Bags

Plastic bags, wraps, and films are the number one contaminant in the recycling stream. Recycle items loosely and not in plastic bags. Recyclables in plastic bags have a very unlikely chance of getting recycled. Someone has to tear open and then shake out the materials within a few seconds or less. Bags that are colored and not see-through are automatically tossed into the trash due to safety concerns. Take clean and dry plastic film and bags to a store drop-off collection if you’d like to recycle them.

Shredded Paper

Shredded paper builds up in sorting equipment creating unnecessary maintenance and cleanup. It also sticks to everything. Imagine if a glitter bomb went off in your living room, you’d find glitter for years to come. It’s the same with shredded paper. Only shred what’s necessary and toss it into the trash once shredded. Confidential papers can be brought to our facility for shredding for $0.25 per pound.

Yuck!

Putting garbage, liquids, and food in the recycling or wish-cycling items that you are unsure what to do with makes it difficult and costs extra money to sort clean recyclables. When in doubt, give us a shout or throw it out.

Tanks

Tanks and compressed gas cylinders can contain small amounts of fuel and ignite if damaged. Outagamie County’s MRF has had fires due to these in the past. Intact tanks can be properly disposed of at the Portage County Solid Waste Facility for a fee or taken to a scrap yard. Please note that scrap yards will require multiple holes or the tanks to be cut in half. We will not recommend or suggest how to accomplish this task. 

Sharps

Needles, lancets, and syringes are the number one safety concerns for sorting staff. Do not throw sharps in your recycling or trash. Portage County residents can safely dispose of these items at either Hometown Pharmacies, Metro Market Pharmacies, or the Portage County Solid Waste office at no charge. Businesses may not utilize this program, instead they need to contact a company, like Stericycle.

Tanglers

These materials consist of anything that can wrap around sorting equipment, such as cords, hoses, and wires, creating unnecessary maintenance. Electrical and electronic cords can be brought to Portage County Solid Waste for proper disposal, or they can all be tossed into the trash. 

Textiles

Clothing, bedding, and towels wrap around sorting equipment creating unnecessary maintenance. Donate textiles or if in poor condition throw them into the garbage.

Batteries

Batteries and electronics are a fire hazard and should never go in recycling carts. In fact, lithium-ion batteries are the number one leading cause of fires in the solid waste and recycling industry. These items can be properly disposed of at the Portage County Solid Waste facility in Plover. Furthermore, BatteriesPlus accepts all batteries and Lowes accepts rechargeable batteries for proper disposal. Staples and Best Buy will accept electronics for recycling as well.

Remember…when in doubt, give us a shout or throw it out. 

Amanda Haffele is the Portage County Solid Waste Director. She works at the Material Recovery Facility, 600 Moore Rd., Plover, and can be reached at 715.343.6297 or [email protected].