Brown County ends household hazardous-waste collection at landfill; commissioners cite cost and limited reach

Brown County commissioners voted to discontinue the county—s household hazardous waste collection program at the landfill, citing the program—s cost relative to public benefit and operational exposure for county staff.

"If you're looking at the hazardous waste whether we should keep it or not, there's other ways you could make a bigger impact than doing the hazardous choice," the landfill presenter told commissioners, recommending the county consider broader recycling or reuse programs instead of continuing full hazardous-waste collection.

Why it matters: staff described a substantial per-event cost to transport and dispose of hazardous materials and said the county receives large volumes of other recyclable or reusable material (cardboard, metal, items with tags still attached) that could deliver more public benefit if the county focused resources there. Commissioners expressed concern about indefinite costs and liability exposure for the county if the program continued.

What the commission decided: the commission moved, seconded and approved a motion to discontinue the household hazardous waste contract and collection program at the landfill. The vote was taken by voice and carried.

Operational clarifications recorded during the discussion included: - Staff said liquids and bulk liquids (for example pesticides and other liquid hazardous wastes) are not accepted for transport under current arrangements and are handled as a special class; staff said they are not equipped to transport liquid hazardous wastes. - Staff told the commission they will continue to segregate and accept certain high-risk items the landfill crew can safely manage or that an existing vendor will accept (for example, lithium batteries and fluorescent bulbs) and that staff will instruct haulers and customers not to place liquids or clearly hazardous materials in the regular trash. - Commissioners and staff discussed the risk of lithium batteries being compacted in regular loads and cited the safety rationale for continuing to accept and segregate lithium batteries for separate handling.

Next steps and community impacts: staff said they will wind down the county's household hazardous-waste contract and implement a closure plan; they also offered to research and return with options for local recycling programs and alternatives (for example, city programs or county partnerships) that might better serve residents.

Ending: The commission approved discontinuing the county-run household hazardous waste contract and collection at the landfill; staff will finalize the closure steps, maintain safe handling of specific high-risk items, and report back on recycling alternatives and any recommended public guidance.