Winnebago County Solid Waste outlines limits on local composting, options for bulky-waste pickup

Winnebago County Solid Waste staff described the county's transfer-station operations, recycling markets, current composting options and models other cities use for bulky-waste pickup during a June 2 Sustainability Board meeting in Oshkosh.

Kelly Ryar, who identified herself as solid waste staff with Winnebago County, said the county's solid-waste department operates as an enterprise fund, meaning programs are supported by tipping fees rather than the general tax levy. "A lot of people don't realize ... we are not on the tax levy. We are the only department that is not on the tax levy," Ryar said.

Nut graf: Ryar told the board the county does not currently have the land, equipment or staffing to run a county-scale composting operation; the transfer station accepts bulky items, appliances, e-waste year-round and household hazardous waste by appointment; and other municipalities use curbside bulky-item programs or scheduled clean-up weeks to serve residents without trucks.

Key details presented

- Transfer station and recycling flow: Residential and private hauler trucks tip at the county transfer station; County material is then consolidated and sent to the Tri-County material recovery facility (MRF) in Appleton. Ryar said the MRF serves about 16% of Wisconsin's population and processes roughly 80,000 tons per year, with a current residual (contamination) rate of about 11.3%.

- Funding and fees: Because the department is enterprise-funded, program additions must be financially sustainable. Ryar described common fees and noted the county's current minimum fee for bulky trash is $20 for the first 700 pounds.

- Composting and yard waste: The county sells backyard compost bins on a biennial schedule (bins sold in a prior year; staff intend to sell every other year). Ryar said Winnebago County does not currently have the space, staff or equipment to host a county-scale composting operation, but private companies, backyard composting and municipal yard-waste drop-off remain options. Yard waste brought to the site is processed through a roto-chopper that can accept branches up to six inches in diameter; ground material is collected by a third party and used as a soil amendment. The county pays to have that material removed.

- Household hazardous waste and e-waste: The county offers household hazardous waste events from May through October at no cost to households; appointments are required to avoid traffic backups. Ryar said most no-appointment arrivals at two May events were accepted, but appointments are required to avoid congestion and safety risks.

- Bulk-waste pickup models: Ryar reviewed neighboring-city approaches: Appleton runs a program that allows residents to place two bulky items at the curb on alternating weeks (April'September); Milwaukee runs a neighborhood-week model tied to a calendar. Ryar said key considerations for Oshkosh would include funding (who pays), frequency, the approved-item list and impacts on the transfer station's capacity.

- Other county programs: Winnebago County operates a holiday string-light recycling program (Ryar reported the county collected about 3,400 pounds this season, a 54% increase from the prior season) and continues landfill-closed-site monitoring and gas-to-energy conversion projects.

Board discussion and direction

Board members asked about what happens to yard waste (Ryar: shredded and sold/used as soil amendment by a contractor), hazardous-waste walk-ins (staff said most were accepted at recent events but appointments remain required to avoid traffic), and whether Winnebago County accepts e-waste year-round (Ryar: yes during business hours). James Robbie of the Department of Public Works added details about the city's yard-waste program, noting the city offers an annual $25 resident permit for unlimited yard-waste drop-off at the city site and that ground woodchips often are taken by residents for mulch.

The board concluded the discussion by asking staff to place the topic on a future agenda for additional consideration of bulky-waste pickup and potential surveying of resident interest in composting.

Supporting quote

"We can't just start up random programs. They have to be sustainable. They have to be something we have to be able to cover the costs," Winnebago County Solid Waste staffer Kelly Ryar said.

Ending

County staff said they are available to return to the board for follow-up; the board asked staff to add the topic to a future agenda and to consider an outreach/survey approach to gauge interest and demand for composting or curbside bulky-item collection.