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Platteville staff outline recycling ordinance changes to meet DNR rules and preview 2026–2030 solid waste contract
Summary
Staff briefed the council on required changes to Chapter 11 to comply with new Wisconsin DNR recycling rules (deadline April 30, 2026), clarified requirements such as flattened corrugated cardboard for single-stream systems, and discussed terms of a proposed 2026–2030 solid waste and recycling contract that would set household rates and include CPI escalators capped at 3%.
City staff told the council Sept. 23 that the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources has issued new recycling rules that require municipalities to adopt conforming local ordinances by April 30, 2026. Howard (staff) presented a redline of the city's Chapter 11 and a DNR-provided sample ordinance, explaining that many changes clarify requirements for commercial properties and put more specific standards behind what constitutes "adequate" recycling services.
Howard and the recycling contractor representative (Ed Ferdy of Ferdy Incorporated) walked council members through operational details and frequently asked questions. On corrugated cardboard, council members asked whether it must be bound; Ed Ferdy clarified that in a single-stream system the requirement is flattening rather than binding to keep the stream "pure": "It has to be flattened," he said.
Staff also previewed the proposed solid waste and recycling contract for 2026–2030. The current five-year contract with Verdi Incorporated expires year-end; the new contract would continue residential collection and include costs for city facilities and museums (inclusion of museums would add approximately 3 cents per household per month). Staff said the proposed per-household monthly rates in the packet were $5.14 for recycling and $6.98 for waste (about $12.12 total) and that small adjustments would bring the total to approximately $12.15. The contract would retain a CPI escalator with a cap at 3% and allow the contractor to request an increase for unforeseen conditions under council review.
Next steps: staff will prepare a non-redline ordinance for council action to meet the DNR deadline, and the proposed solid waste contract will return for formal council approval at a future meeting.
