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County Executive's Office

County Breaks Ground on New Recycling Center To Extend Life of Landfill, Expand Recycling & Hazardous Waste Removal

June 22, 2012
Casey Slaughter Becker, Office of the County Executive 608.267.8823 or cell, 608.843.8858
County Executive


 

County Executive Joe Parisi joined members of the County Board and other local leaders today in breaking ground for construction of a new $4-million recycling center that will greatly expand the county’s recycling efforts while making the popular ‘Clean Sweep’ program operate year-round.

 

“With this new center, we’re giving the hardest working landfill in Wisconsin a bit of a break and recycling thousands of tons of wood, concrete, steel, and construction materials each year,” said Parisi.  “Together, we’re extending the life of the landfill, protecting our land and water quality by safely disposing of waste, and saving millions of taxpayer dollars.”

 

The facility is a key component of the County Executive’s recently released comprehensive solid waste strategy that will extend the life of the county’s current landfill site another three decades.  The transfer station will allow for the recycling of construction and demolition waste, which currently accounts for 40% of the space in the county’s Rodefeld Landfill.  

 

The new transfer station will allow the popular Clean Sweep program to operate year round.  Clean Sweep helps homeowners safely dispose of hazardous materials like paint and cleaners. 

 

Parisi noted the new facility will be heated with the waste heat generated by converting landfill gas to renewable energy, and includes many other “green” features.  Special pavement will be installed to catch rainfall and keep runoff from the station from flowing into neighboring waterways. Translucent panels will utilize natural light for the facility, greatly reducing the need for electric light.

 

Even the recycling  trucks that haul the recyclables to their sorting stations will be green – filling up and fueled by the compressed natural gas (bio CNG) that’s created from decomposing trash from the landfill.

 

Dane County Supervisor Robin Schmidt of Monona, Chair of the Public Works and Transportation Committee commended county staff for their creativity.  "This is a win-win for the people of Dane County,” said Schmidt.  "Dane County continues to be a leader in good government, using  innovative solutions to improve our environment, serve the public, minimize our costs and ultimately save money for taxpayers now and into the future."   

“This is yet another example of Dane County deriving  revenue from what is seemingly waste,” said Supervisor Matt Veldran, former Chair of the Public Works and Transportation Committee.

“By offering Clean Sweep drop off year round, and by transferring construction debris away from our landfill, Dane County will not only realize revenue from the recycled waste, but it will also gain critical space in our landfill enabling the county to continue to serve as a vital low cost landfill alternative for businesses and citizens.”

 

The facility is anticipated to be complete and fully operational by the end of the year.

 

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