United States
Environmental Protection
Agency
Solid Waste and
Emergency Response
(5306W)
EPA-530-F-99-017I
October 1999
www.epa.gov/osw
 Fitchburg,
 Wisconsin
 50% Residential Waste Reduction
Overview
    Fitchburg instituted the first mandatory recycling
ordinance and the first multi-family recycling ordinance in
Wisconsin and was the first city in the U.S. to implement
curbside polystyrene collection. The city's Solid Waste and
Recycling Ordinance  requires all occupants of residential and
commercial property to separate 16 recyclables from trash,
details proper preparation methods, requires the
implementation of multi-family recycling programs, and
prohibits delivery of recyclables to any disposal facility.
Fitchburg contracts with a private hauler to provide trash
collection and disposal, weekly curbside recycling collection,
and curbside collection of non-woody yard debris four times
a year. City crews  collect brush from the curb eight times a
year.  Residents pay an annual base rate for trash, recycling,
and yard  debris service and pay-as-you-throw (PAYT) rates
for excess trash.  From 1992 to 1996, total residential trash
disposal dropped despite a 20% increase in households served.
In 1996, the city diverted 50% of its residential waste from
disposal (29% through recycling and 21% through
composting).

Keys to High Waste Reduction
    Fitchburg achieved its high waste reduction through the
  recycling of many items, composting, and PAYT trash fees.
  Residents can recycle 21 types of
  materials: 17 through weekly curbside
  collection, two through monthly  curbside
  collection, one at the drop-off, and one
   by special appointment. Yard debris
   collection and drop-off programs accept
   leaves, grass clippings, and other yard
    and garden trimmings. A separate
     program collects and processes brush.
      PAYT trash rates serve as an incentive
      for decreased disposal. In FY97
      Fitchburg charged each household
                                DHALU
                                 POPULATION: 1 6,254
                                   (1992); 17,266 (1996)
                                 HOUSEHOLDS: 6,685(1990);
                                   3,057 single-family
                                   households and duplexes,
                                   3,628 multi-family units.
                                   7,500 (1996); 3,860 units
                                   in buildings with 1-4 units
                                     1992
                    1996
               Tons Per Year
         3,644
4,147
               Percent Diverted
                 Recycled
                 Composted
         35%
          24%
          11%
 50%
 29%
 21%
               Average Ibs./HH/day
          6.16
 5.89
               Net Program Costs/HH   $126.48     $108.12
                 Disposal Services       $72.08       $52.51
                 Diversion Services      $54.40       $55.61
               Notes: 3,243 households served in 1992; 3,860 in 1996. 1992
                 dollars adjusted to 1996 dollars using the GDP deflator.
                 Numbers may not add to total due to rounding.
                                          Source: Institute for Local Self-Reliance, 1999.
   This profile is part of the fact sheet Cutting the Waste Stream in Half: Community Record-Setters Show How (EPA-530-F-99-017).

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               $82 for recycling and yard debris
               services, and collection and
               disposal  of one 32-gallon trash
               can per week. The city also
               provided each household with
               10 tags which could be attached  ^
               to extra containers of trash.  The
               weekly collection cost of a 64-
               gallon container was an extra $34.68 per year
               and a 95-gallon container was an additional
               $60.96 annually. Additional tags for trash bags
               cost $1.50 each at local retail stores.

               Cost-Effectiveness
                   Fitchburg's net solid waste management
               budget rose from 1992 to 1996, but so did the
               city's population and number of households
               served. When the cost of inflation is taken
               into account, average per household costs for
               waste management services have decreased
               from $126 in 1992 to $108 in 1996. During
               the same period, landfill tip fees  increased by
        RESIDENTIAL WASTE GENERATION
            PER  HOUSEHOLD PER DAY
 MATERIALS RECOVERED
CURBSIDE:
  newspaper, magazines and catalogs, corrugated cardboard
  mixed paper (including mail, white paper, brown paper bags, paperboard,
   and phone books)
  cans
  glass containers
  all plastic containers and #4 plastic container lids
  rigid and foam polystyrene
  reusable household items (e.g., clothing, books, small appliances,
   housewares, and toys)
  white goods
  grass clippings, leaves, brush, holiday trees, and other yard and garden
   debris
DROP-OFF:
all materials accepted
at curbside except:
   cans
   glass containers
   plastics
   reusable items
   white goods
                1992     1994    1996
             | Trash    ^ Recycling      ^Composting
     Source: institute for Local Se!f-Re!iance, 1999.

17% in real dollars.  On a per-ton basis, trash
cost $100 and waste reduction cost $101
(recycling cost $ 117 per ton and yard debris
recovery $78). Fitchburg's low-cost drop-off
composting program helps the city contain
costs.  In 1996, residents delivered 534 tons
of yard debris (13% of their waste
stream) to the city drop-off site.
City staff land spread the material   [/
over city land, avoiding higher cost
processing of the material.

Tips for Replication
       Listen to your line  employees.
Workers know the system and its strengths and
weaknesses.
       Get your hands dirty.
       Don't reinvent the wheel. Talk with
other recyclers when faced with problems.
Most likely someone else has encountered a
similar problem and can offer advice.
       Optimize.  Never stop striving to
improve; there's always room for improvement.
     Contact
      Kevin Wunder
      Project Manager
      Public Works Dept., City of Fitchburg
      2377 South Fish Hatchery Road
      Fitchburg,WI 53711
      PHONE: 608-270-6343
      FAX: 608-275-7154

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