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The Recycling Inspector Cometh… I’ll admit it… I have a problem. Just ask my wife. When most folks are traveling the highways and the by-ways, they’re noticing the fauna, the flora, the sky… but, not Bart. No!!! I’m checking out garbage trucks, roll-off boxes, dumpsters and recycling bins. Over the last few months I began taking note of several places of business in Oneida County that only have one dumpster visible…, and it was always a garbage dumpster. State Law and County ordinance requires all businesses and residential customers to recycle. It is also a requirement in our license agreement with solid waste haulers that they provide at least monthly collection of recyclables as a part of their collection services. The obvious conclusion with one dumpster is that everything, including recyclables, is being disposed of as garbage. And so, the week before Christmas, yours truly, accompanied by adult supervision (a DNR employee, who shall remain anonymous, but who wanted to see how recycling enforcement checks are done in Oneida County) sallied forth to dumpster dive. The first stop was a nice restaurant located south of Rhinelander. Upon opening the garbage dumpster, it was pretty evident that there was no recycling in it. Walking to the back of the restaurant, to see if anybody was in, the first thing I noticed was a row of barrels under a porch with a stack of cardboard alongside. The barrels held empty libation containers. Hmmph… Recycling! At a furniture store in the Minocqua area, the owner gladly showed us a cage for cardboard around the back of the store. A few times a year, the cardboard was taken to a local transfer station for recycling. Yup, a pattern was developing… Seems that just about all of the businesses checked were indeed recycling. Usually around the back and everyone of these places had things separated nicely. Most, but not all! Our last two stops in the Minocqua/Woodruff area were a different story. Actually the two stops had the same owner/operator. At both locations, upon opening the dumpster it was apparent that we had a problem. It was hard to see the garbage because of all the cardboard. A short visit with the owner to inform them of the recycling requirements was followed up with a call to their hauler to let them know that a request for cardboard and container recycling would be coming in. We’ll be checking this week to see if they are in compliance, yet. But overall, what had started out as a Grinch mission, had me feeling downright elvish by the end. In this business, you’ll ‘never get ‘em all’, but December’s foray, along with a couple trips tailing garbage trucks, reinforced the fact that the vast majority of folks & businesses in Oneida County are indeed recycling. FANTASTIC! |
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©2004 Oneida County Solid Waste Department
PO Box 400
Rhinelander, WI 54501
PO Box 400
Rhinelander, WI 54501
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