Friday is America Recycles Day, one day set aside to focus attention on being able to re-use rather than throw away.
In Wisconsin, Jennifer Semrau, of the DNR's Waste Reduction and Diversion Coordinator says the day is observed as a reminder for residents, businesses and institutions the importance of recycling to the environment and the economy.
Semrau says Wisconsinites have been recycling...
"...Over 750,000 tons was reported to us by recycling processing facilities which gets the recyclables from communities and businesses in the state. That is an increase from 2017..."
Semrau says local governments and others have gotten the message across to state residents...
"...I think the message is that saving landfill space a resource conservation are well-received by Wisconsinites. When the DNR has done surveys of the outlook of Wisconsinites on recycling it has always been in the 90th percentile of people who are recycling and who find recycling to be important..."
Vilas County recently moved forward with taking 72 acres out of county forest land to expand the Highway "G" landfill site.
The DNR recently acknowledged several recycling programs and efforts across the state, including one at UW-Stevens Point. UWSP was the first UW campus to have recycling chutes in all residential buildings and offer composting in every academic building on campus, among other efforts.
Another honoree is ERbin, a startup based in Wausau. They developed an app that could help residents figure out what to recycle. It allows residents to scan bar codes of items in their homes and learn if the materials are locally recyclable.
