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Politics & Government

A Race to the Top: Which North Shore Community Recycles the Most?

Bayside is very vocal about their efforts, but they fall second to Fox Point for 2010 recycling.

Bayside has been very vocal about recycling efforts, but in 2010, Fox Point was the clear winner in the recycling race between the North Shore communities. 

Based on population size and the amount of tons recycled, Fox Point collected 293 pounds per resident.  This is only accounting for traditional recyclables like glass, plastics and aluminum.  The North Shore communities rank as follows:

  • Fox Point – 293 lbs. per person
  • Bayside – 258 lbs. per person
  • Whitefish Bay – 246 lbs. per person
  • Shorewood – 150 lbs. per person

"We recycle about 1,000 tons a year of traditional recyclables like glass, tin, etcetera," said Scott Brandmeier, the Director of Public Works in Fox Point.  "But the tricky part is population size.  The population of Bayside is way smaller than Shorewood, so you'd have to look at the per-capita recycling rate.  For example, how much does a person or household recycle?"

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After doing the per-person calculations based on population, Brandmeier's handy tip actually resulted in his village on top.

Shorewood, however, was not so lucky.  With a significantly lower number than the other villages, Director of Public Works Leeann Butschlick said the number of tons reported for 2010 can't be right.

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"I have some questions about the numbers Waste Managment supplied to us in regards to how much Shorewood recycled," Butschlick explained after hearing how the village compared to the other North Shore communities.

"Even our numbers from last year fell off by over 200 tons.  At one time in the 1990s we had the highest recycling rate in the entire state," Butschlick continued.  "That's why their numbers just don't seem accurate to me.  I'm working with Waste Managment to get more accurate information."

Regardless of how much is done, recycling is not only good for the environment, but also for local budgets.  When village collectors pick up garbage, they can either bring it to a landfill, or they can bring recyclable waste to a transfer station. 

The big difference is when communities bring items to a transfer station, it doesn’t cost the village any money, or what's called a tipping fee.  It’s even possible to get a small amount of money in return, much like collecting cans to recycle for a few extra dollars.

Although Fox Point captured first place, the eco-conscious Bayside could take a clear lead in 2011.  Bayside Director of Community and Utility Services Alex Henderson says this year’s recycling goal is 650 tons.  That would be just over 100 more tons than what was collected in 2010.

“I cannot speak for what other communities are doing specifically, but I can say that Bayside places a significant amount of resources to educate the public about the benefits of recycling,” explained Henderson. 

“Not only does recycling have a positive environmental impact, but it also has a positive economic impact with regards to the reduced tipping fees paid by the village.”

And in financially tight times, villages like Bayside are pinching pennies while staying “green.”  Between recycling more to avoid the fees at the landfill and hiring Bayside workers to collect the garbage, the village might be taking first place for waste-savings shortly.

“Bayside does both garbage and recycling collection in-house,” said Henderson.  “We use our own automated equipment and laborers to pick up garbage each week and recycling every other week.”

But other North Shore communities handle their collection a bit differently. Communities like Mequon or Shorewood license haulers like Veolia Waste Services or Waste Management to handle garbage pick-up.  Whitefish Bay, however, handles things like Bayside.

"We do our own recycling," said Kevin Kaegi of the Whitefish Bay Public Works.  "So, we pick all the recyclable items up with our own truck and everything.  Then we dispose of it at Veolia Waste Services...  It works well.  Our tonnage in 2010 is fairly close to what we did on average in the past three or four years."

The amount of waste recycled broken down by population shows which residents are recycling the most.  However, when it comes to the actual tonnage being hauled to the transfer station, Whitefish Bay takes first place.  In total, the four North Shore communities recycled just more than 4,200 tons.

  • Whitefish Bay – 1,670 tons
  • Fox Point – 1,000 tons
  • Shorewood – 990 tons
  • Bayside – 547 tons

Although the numbers may seem staggering, there are still plenty of options for higher amounts of recyclables.  For example, some of the communities like Whitefish Bay only pick up from houses, not apartments.  Other villages only collect from a few apartments, but disregard businesses and condominiums.

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