TOWN OF VANDENBROEK, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) – Another day of wicked wind in Wisconsin made a mess for some, as trash from a landfill was blown all over.
The Outagamie County landfill is one of the largest operations in Wisconsin, handling about a 500,000 tons of garbage each year. The facility takes in trash from three counties: Brown, Outagamie and Winnebago.
But as high winds continue, some of that garbage was sent blowing in the wind.
Bag after bag, and plastic rattling in the breeze. The Elm Grove Apartments in Little Chute were in the line of fire Wednesday morning.
“I see obviously like a spare bag once in a while, but, like I see right here, this is ridiculous,” said Levi Van Stappen of Little Chute told FOX 11.
Van Stappen says this week’s flying garbage from the Outagamie County landfill in the nearby Town of Vandenbroek is the worst he’s seen.
“You can see all the stuff that just gets built up over time. But yeah, it’s been crazy weather,” he said.
“Well, it’s kind of been making a mess a lot,” said Julie Sanger of Little Chute.
Sanger lives just across the street.
“The bags are everywhere. They collect on everything. I know the shingles are falling off the roof too,” she said.
“Well, it’s windy. It’s really windy,” said Tom Nelson, Outagamie County Executive told FOX 11.
Nelson says due to the high wind, the landfill stopped taking garbage at 11:00a.m. Wednesday.
“We’re kind of fighting a losing battle in the sense that we’re trying to contain the trash that’s already there,” he said.
Some of the garbage littered the area along I-41 near Little Chute. County crews were out in force trying to clean it all up.
“This is one of those all hands on deck efforts. So not only do we have staff from solid waste and recycling, we also have our workers from highway who are coming together, and doing what can be done,” said Nelson.
Meanwhile the bags continue to blow around.
Van Stappen says it’s all part of spring.
“I hope this weather kind of cools down just a little bit. It’s nice with the lack of snow, but I think comes with that, is the crazy Wisconsin weather,” he said.
Landfill leaders are monitoring the wind, and evaluating any changes.
The landfill is scheduled to open Thursday at 7 a.m. Whether nature cooperates remains to be seen.
