OUTAGAMIE COUNTY, WI (WTAQ) – One local county has been recognized for doing its part to help the environment.
Outagamie County Recycling and Solid Waste has received the Wisconsin DNR’s 2017 Recycling Excellence Award.
County Executive Tom Nelson notes the three-county facility has upped the amount of items it recycled this past year.
“Just over 110,000 tons, so the increase was somewhere in the neighborhood of 8-10% (from the year prior).”
The county was highlighted in the ‘projects and initiatives’ category.
“We were having incredible success in rural communities, which other parts of the country have struggled to engage and increase recycling efforts.”
Nelson credits grant funding they previously received, covering 15-20% of a new county effort.
“To help support the purchase of recycling carts in 13 rural townships and villages.”
Going forward, Nelson says there are still more communities they can educate and bring on board with the recycling plan.
“We now, basically, recycle every kind of plastic. That wasn’t always the case. It was very selective.”
The award was presented in conjunction with Wednesday’s ‘America Recycles Day.’
In its fifth year, the award program recognizes four categories of excellence: projects and initiatives, overall program, special events, and innovation.
