Waste Management

This reduction equates to 3,360 tons in 2020. The State of Wisconsin’s solid waste reduction, recovery, and recycling law has established a waste management hierarchy based on the overall environmental impacts of each approach. Simply put, the less waste we generate by reducing the materials we consume and discard, the less energy is consumed in making those materials and the less greenhouse gas emissions are generated at the landfill.

Homes and businesses that reduce their waste can save hundreds of dollars annually.  Continuing to establish policies and operational refinements to advance meaningful landfill diversion and beneficial use of waste streams represents a significant environmental opportunity for La Crosse. Based on the State of Wisconsin waste characterization study, there may be waste diversion potential of up to 78.7% in the current landfilled materials.

Recommended actions include:

WM 1-1 Incrementally scale trash collection rates to reflect a more consistent cost per gallon across all containers.

WM 1-2 Make refuse and recycling a separate fee for households similar to Stormwater Utility fees and educate residents on the benefits of making this hidden cost visible.

WM 1-3 Communicate information on waste reduction, recycling, and organics collection options available for residents. This information should be collected from and based on content shared by regional waste collecting, recycling, composting, and reuse organizations. Models include the City of Portland’s
Be Cart Smart, and the City of Fayetteville’s Solid Waste Diversion and Recycling Education Plan.

WM 1-4 Require waste reduction plans with applications to host community events at City facilities.

WM 1-5 Establish Zero Plastic and Zero Waste policies for municipal operations. Outline annual increases in waste reduction goals toward eliminating plastic use and waste. Advocate for similar policies at the County, School District, and other public agencies.

WM 1-6 Require all property owners to provide recycling and compost collection; exclude any compostable plastics containing harmful chemicals, such as PFAS.

WM 1-7 Coordinate a system for large item and demolition salvage pick-up with reuse and waste diversion organizations, such as the Exchange and Habitat for Humanity’s ReStore.

WM 1-8 Promote and host “collaborative consumption” community programs, including tool libraries, repair cafes, fix it fair, and other product reuse resources.

This reduction would mean cutting the number of organics that make up municipal solid waste by 7,400 tons.  Decomposition of organic compounds is the largest generator of methane in landfills.  At over 20% of mixed waste collection in the community, it represents a significant opportunity for La Crosse.

The City of La Crosse Yard Waste & Brush site on Isle La Plume collects some organics.  You must be a City of La Crosse Resident to use the site. For residents to be authorized, an application for a permit sticker can be filled out on your first visit or by going to the City of La Crosse website under the Refuse & Recycling Department page. Contractors and small haulers must fill out a form for every visit showing what La Crosse address(es) the materials are coming from.

Yard waste is defined as leaves, grass clippings, and garden plants. Food waste/organics are defined as fruit & vegetable matter (including cores and rinds), flour & grain items such as bread, rice, and pasta, coffee grounds & filters, and eggshells. It also includes uneaten food/leftovers. Brush is defined as branches that are no more than 8 inches in diameter.

The site does NOT accept logs, tree trunks, stumps, woodchips, sod, dirt, sand, rock, concrete, or asphalt; those should be taken to the La Crosse County Landfill at 3200 Berlin Drive, 608-785-9572.

Please contact the Refuse and Recycling office by phone if you have other questions or concerns: 608-789-7508

Harter's Quick Clean-Up provides an Organics cart specifically for food waste and it allows for a small amount of yard debris. This subscription service is $35/month and runs year-round. Harter’s also provides seasonal subscription service for yard waste, beginning in April, along the alley or curbside. Contact them at 608-782-2082 for more information. Current pricing for 2023: The 95-gallon cart will be delivered for a flat fee of $20. Weekly collection is $26.50/month; bi-weekly collection is $16.75/month; monthly collection is $16.00/month.

This means increasing 8,590 tons to 12,600 tons diverted. La Crosse residents have a high participation rate for recycling. However, the State waste sort indicates opportunities for increased capture of paper, plastics, and metal.

This strategy means decreasing from 18.9% of community mixed waste to 16%). Diversion of potentially recoverable materials, particularly construction materials and textiles offer an opportunity to reduce pollution, energy, and water consumption through the supply chain serving La Crosse.

Waste management refers to both waste that is sent to a landfill and waste that is recycled or reused. Habitat destruction, global warming, and resource depletion are some of the effects of our materials consumption.

Organic waste and food discards and residuals that decompose in landfills release methane, a greenhouse gas that is at least 28 times more potent than carbon dioxide. This fact makes food wasting a significant contributor to solid waste greenhouse gas emissions.

Recycling--converting discarded materials into new materials or putting them to beneficial use (which can include organic waste)--is an important approach in mitigating these impacts and reducing the pollution caused by wasting.

In 2020, community-wide municipal solid waste (MSW) totaled 67,774 tons. Of the MSW handled an estimated 12.7% were recycled, 0.001% were collected organics, 30.4% were incinerated to produce energy—also known as refuse derived fuel (RDF) - and the remaining 56.9% were landfilled.

• Climate impact vulnerability of waste management infrastructure
• Extreme weather impacts on waste collection frequency and routes
• Waste pickup equipment GHG emissions contributing to climate change
• Fossil fuel price increases and climate impacts such as extreme weather events will complicate waste management

• Accessibility to recycling and composting programs may not be equally and readily available to all community residents and may also be impacted by
  other participation-related barriers, including awareness of programs, user fees, accessibility based on housing type, and language barriers.
• Populations that are situated very close to the landfill or composting facility may experience nuisance issues like bad odors and potential health issues unless mitigation actions are implemented.