Wisconsin Act 292, the first legislation in regard to recycling, became effective on April 18, 1988. This act defined the following for state agencies: purchasing specifications; purchasing of products made from recycled and recovered materials; resource recovery and recycling programs for state agencies and local governmental units; use of recycled and recovered materials in state construction projects; and annual reporting.
Act 292 also specified that 50% of office paper generated by agencies would be recycled by January 1, 1990. In order to implement a broader range of recycling activities as required by Act 292, the Wisconsin Department of Administration initiated a research contract with University of Wisconsin-Madison solid waste and recycling experts. The research goals included analyzing waste composition, recycling potential, market assessment and procurement policies.
With those goals in mind, five pilot locations were chosen to acquire necessary data for design, development and implementation. These facilities included a health care facility, a group of correctional institutions, a state park, a group of six highway waysides and a university campus--University of Wisconsin- Stevens Point. The University officially began its resource recovery program in the fall of 1989.
Office paper, newspaper, aluminum cans and glass were the initial items. The program started with a small core of buildings. As non-residential buildings are unique in needs and space, it was necessary to consult with building representatives. A boilerplate approach could not be established for the entire campus which resulted in the need to conduct a building-by-building program. From April of 1989 through January of 1990, the building-by-building approach, with the assistance of a building coordinator, progressed until all buildings were on line. The building coordinator was responsible for communicating with the building occupants and assisting with establishing the program for his/her building.
Our resource recovery program continues to grow.
