Waukesha County, WI Trash & Recycling: Recycling Requirements (2026)
Key Facts
- Effective date
- Materials ban effective January 1, 1995
- Materials banned
- 11 items: cans, glass, paper, plastic, steel containers
- Container rule added
- Sec. 287.07(4e), effective July 1, 2011
- Penalty
- $50, then $200, then up to $2,000
- Enforcement
- DNR and Attorney General, not local police
- County's own program
- Required by Wis. Stat. §§ 287.09, 287.11
Summary
State law, not just county ordinance, bans landfilling, burning or converting into fuel eleven everyday recyclables statewide, including aluminum cans, glass, newspaper, office paper and plastic containers. Wis. Stat. § 287.07(4) has applied in Waukesha County's towns since January 1, 1995, backing up the county's own curbside program.
Beginning on January 1, 1995, no person may dispose of in a solid waste disposal facility, convert into fuel, or burn at a solid waste treatment facility in this state any of the following: (a) An aluminum container. (b) Corrugated paper or other container board. (c) Foam polystyrene packaging. (d) A glass container. (f) A magazine or other material printed on similar paper. (g) A newspaper or other material printed on newsprint. (h) Office paper. (i) A plastic container. (j) A steel container. (k) A container for carbonated or malt beverages that is primarily made of a combination of steel and aluminum.
Full Breakdown
07(4), titled "General disposal restrictions," provides: "Beginning on January 1, 1995, no person may dispose of in a solid waste disposal facility, convert into fuel, or burn at a solid waste treatment facility in this state" eleven listed materials: aluminum containers, corrugated paper or other container board, foam polystyrene packaging, glass containers, magazines or similar printed paper, newspaper or newsprint, office paper, plastic containers, steel containers, and combination steel-and-aluminum beverage containers. 07(4e), added effective July 1, 2011, goes further and bars placing any of those same items into a container headed for disposal, conversion to fuel, or burning in the first place, and separately bars putting a waste tire in a disposal-bound container. 11, which is exactly the kind of program Waukesha County's article establishes. 91(2).
Violations & Fines
Anyone who lands one of the eleven banned materials in a landfill or incinerator after December 31, 1996 faces a forfeiture under Wis. Stat. § 287.95(3)(b): $50 for a first violation, $200 for a second, and up to $2,000 for each violation after that. The Wisconsin Attorney General can also pursue an injunction against a violator directly under Section 287.91(2), separate from any forfeiture.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the recycling requirement in Waukesha County a local rule or state law?
What materials can't be thrown in the trash under state law?
What's the penalty for violating the state recycling ban?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Waukesha County
Compare Waukesha County to another location·View the Wisconsin trash & recycling overview
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