Recycling Agenda 03-26-2026

Notice of Public Meeting AGENDA Committee: Recycling Committee Date: Thursday, March, 26, 2026 Time: 6 p.m. Location: 3rd Floor County Board Room, 407 S. 2nd Street, Alma, WI 54610 Remote Access: NONE This meeting is open to the public, but portions of the meeting may be closed if this notice indicates that the committee may convene in closed session. The following matters may be reviewed, discussed and acted upon at this meeting, but deviations from the order shown may occur: 1. Review/Discussion/Action Call to Order 2. Review/Discussion/Action Roll Call of Members 3. Review/Discussion/Action Public Comments Regarding Posted Agenda Items 4. Review/Discussion/Action Previous Meeting Minutes 5. Review/Discussion/Action Year End Report 6. Review/Discussion/Action Contracts 7. Review/Discussion/Action Clean Sweep for 2027 8. Review/Discussion/Action La Crosse Milling Rate 9. Review/Discussion/Action Committee Chair Report 10. Review/Discussion/Action Department Manager Report 11. Review/Discussion/Action Public Comments Unrelated to Agenda Items 12. Review/Discussion/Action Next Meeting Date and Time: TBD 13. Review/Discussion/Action Adjournment Date: March 11, 2026 Max Weiss , Chair _______________________________ By :Lisa Schmitt, County Clerk Board Members: If unable to attend, please contact the Chair. If the Chair is unavailable, please contact the County Clerk’s Office at 608-685-6209. If the Chair and the County Clerk are not available, please call the Administrative Coordinator at 608-685-6234. Persons with Disabilities: Buffalo County shall attempt to provide reasonable accommodations to the public for access to its public meetings, provided reasonable notice of special need is given. If you require special accommodations to attend this meeting, please contact the County Clerk’s Office at 608-685-6209. Public Access to the Courthouse: The South Entrance will be the only access to the building after 4:30 p.m. Persons who are members of another governmental body, but who are not members of this committee, may attend this meeting. Their attendance could result in a quorum of another governmental body being present. Such a quorum is unintended, and they are not meeting to exercise the authority, duties, or responsibilities of any other governmental body. March 21st, 2024 Recycling Committee minutes Buffalo County Minutes Committee/Board: Recycling Committee Date of Meeting: September 11th, 2025 The meeting was called to order by Max Weiss at 6:05 p.m. Max Weiss opened the meeting for the Recycling Committee and Rich Bauer took roll call. Roll Call of Members: Mary Lisowski, Calvin Loewenhagen, Jeannie Czaplewski (absent),Claire Waters (absent), Jamey Davis, Bruce Kees, Perry Pronschinske, Michelle Loken, Bob Traun, Kevin Theismann, Brian Michaels (absent), Dwight Ruff, Max Weiss, Public Present: One Observer. Public Comment Regarding Posted Agenda Items: None Review/Discussion/Action – Approve Minutes of Previous Meeting: Bruce Kees made a motion to accept the minutes from the previous meeting. Calvin Loewenhagen second the motion. Motion carried Review/Discussion/ Action - Budget: Rich Bauer presented the committee with a proposed budget for 2026. This budget was very similar to 2025 with an increase in single steam hauling which will see an increase of 5 % in January of 2026. Dwight Ruff made a motion to accept the proposed budget and Michelle Loken 2 nd it. Motion Carried Review/Discussion – Electronic Recycler Vendor Switch: The committee was informed that a new vendor had been found and used in July for the first time. Their rates were considerable cheaper than the current vender and we plan to continue business with Com2 Recycling. Review/Discussion – Green Circle Rate Increase: Green Circle notifies the county of another rate increase starting in January 2026 for the hauling of recyclables. An increase of 5% raising the rate from $595 to $625. This is in addition to the processing fee which was $61.95 per ton in July and higher in August. Review/Discussion –La Crosse Milling Rate: The rate for La Crosse Milling was discussed and Rich pointed out that the current rate just covers the cost for processing and does not cover any of the transportation costs for the recycling department. Rich will be in contact with La Crosse Milling to establish a new rate Review/Discussion – Per Capita Rate and Billing: The increase in the per capita rate for 2026 was discussed as a reminder that in increase will be coming in 2026 as per the letter sent with the billing for 2025. Since this was already approved there was no action taken. March 21st, 2024 Recycling Committee minutes Review/Discussion/Action – Garage Door Purchase: Rich Bauer requested approval to purchase 2 roll up doors for the heated storage area at the Mondovi Recycling center. The current doors are large sliders with brush type sweeps that leak a large amount in the winter. 2 bids were submitted. The bid from B&W Contractors LLC. was chosen to do the work. Chairmans Report: None Department Manager Report: Rich Bauer stated he is looking into a continuous hazmat collection process that could reduce the cost of the current program and also recycle some of the items that are currently be disposed of that have use. Also being looked at are alternative sources for our single stream recycling which has seen its cost for hauling and processing increase significantly in the last year. Public Comment Unrelated to Agenda Items: None Review/Discussion/Action - Next Meeting Date and Time: The next Recycling meeting was set for Thursday, March 19th @ 6pm. Adjourn: Motion to adjourn by Max Weiss, Bruce Kees second the motion. Meeting adjourned 7:15 pm. Respectfully Submitted: Richard Bauer Recycling Coordinator Richard Bauer County Courthouse Recycling Coordinator 407 South Second Street Richard.bauer@buffalocountywi.gov PO Box 494 Phone (715) 926-5890 Alma, WI 54610-0494 Buffalo County Recycling Program 2025 Annual Report to the Recycling Committee and County Board To the County Board: 2025 was a year of learning and setting up efficiencies to make the program more cost effective. The Highway / Recycling position was eliminated when Tim Baker took a state route for the county. Tim will still be utilized to cover in the recycling department when I take extended vacations. This worked well in October and January of 2025/ 2026. The Nelson site has been communicating the # of loads each week which allows for better planning of the routes and schedules. I continue to work to get the City of Alma to communicate this information as well although its been a challenge working with that group. La Crosse Mill loads are now being hauled directly to Green Circle in La Crosse by myself. At an increased rate of $250 per load verses the previous rate of $175. By hauling one Buffalo each week in combination with the La Crosse load I eliminate approximately 2100 lbs. each week that needs to be hauled by Green Circle. This is approximately 35% of each load being hauled by Green Circle and I have been able to reduce their loads from 36 per year, to 25 loads per year. This equates to a $12,000 savings for 2026. The budget for 2025 was 16.9% below budget. $26,970 savings due to reduced staffing. $2000 due to new vendor for hauling electronics. $2200 not spent on machinery and equipment. Areas that were overbudget include $8323 for new garage doors. $3025, due to a major repair to the older truck was required due to some cracked DEF piping that was causing some issues. I continue to run this truck weekly to cover Gilmanton and Modena loads to keep it in running order. Also to make sure a backup is available in case issues were to arise with the new truck which is approaching 100,000 miles. The annual report contains tables to compare previous years’ data with 2025. I welcome any comments, recommendations, and feedback as we move into 2026, and I remain committed to making improvements and efficiencies within the program. Respectfully submitted, Richard Bauer Recycling Coordinator. Section I: 2025 Fiscal Report Revenues and Fund Balance Requirements Based on the 2025 Revenue Guideline adopted by the County Board, revenues were projected to be $144,087 including a $99,400 DNR Recycling Grant. With annual budgeted expenses projected to be $168.012. Expenses Based on the adopted Recycling budget for 2025, expenses were projected to be $168,012 The final 2025 expenditure figures suggest that expenses are $143,771 or 16.9 % Under budget. 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025 Revenue $150.905.54 $153,388.00 $141,216 $146,426.00 $144,518.37 Expenses $149,132.59 $155,636.00 $147,397.00 $170.179.00 $143,771.34 Revenue Less Expenses +$1,772.95 -$2,248.00 -$6,181.00 -$23,753 $747.03 Adopted Expenses $198,776 $184,903 $157,156 $168,429 $168012 Tony took over the Recycling and Solid Waste Depts on Dec 13th of 2021. Expenses were $49,643 or 25% under budget Expenses were $29,267 or 15.8% under budget Jan 1st, 2023 was the transition for BBC&M to be serviced by WRT. This budget represents the first year expenses without them. Expenses were $9,759 or 6.3% under budget 16.9 % Under Budget. Year Recycling Fund begging balance. 2024 $ 169,369 2025 $ 144,518 2026 $ 150.805 Estimated Section II: Loads, Tonnage, Appliance Data and Electronic Data The County’s recycling program has continued to evolve since its inception in the early 1990’s. For over a decade, materials were separated into multiple streams and marketed to vendors directly. In 2014 the County switched to a dual-stream program, where the sorting requirements were reduced to only two categories – containers (glass, plastic, aluminum, and tin) and fibers (newspaper and cardboard). Then in 2020 the program evolved into a single-stream system, where all recyclables can be co-mingled. The changes in our system have impacted the labor side and simplified recycling for the public by not having to sort recyclables. The same recyclables continue to be hauled but can now be hauled together in the same roll-off containers. The conversion to single stream has improved efficiencies by reducing the hauling of less-than-full roll-off containers due to previous sorting requirements. The tables below represent various categories of information that provide an overview of recycling program outcomes: Table 1.0 Loads from Municipal Sites Site 2023 LD 2024 LD 2025 LD 2023 TN 2024 TN 2025 TN BBC&M (site) **N/A **N/A **N/A 96.57 94.4 92.37 Town of Buffalo 76 58 60 36.32 25 24.4 Gilmanton 52 23 52 23.03 22.9 21.1 Maxville 14 14 13 5.76 6 5.3 Modena 24 25 24 10.63 10.8 9.7 Town of Nelson 99 95 78 42.97 41 31.7 Town of Alma 31 39 40 15.5 16.8 16.2 City of Alma 103 104 102 44.3 44.9 41.4 City of Mondovi (site) 114 110 104 44.3 47.4 42.2 City of Mondovi (Curbside Durand Sanitation) N/A N/A N/A 162.63 224.5 226 LaCrosse Milling 31 38 42 15 19 21 Totals 544 495.29 544 495 550.0 531 ** 2023 was the first year BBC&M was serviced by Waste Recycling & Transfer, LLC 9 Tons hauled directly to La Crosse. 2021 - 743 loads @ 920 pounds per load average 2022 - 751 loads @ 886 pounds per load average 2023 - 544 loads @ 814 pounds per load average 2024 - 536 loads @ 862 pounds per load average 2025 - 515 loads @ 813 pounds per load average Table 2.0: COMPACTED LOADS TO PROCESSOR Green Circle Recycling (2021) 51 Loads Green Circle Recycling (2022) 52 Loads Green Circle Recycling (2023) 36 Loads Green Circle Recycling (2024) 36 Loads Green Circle Recycling (2025) 32 Loads Table 3.0: ANNUAL TONNAGE PROCESSED Loads Ave/Load Total tons of single stream shipped. 2021 51 6.71 Ton 342.07 2022 52 6.40 Ton 332.66 2023 36 6.15 Ton 221.38 2024 36 6.42 Ton 231.17 2025 32 6.41 Ton 205.99 We shipped 206 tons of single stream recyclables to Green Circle GFI collected 226 tons (Curbside) City of Mondovi Waste Recycling & Transfer, LLC collected 92.37 tons (BBC&M) 9.1 Tons hauled directly Started 10-21-25 Total 540 tons Single Stream Recyclables in 2025 Table 4.0: FEE PER TRIP HAULING 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025 La Crosse Milling 18 30 31 38 42 The sole business that pays the County to haul their recyclable fibers away is La Crosse Milling located in Cochrane. The County bills La Crosse Milling $250 per load transported to the recycling center in Mondovi until 10-21-25. Then loads were hauled directly to Green Circle in La Crosse. Table 5.0: REFRIGERANT APPLIANCES Site 2022 2023 2024 2025 BBC & M 44 60 35 NA Town of Nelson 17 14 13 33 City of Mondovi 95 88 87 81 Total Collected 156 162 135 114 147 units shipped for recycling from Mondovi at a cost of $ 9.70 each Table 6.0: ELECTRONICS Site 2022 *2023 2024 2025 BBC&M 169 128 143 0 City of Mondovi 167 307 169 102 Total Collected 336 435 312 102 Total Pounds 23,082 16,555 5197 *First full year of being an E-Cycle Wisconsin Registered Collector and reporting total pounds of EED collected to the Wi DNR. (In the past only the total number collected was reported) Estimated 2.5 tons tons of electronics recycled in 2025, Mondovi receipts for this were $2461 verses expenses of $0. Collected 396 fluorescent bulbs. Received $433 and paid $268.35. BBC&M collected in 2025 but did not ship anything in that year. 5700 lbs were shipped in Jan of 2026 and will show on next years report. Table 7.0: Tires Site 2022 2023 2024 2025 Mondovi and Nelson $3175.49 $4648.49 $6057.70 $2673.93 Dates hauled 4-22 4-23 3-24& 10-24 11-06-25 Total Tons 8.4tn 12.81 15.1 5.95 Rate per tn $300 tn $320tn $350/$375 400 Tire rates have increased year after year for the previous 4 years and I would expect them to continue. We may have to look at price adjustments in the future if they continue to increase. $2654 was collected in 2025 for tires for Mondovi and Nelson, Charges for 2025 were $2673.93. Section III: PERSONNEL In 2024, the County Recycling program was operated by a staff of two employees. One position is a full-time Recycling Coordinator (40 hours per week), and one position is split with the Hwy Dept (10 hours per week Recycling and 30 hours per week Hwy Dept). Both employees were hired in 2024 so they are gaining experience on the job. Richard Bauer was hired as the Recycling Coordinator. Tim Baker was hired for the Hwy Dept. In 2025 Tim went to full time for the Hwy Department but is being utilized to cover for vacation time when required. With the changes to the program since 2020, the manpower hours per week to operate the Recycling/Solid Waste Depts has been reduced. The following is a breakdown to illustrate: 2020: Randy (40) + Tony (20) + Bruce (10) = 70 hours per week 2021: Randy (40) + Tony (20) + Bruce (10) = 70 hours per week 2022: Tony (40) + Rafael (20) = 60 hours per week 2023: Tony (40) + Rafael (10) = 50 hours per week 2024: Tony/Rich + Rafael/Tim= 50 hours per week 2025: Rich (40) Tim as required= 40 hours per week Section IV: OPERATIONS AND FUTURE PLANNING 2025 was an efficient year for Buffalo County Recycling as no big purchases were required. We did have a $4900.00 mechanical repair. Costs at all levels seem to be increasing but I will do my best to keep them under control. Any number of considerations, such as program growth and associated costs, the fiscal impact of a disappearing fund balance, the potential for greater cooperation with the Highway Department or Private Sector. The potential for other municipalities to join or leave the program would all create situations that could stimulate potential changes in the program. Richard Bauer Buffalo Co Recycling Coordinator. Richard.Bauer@buffalocountywi.gov W 715-926-5890 C 608-797-8209