Frequently Asked Questions

Solid Waste Facility FAQ

Waste Disposal & Recycling FAQ

Q12. What materials are banned from landfill?

Q13. What materials do you accept?

Q14. Why do you charge fees?

Q15. What items are recyclable?

Q16. How should I transport recycling to your Facility? Where does it go?

Q17. Where can I recycle plastic bags & plastic wrap?

Q18. Where can I recycle Styrofoam?

Q19. Information on recycling used cooking oil.

Q20. Information on recycling electronics & appliances.
Q21. Information on recycling batteries.

Community FAQ

Q22. Where can I find information about my local trash or recycling pick-up service?

Q23. How do I report that the trash or recycling route truck missed my house?

Solid Waste Facility FAQ

Q1. Do I have to be a resident of Winnebago County to use the Facility?

Non-residents are welcome to use general waste and curbside recycling services. The Household Hazardous Materials Facility and miscellaneous drop-off programs are only available to Winnebago County residents with household sourced materials. Contact us for more information.

Q2. Where do I go?

Look for the “Landfill Entrance” sign and stop at the Scale Office prior to unloading. Most vehicles will be weighed on the scale that is next to the Office. All Facility and Transfer Station customers and visitors must check-in at the Landfill Scale Office.

Q3. Which lane do I use?

Our Facility uses three lanes to serve our Winnebago County customers.

The scale in Lane 1 (far left) is for authorized trucks ONLY.
The scale in Lane 3 (far right) is for trucks, large vans/SUVs and all vehicles with trailers.
Lane 2 (between the scales) can be used for small cars/vans with light household trash or a few small items, anyone who only has electronics/appliances, household recyclables, motor or cooking oils, small bags of yard waste, mattresses/box springs, or single pieces of furniture.

Q4. Do I need a tarp?

Per Winnebago County General Code 15.51(3), all loads must be tarped or covered while on any Winnebago County road from point of origin and while on Facility grounds up until materials are disposed of in our dumpsters or transfer station. This is to prevent blowing, bouncing, leaking, falling or spilling of the solid and recyclable waste materials being transported. This includes all waste and recyclable materials brought to the Facility.

Q5. Do I need a safety vest?

Bring a safety vest if you operate a commercial vehicle or contractor trailer that functions with a hydraulic dumping mechanism – you will likely be directed to unload at the Transfer Station. Customers who unload their vehicle or trailer by hand will be directed to the Residential Drop-off Area where safety vests are not required.

Q6. What items are accepted for disposal at your Facility?

For general refuse disposal, see a list of our acceptable and unacceptable items on our Solid Waste page. Note that items such as electronics, appliances, lead-acid batteries, tires, used oil/oil filters, and brush/leaves are banned from garbage or landfill disposal. Household Hazardous Wastes should be brought to a drop-off collection.

Q7. How do I unload materials if I do not have an automatic dump trailer?

For general refuse disposal, our Facility features a Residential Drop-off Area with dumpsters. Customers will have to lift materials to approximately waist height to unload into the dumpsters.

Q8. What if I have items that are too heavy to lift?

If you do not have an automatic dump trailer yet have large or heavy items like pianos, hot tubs or shingles that you cannot lift into a dumpster, our Associates will direct you to a designated area to unload those items onto the ground.

Q9. Can someone help me unload?

We operate with minimal staffing and do not offer assistance with unloading items from your vehicle or trailer. Please bring someone along if you feel you'll need assistance.

Q10

Q10. Do you pick-up items?

We do not offer a pick-up service. You may contact your municipality to inquire about their services. If you are looking for assistance in cleaning out your residence or moving items, view a list of local companies that offer that service here. This list of service providers is for the information and convenience of the public and does not constitute endorsement, recommendation, or favoring by the Solid Waste Department. The Department does not guarantee the completeness of this list, and is not intentionally or purposefully omitting any providers from this list.

Q11

Q11. Do you rent dumpsters?

Our dumpster rental service was discontinued in 2017. Click here to search Google for dumpster rental services.

Waste Disposal & Recycling FAQ

Q12

Q12. What materials are banned from landfill?

Visit https://dnr.wisconsin.gov/topic/Recycling/Banned.html for more information.

Q13

Q13. What materials do you accept?

We accept general trash and curbside recyclables from residential and commercial sources. We also accept many other residential items that are banned from landfill disposal. Click here for examples. Another resource for learning what we accept and how to dispose of different material types is our What do I do with... page.

Q14

Q14. Why do you charge fees?

Our department is not on the Winnebago County tax levy and we must cover all program costs and operational expenses with tipping fees. Fees are outlined on our Standard Tipping Fee Rate Schedule. Disposal and recycling fees will be collected by the Scale Operator. Cash, check, and debit/credit cards are accepted.

Q15

Q15. What items are recyclable?

As a general rule, we accept all paper (office, school, news, magazine etc.), paperboard (i.e. cereal boxes), cardboard, glass bottles & jars, metal cans & bottles, and plastic bottles, tubs, jugs, jars, and containers. For more information on recyclable items, visit our Recycling page.

Q16

Q16. How should I transport recycling to your Facility? Where does it go?

The easiest way to transport recycling to our Facility is in boxes or paper bags so that materials can be dumped loosely into our recycling dumpster. Plastic bags and materials contained within plastic bags are not accepted in our recycling program. Flatten boxes and cut to 2'x2' in size so they fit into the dumpster openings and can be sorted properly. Do not bundle papers or boxes.

Q17. Where can I recycle plastic bags & plastic film?

Visit our Plastic Film Recycling page for more information.

Q18

Q18. Where can I recycle Styrofoam?

Styrofoam (a.k.a. polystyrene, plastic #6) products are NOT curbside recyclable. Outagamie County exclusively has a Styrofoam drop-off recycling program available to residents from any County. The program is free for all hard, white packaging and food-grade Polystyrene products. Visit www.recyclemoreoutagamie.org for more information.

Q17

Q19. Information on recycling used cooking oil.

We accept used cooking oil for recycling through a drop-off program at our facility. Small businesses and large vendors are asked to call ahead 920-232-1800. Cooking oil must be CLEAN and not mixed with any other materials. Household cooking oil may be disposed of in the trash. For small amounts, pour over your household garbage. For large amounts, mix with an absorbent such as cat litter then place in the trash.

Q19

Q20. Information on recycling electronics & appliances.

We accept electronic devices and appliances from Winnebago County households for recycling through a drop-off program at our facility. This is a drop-off program only. Do not put electronics or appliances in your curbside recycling cart. For more information and fees, click here.

Q21. Information on recycling batteries.

Regular household batteries (type A-D) should be disposed of in your household trash. Rechargeable batteries (marked Li-ion, Ni-Cd, Ni-MH or SSLA) and automotive batteries should never be put in your garbage or recycling carts. We accept undamaged, household sourced rechargeable batteries (types Li-ion, Ni-Cd, Ni-MH, SSLA) free of charge and automotive-type batteries for a small fee. You can also visit our What do I do with? page for additional information.

Q21

Q20