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Germantown recycling center upgrades
Wisconsin's largest recycling plant in Germantown is getting some major upgrades. FOX6 went inside to learn more.
GERMANTOWN, Wis. - Wisconsin's largest recycling facility just got bigger, and WM – formerly known as Waste Management – took FOX6 inside for a look.
Chances are, if you live in southeast Wisconsin, the recyclables you drag to your curb end up at the Germantown facility.
"We pull volume across the state of Wisconsin into this facility," said Frank Fello, WM's area vice president. "At this site, about 50% of the volume comes from southeastern Wisconsin."
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Fello said the company invested $39 million on facility upgrades and celebrated those changes on Friday.
Thirteen new optical sorters will help with WM's overall efficiency, Fello said. Machines separate the items with lasers and sensors. It’s important because most municipalities offer single-stream recycling for taxpayers, meaning people don't have to sort their recyclables into separate bins at home.
"It excites the electrons in the aluminum, and it jumps," WM Plant Manager Geoff Bazuin said of the technology.
While single-stream recycling can be convenient, it's not perfect. Fello said about 10% of material that comes into the Germantown facility is not recyclable. Plastic bags, for example, can’t be recycled curbside – but people throw them in their bins anyway.
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With the upgrades, WM said it will be able to capture up to 230,000 tons of recyclables every year. From there, Fello said it stays local.
"We bail it, and we send it to mills that then process the material and really give them a second life," he said.
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Fello said even the shirts WM employees wear are made from old plastic bottles.
Each municipality may have different guidelines. The cities of Milwaukee and Waukesha have lists available online. Milwaukee also has information on what to do with plastic bags; many stores will collect plastic bags for recycling, too.