Waste Management

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The strategies on the following pages guide our path in meeting our 2030 climate goals for the Waste Management sector. Each strategy is supported by a series of detailed actions to be explored and undertaken to carry out the vision and goals.

Waste accounts for 4.7% of community-wide greenhouse gas emissions and is projected to increase. 8,590 tons are recycled and 65 tons are composted, but still 20,632 tons are sent to La Crosse's waste-to-energy facility and 37,937 are sent to the La Crosse County Landfill.

Total per capita municipal solid waste - Reduce by 5% or more by 2030

This reduction equates to 3,360 tons or more annually. The State of Wisconsin’s solid waste reduction, recovery, and recycling law has established a waste management hierarchy based on the overall environmental impacts of each approach. Simply put, the less waste we generate by reducing the materials we consume and discard, the less energy is consumed in making those materials and the less greenhouse gas emissions are generated at the landfill.

Homes and businesses that reduce their waste can save hundreds of dollars annually. Continuing to establish policies and operational refinements to advance meaningful landfill diversion and beneficial use of waste streams represents a significant environmental opportunity for La Crosse. Based on the State of Wisconsin waste characterization study, there may be waste diversion potential of up to 78.7% in the current landfilled materials.

Organics including food waste - Achieve 50% landfill diversion by 2030

This reduction would mean cutting the amount of organics that make up municipal solid waste by 7,400 tons. Decomposition of organic compounds is the largest generator of methane in landfills. At over 20% of mixed waste collection in the community, it represents a significant opportunity for La Crosse.

The City of La Crosse Yard Waste & Brush site on Isle La Plume collects some organics. You must be a City of La Crosse Resident to use the site. For residents to be authorized, an application for a permit sticker can be filled out on your first visit or by going to the City of La Crosse website under the Refuse & Recycling Department page. Contractors and small haulers must fill out a form for every visit showing what La Crosse address(es) the materials are coming from.

Yard waste is defined as leaves, grass clippings, and garden plants. Food waste/organics are defined as fruit & vegetable matter (including cores and rinds), flour & grain items such as bread, rice, and pasta, coffee grounds & filters, and eggshells. It also includes uneaten food/leftovers. Brush is defined as branches that are no more than 8 inches in diameter.

The site does NOT accept logs, tree trunks, stumps, woodchips, sod, dirt, sand, rock, concrete, or asphalt; those should be taken to the La Crosse County Landfill at 3200 Berlin Drive, 608-785-9572.

Please contact the Refuse and Recycling office by phone if you have other questions or concerns: 608-789-7508

Harter's Quick Clean-Up provides an Organics cart specifically for food waste and it allows for a small amount of yard debris. This subscription service is $35/month and runs year-round. Harter’s also provides seasonal subscription service for yard waste, beginning in April, along the alley or curbside. Contact them at 608-782-2082 for more information. Current pricing for 2023: The 95-gallon cart will be delivered for a flat fee of $20. Weekly collection is $26.50/month; bi-weekly collection is $16.75/month; monthly collection is $16.00/month.

Recycling - Increase from 12.8% to 20% of total MSW handled by 2030

Recovery - Increase diversion of reusable materials by 15% by 2030

Why is Waste Management Important?

Waste management refers to both waste that is sent to a landfill and waste that is recycled or reused. Habitat destruction, global warming, and resource depletion are some of the effects of our materials consumption.

Organic waste and food discards and residuals that decompose in landfills release methane, a greenhouse gas that is at least 28 times more potent than carbon dioxide. This fact makes food wasting a significant contributor to solid waste greenhouse gas emissions.

Recycling--converting discarded materials into new materials or putting them to beneficial use (which can include organic waste)--is an important approach in mitigating these impacts and reducing the pollution caused by wasting.

La Crosse Solid Waste Per Capita Trends

In 2020, community-wide municipal solid waste (MSW) totaled 67,774 tons. Of the MSW handled an estimated 12.7% were recycled, 0.001% were collected organics, 30.4% were incinerated to produce energy—also known as refuse derived fuel (RDF) - and the remaining 56.9% were landfilled.

Key Climate Considerations

Climate impact vulnerability of waste management infrastructure
Extreme weather impacts on waste collection frequency and routes
Waste pickup equipment GHG emissions contributing to climate change
Fossil fuel price increases and climate impacts such as extreme weather events will complicate waste management

Equity Considerations

Accessibility to recycling and composting programs may not be equally and readily available to all community residents and may also be impacted by
other participation-related barriers, including awareness of programs, user fees, accessibility based on housing type, and language barriers.
Populations that are situated very close to the landfill or composting facility may experience nuisance issues like bad odors and potential health issues unless mitigation actions are implemented.