Milwaukee County anticipates a green future free of single-use plastics

Milwaukee County may be turning over a green leaf with proposed legislation to eliminate single-use plastics in all county-owned properties by sometime next year. The goal is to reduce the amount of plastic waste in county parks and waterways by 50% in 2020 and reach 100% by 2021.

As the snow melts and reveals plastic bottle caps and wrappers packed into the ground, the county is buckling down on plastic use and pollution. The resolution was introduced at the beginning of the year by Milwaukee County Supervisor Marina Dimitrijevic and is sponsored by County Supervisors Marcelina Nicholson and Steven Shea, who are on the Parks, Energy and Environment Committee.

When passed, the next step would be for the Director of Sustainability to draft language into all future contracts with county vendors to actualize the reduction. The proposal will encompass all county-owned and operated buildings including the Mitchell Park Domes, Milwaukee County Zoo, all beer gardens and could extend into contracts with the General Mitchell International Airport and the Milwaukee Art Museum. 

The county is working with local sustainability organizations including the Plastic-Free MKE coalition, which is made up of private, public and nonprofit entities including Milwaukee Riverkeeper. Together they are committed to discouraging the use of what they call “forever plastics” throughout the city. 

Waste-free Waterways 

Milwaukee Riverkeeper Cheryl Nenn says that the Great Lakes currently have about 22 million pounds of plastic entering them every year with more than half of that in Lake Michigan. “Once it’s discharged, that plastic doesn’t really go anywhere; the vast majority is sinking or just hanging around.” 

Plastics including single-use food and beverage containers and plastic bags contaminate the landscape and waterways. A recent study found that the average person ingests microplastic levels equivalent to that of a credit card every week, while another study said 85% of fish in the Milwaukee River have traces of plastic in their digestive tract. 

“Cities like Milwaukee that are sitting on Lake Michigan have these wonderful rivers that drain into the lake,” Nenn said. “We should be setting a good example in reducing plastic waste that we send to our waters.” 

For 17 of the 25 years the group has been running, Nenn has managed water quality, restoration and stormwater demonstration projects. Every spring, Milwaukee Riverkeeper organizes a basin-wide cleanup across as many as 70 sites along Milwaukee’s River. These events provide a public service as low cost and engage community groups with sustainability practices. Nenn reports that the vast majority of the debris collected is single-use plastics like  bottles, Styrofoam containers, chip bags, cigar wrappers and other lightweight, buoyant items. 

“It’s not fun to go to the beach or to go kayaking next to a bunch of floating plastic bottles, which is a constant thing we see,” Nenn said. “In addition to being aesthetically unpleasing, there are some plastics—and I would call out Styrofoam in particular—that tend to break up into microplastics that can be ingested by aquatic life.” 

The average Wisconsin resident disposes of 1.9 pounds of recyclables every day, according to the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources. In Milwaukee, only certain plastics can be recycled, while the others are either discarded in a landfill, contaminate other recyclables or are potentially damaging to recycling equipment. Materials like plastic wrap, labels, small plastics and packaging are often mistaken for recyclables. Others are labeled as biodegradable if they can decompose into natural constituents without residual toxins, but there is a lack of national regulation determining what materials are included in that definition. Many plastics can only be composted or biodegraded at very high temperatures.

Alternatives to single-use plastics and polystyrene foams are becoming more accessible and available. Now the county anticipates drafting new contracts with vendors so they can’t purchase single-use plastic straws, utensils or to-go packaging which are primarily used for food products. As leases with the county renew, vendors will have to agree not to use these materials. 

History of Sustainability 

Milwaukee has a history of sustainably including recent legislative efforts to eliminate similar plastics across the county including straws, bags and cup waste. 

The Green Purchasing Task Force was created by the Milwaukee County Board of Supervisors in 2006 to encourage sustainability practices like switching to alternative materials that lessen waste, save energy and are less toxic. A year later, the Green Print Initiative was launched to direct eco-friendly projects related to energy efficiency and recycling. 

Last November, the City of Milwaukee joined the trend in limiting plastic straw usage, with an ordinance that took effect April 14. Then, all restaurants and bars owned and operated in the city will be prevented from providing plastic straws, unless specially requested. 

Other cities and states have implemented similar suitability enactments. California and Seattle recently administered similar regulations on plastic bags while New York launched a statewide ban on plastic bags effective in March. At the start of the year, Minneapolis also approved the induction of a “nickel-fee” per each single-use carry-out bag in hopes to reduce littering and encourage customers to use reusable bags. 

Milwaukee Riverkeeper was in opposition of the bill issued in 2016 by former Governor Scott Walker that preemptively put a ban on plastic bag bans. It mandated that no government-owned entity in any Wisconsin city or county could place a fee on any single-use item. 

In early Jan., Milwaukee Alderman Cavalier Johnson pushed for a similar ban on plastic bags. Though many shoppers were supportive, the pursuit was intercepted by opposition from the community and preexisting state laws. 

“I think the city the county should be praised for the work that they’ve done,” Nenn said. “But we’re essentially hamstrung by the statewide bill that we would love to see repealed.” 

Other challenges facing the county’s proposal to eliminate single-use plastics are hindered by limited timing and the repercussions of the coronavirus, which has delayed widespread activity. While the legislation originally required passage in March at the county level, the Parks, Energy and Environment Committee has suspended their meetings until further notice in April. 

Plastic Production 

“We have definitely seen more single-use plastics in the waterways over the last decade,” Nenn said. She attributes this increase to an industrial-scale shift in plastic production as more companies are using unsustainable materials for cheaper costs. 

The Break Free from Plastic Act of 2020 was introduced in February to shift accountability onto plastic manufacturers and producers rather than consumers. It will regulate plastic production by assigning fiscal responsibility for waste management post-production. With goals in alignment with Milwaukee County’s proposal, the bill aims to phase out single-use products like plastic utensils, packaging materials and food containers. This is expected to begin on Jan. 1, 2022 if the bill is passed. 

Milwaukee Riverkeeper is one of 470 groups nationwide to on sign in support of the act. 

“Right now, it’s all on us as consumers to reduce how much plastic we’re using—these plastics are being made without any specific regulations,” said Leah Holloway, program manager for Milwaukee Riverkeeper. By requiring plastic producers to design, manage and finance waste and recycling programs, Holloway hopes to see infrastructure improved and plastic waste reduced. 

The act will also create a beverage container refund program and will ban or place a fee on certain single-use products. Standards will be established for the minimum amount of recycled content in a product and will prohibit waste from being shipped to developing countries. 

“There are some things that we can do to help support this act,” Holloway said. “Call your representatives—bonus points if you want to tell them why you want to support this act.” 

Community Support 

On March 2, Milwaukee Riverkeeper and Plastic-Free MKE held an information session at the Urban Ecology Center’s Riverside location to discuss the county’s proposal.  

Representatives from the organizations spoke about how their groups will be supporting the legislation. Plastic-Free MKE also introduced a new online tool developed by Sustainable Water Solutions that maps water quality projects in the community. The program was concluded by a guided letter-writing workshop where visitors could write to their representatives with their input on the proposal. 

“I’m here because I care about my city going greener,” said Joanna Denes, for whom it was her second time attending a meeting at the Urban Ecology Center. “I hope that the county accepts the proposal and that there will be less single-use plastics.” 

If this proposal is passed, Milwaukee County will be the largest county in the state to lead this initiative to clean parks and waterways.

“I think that there’s a lot that people can do just by educating themselves about how to go plastic-free,” Nenn said. “Bring your own water bottle, cutlery or straw. Use your buying power and pay attention to the food you buy in the store. If everybody did that—UWM, Marquette, big companies—that’s a great way to stop the flow of plastics.”