Objectives and Strategies for Goal 1

Goal 1: The public and the environment are not exposed to toxins in air, groundwater, surface water and land due to waste management and disposal practices.

The Waste and Materials Management Program has set the following objectives that together enable us to achieve Goal 1:

• Objective 1.1: By 2015, reduce public exposure to toxins from illegal open burning by 50%. Our strategies include responding to open burning complaints, outreach to local governments and supporting the Department's citation authority effort.
• Objective 1.2: By 2015, reduce the release of fugitive gas emissions from active municipal solid waste landfills by 50%. Our strategies include improving the way we do plan review and inspections for phasing and gas system installation; evaluation and modeling of landfill gas data; and sharing landfill gas emissions data with stakeholders on the internet.
• Objective 1.3: Assure that all groundwater and gas probe data at inactive landfills is evaluated and problems are addressed. Our strategies include reviewing groundwater data at closed landfills and producing reports on statewide groundwater and gas trends.
• Objective 1.4: Encourage hazardous waste minimization or substitution for selected sectors. Our strategies include developing a mechanism to track hazardous waste generated, disposed and recycled and then using that data to target our outreach to industry sectors.
• Objective 1.5: Improve compliance at facilities generating and handling hazardous waste. Our strategies include inspections, complaint response and improving information sharing and communication between hazardous waste staff.
• Objective 1.6: By December 2007, five entities take ownership and responsibility beyond current regulatory compliance requirements. Our strategies include continuing relationships with WISRI (Wisconsin Institute of Scrap Recyclers), Development Council (Wisconsin Builders Association Development Council) and We Energies; developing agreements with WR&R (Waste Research and Reclamation), Thermal Spray Technologies, Dean Care; Brenntag hazardous waste licensing; and educating staff so they can encourage new entities to participate.