Madison, WI - A map released today in anticipation of a hearing on a bill to increase the fees for garbage dumped in Wisconsin illustrated that garbage from neighboring states has found its way into landfills across the state. The data further indicates that neighboring states will continue to take advantage of Wisconsin's low tipping fees to ship waste into Wisconsin, which will put groundwater and communities at risk.

The map depicting the amount of out-of-state waste that entered Wisconsin in 2003 and 2004 illustrates how out-of-state waste is not criss-crossing the state due to east access via highways. For example, Minnesota trash can be found in Milwaukee suburbs. Illinois trash is as far north as Dodge and Jefferson counties. Dane County has accepted waste from Iowa, Illinois and Minnesota. Washurn and Rusk counties have accepted waste all the way from Michigan.

According to Anne Sayers, Program Director for the Wisconsin League of Conservation Voters, "since 2003, there has been a 46 percent increase in the amount of out-of-state waste dumped into Wisconsin landfills. Wisconsin citizens are being unfairly saddled with the health and economic costs of dealing with 2.2 million tons of other people's garbage each year."

Citizens are gearing up to attend the out-of-state waste public hearing before the Assembly Natural Resources Committee on Feb. 15. At the hearing, citizens are expected to voice their support of an increased tipping fee by referencing the trends illustrated in the map released today and by citing the many benefits of reduced reliance on landfills.

Wisconsin is quickly becoming the dumping ground of the Midwest because of an exceptionally low tipping fee. Wisconsin charges only $3 per ton of garbage dumped in a landfill, while neighboring states charge far more. Minnesota, for example, charges $13 per ton.

"The map clearly indicates that neighboring states are using highway infrastructure to conveniently truck their garbage into Wisconsin landfills. They pay next to nothing to dump their garbage here, plus they leave it to Wisconsin tax payers to clean up and build new landfills. It's a pretty sweet deal for our neighbors, but it literally stinks for Wisconsin," said Caryl Terrell, Chapter Director of the Sierra Club, John Muir Chapter.

As a solution, legislators have proposed a bill (AB 798) to increase the state's tipping fee by $7 to a total of $10. A recent UW-Green Bay study indicates that this increase would eliminate the economic incentive for long distance haulers and would likely result in a 50% decrease in the amount of out-of-state garbage entering Wisconsin.

The increased tipping fee proposal is quickly gaining traction with Wisconsin citizens who fear the health impacts and financial costs of more Wisconsin landfills. Citizens such as Jenifer Lugar of Sarona have now become very active in the fight to limit out-of-state waste, "I never considered myself to be very environmentally active, but the day I realized my drinking water was threatened by someone else's garbage, everything changed."

Landfills are known to contaminate air and drinking water supplies with pollutants such as cyanide, mercury, dioxins and lead. The United States Environmental Protection Agency estimates that even today's engineered landfills have an 82% failure rate, posing a permanent threat to our groundwater supplies.

At the recent Conservation Lobby Day in Madison, Charlene Lemoine of the Waukesha County Environmental Action League joined more than 250 citizens from across the state in the capitol to ask state legislators to support the bill increasing tipping fees to $10, "Citizens living near the Orchard Ridge Landfill in Menomonee Falls and the Emerald Park Landfill in Muskego watch, on a daily basis, as mountains of trash grow in their backyards. Legislators are obligated to citizens to take control of the situation before it is too late."

"We ask members of the Natural Resources Committee to support AB 798 and ask that they vote this important bill out of committee," said Jennifer Giegerich WISPIRG State Director. "We are running out of time in the legislative session to ensure that Wisconsin will not continue to be the dumping ground of the Midwest."

The public hearing on AB 798 is scheduled for Wednesday, Feb. 15 at 10 a.m. in 415 NW of the state Capitol. For more information, citizens may contact Anne Sayers at the Wisconsin League of Conservation at (608) 661-0845.

An easy-to-download format of the out-of-state waste map is available at http://www.conservationvoters.org/docs/pr/trash/. For more information on solid waste, please see the Wisconsin Conservation Briefing Book 2005-2006 at http://www.conservationvoters.org/brbk05/index.shtml.

The Green Bay Press-Gazette released an opinion article regarding the public hearing on Feb. 15. Read the article at http://www.wastecapwi.org/pressgazettetipping.htm.

Click here for facts about Wisconsin's Solid Waste from the Wisconsin League of Conservation Voters.