Waste & Materials Management Program
Frequently Asked Questions

Here are some topics that the DNR Waste and Materials Management Program staff deal with frequently:

Construction and Demolition

• Is it legal to burn construction and demolition waste?
• Can wood waste from a construction site be used for erosion control and soil amendment?
• What must I do with air-conditioner systems or other appliances containing refrigerants (like refrigerators, freezers, dehumidifiers)?

Environmental Monitoring

• Where do I find a list of all the parameter codes available for submitting data to the Waste Management program?
• How do I obtain a list of contacts and phone numbers from landfills that monitor groundwater?
• We are required to do assessment monitoring, but our laboratory can't analyze all the substances on the Appendix 2 list. What do we do?
• We are required to analyze for PAHs in groundwater samples. Can EPA method 8270 be used for this purpose?
• The DNR GEMS Program Specialist has informed us there are no sampling points in GEMS for the data we collected. How can we get the points put into GEMS so that we can get the data entered?
• Are the GEMS reports used by DNR staff to evaluate monitoring data available to the public?
• How do I obtain a Wisconsin unique well number for several new monitoring wells that were recently installed at my facility?

Hazardous Waste

Satellite Accumulation

• Can more than one type of waste be stored in a satellite accumulation area (SAA)?
• Can a facility have more than one satellite accumulation area (SAA)?
• If a facility has multiple satellite accumulation areas (SAAs), can hazardous waste be moved from one SAA to another?
• Can satellite accumulation areas (SAAs) be located near one another?

Universal Waste

Other Questions

Medical and Infectious Waste

• Where can I get a copy of Wisconsin's medical waste rules?
• What is the difference between "infectious waste" and "medical waste"?
• What items are considered to be infectious?
• What things are usually not considered to be infectious waste?
• May I take my tooth home from the dentist?
• How do I dispose of my needles and other infectious wastes that I generate at home?
• I manufacture a product for treating infectious waste. How do I get approval to market my product in Wisconsin?
• May I use "product X" to treat my infectious waste in Wisconsin?
• May I donate unused medications to others?
• How can I safely manage and dispose of pharmaceuticals?
• I want to start a trauma scene cleanup business. What DNR requirements apply?
• Where can I find a list of medical waste haulers or treatment facilities?
• I want to collect sharps from the public. What do I do?
• How can I obtain an application form for an infectious waste transportation license?

Nonmetallic Mining

Overview

• What is nonmetallic mining?
• What is the nonmetallic mining industry's role in Wisconsin's economy?
• Who regulates the nonmetallic mining industry to ensure that mine reclamation is completed?
• Why are locally administered nonmetallic mining reclamation programs necessary?

DNR's Role

• What is the role of the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources in this regulatory process?
• Why doesn't the DNR regulate nonmetallic mining reclamation on a statewide basis rather than through county or local programs?

Reclamation Standards and Regulations

• How can operators be assured that the county or local government regulatory authorities will have a fair and reasonable interpretation of the uniform reclamation standards?
• How can an operator ensure that they will have an equal opportunity to participate during hearings on a new or revised reclamation ordinance?
• When is an informational public hearing on the reclamation plan necessary?
• Given that the county nonmetallic mining reclamation ordinance is intended to implement the uniform reclamation standards contained in NR 135 is there any basis for a difference between an ordinance and NR 135?
• Does this program affect the siting and permitting of proposed new mines?
• Does NR 135 address my concerns about noise, blasting and traffic?
• Does this reclamation rule cause the reclamation of already abandoned mine sites in Wisconsin?

Funding Sources and Financial Assurance

• How are the county and local reclamation programs funded?
• How can operators be assured that fees assessed by county and local government will not be too high?
• Is the operator able to select the form of financial assurance that must be posted?
• Is there flexibility in determining and posting financial assurance?

Reclamation Plans

• I am considering opening or reopening a new nonmetallic mine. How do I get started in terms of complying with the reclamation requirements?
• What is a reclamation plan?
• What is the connection between post mining land use and the reclamation plan?
• What hidden land use opportunities may exist?
• When is a modification to an existing reclamation plan necessary and what does this imply?
• What is the relationship between the total acreage in an approved reclamation plan and the acreage subject to an annual fee?

Registration of Nonmetallic Mineral Deposits

• What is the intent of registration?
• What information must the landowner provide in order to register the land containing a marketable nonmetallic mineral deposit?
• Who must provide and who must receive and maintain copies of the proposed registration?
• Under what circumstances may a zoning authority object to a proposed registration?
• If I have registered the land containing the nonmetallic mineral deposit does that guarantee that I will receive a mining permit?
• What is the duration of registration and how may registration be renewed?
• How can I get more information about the registration requirements in NR 135?

Recycling

• What materials are banned from landfills and licensed incinerators?
• What is single stream recycling, and how can it affect local recycling programs? (PDF, 40.4KB)
• What are some strategies local units of government can follow for the enforcement of local recycling and solid waste ordinances? [exit DNR]
• What is the status of magazine recycling in Wisconsin? [PDF 12KB]
• When you're "at home" you dutifully put cans and bottles in your recycling bin, but what do you do with these containers when you're away from home? [PDF 7KB]
• How can I improve recycling at festivals and special events? [PDF 22KB]
• Do plastic shopping bags cause environmental problems?

Solid Waste

• Where can I get additional information on landfills and other solid waste topics?
• Where can I go to review files on a solid waste facility?
• What requirements apply to asbestos?
• Why doesn't Wisconsin control the amount of waste imported from other states?
• How do you dispose of mercury-containing products in the home safely?
• How can I find information to clean up spilled mercury?
• I am concerned about a proposed new landfill (or landfill expansion). How can I make my concerns known?
• My water supply well is located within 1200 feet (about a quarter mile) of a proposed landfill or landfill expansion. How can I be assured that my water supply is not threatened?
• As a home mechanic, where do I recycle used motor oil?
• My house is near an auto salvage yard (junk yard. Does the Department of Natural Resources regulate the operation of auto salvage yards?
• What do I do to dispose of old worn out tires?
• What is defined as "clean fill" that does not have to be taken to a landfill?
• As a business, what can I legally open burn?
• As an individual property owner, what can I legally open burn?
• When a building is burned for fire practice, how must the resulting ash be disposed?