Community Partnership | Pellitteri Waste Systems - Madison, WI
Foodservice Packaging Materials Accepted
Paper cups*Paper bags
Pizza boxes
Molded fiber carriers/takeout containers
Molded fiber egg cartons
Aluminum foil containers/pans/trays
Rigid plastic cups
*New items added during partnership
Background
In 1968, the City of Madison achieved a remarkable milestone by becoming the first community in the United States to introduce curbside recycling for its residents. The program initially focused on the collection of old newspapers. Over the years, the City has continued to enhance its recycling services, progressively incorporating the recycling of metal, steel, electronics, yard waste, and plastics into its comprehensive program.
In 2012, the City initiated a partnership with Pellitteri Waste Systems for the sorting of collected recyclables. Pellitteri, a family-owned waste and recycling company, provides curbside recycling collection services to approximately 215,000 households in the Greater Madison area and Southern Wisconsin, and sorts the materials at its materials recovery facility (MRF). Demonstrating a strong dedication to environmental responsibility, Pellitteri offers its customers valuable recycling information through a range of educational videos and resources available on its website.
Operational and End Market Planning
FPI's Community Partnership program is designed to expand curbside recycling programs by introducing various foodservice packaging items such as cups and containers, contingent upon the availability of suitable end markets and MRFs capable of processing them. The City of Madison and Pellitteri shared a goal of enhancing their recovery rates by incorporating new feedstock into their operations, including paper cups.
In 2021, after reviewing the readiness of Pellitteri and its end markets to begin accepting paper cups, FPI granted Pellitteri partial funding for an optical sorter, enabling the MRF to sort paper cups into a separate poly-coat bale. The resulting high-quality recycled fiber is sent to paper mills in the Great Lakes region, where it is transformed into a range of recycled-content products, including recycled pulp, tissue, and even new cups.
Outreach & Education
Following the installation of the robotic sorter, the City of Madison, Pellitteri, and FPI collaborated on a focused educational campaign in 2021. This campaign was aimed at informing residents and customers about the recent modifications to the recycling program. FPI's communications grant supported an outreach campaign and the creation of educational materials, including updated residential recycling flyers; social media outreach; a Pellitteri recycling education video; a campaign launch video; and outdoor signage including event banners. The campaign highlighted the addition of paper cups and reminded residents that all recyclables should be clean and empty when placed in recycling carts. The campaign kicked off at virtual media recycling promotion event.
Results
The outreach campaign generated a lot of engagement throughout the Madison area. The Pellitteri Paper Cups Recycling Announcement video received 280 views and the We Can Recycle Paper Cups video received 50K plays. There was a total of 24 online, print, and TV stories reporting on the news, reaching an audience of 1.7 million people. The City’s social media outreach made 389K impressions and generated 1,835 clicks. Lastly, three email blasts sent during the campaign reached 50K homeowners.
Post-campaign MRF audit results are pending and will be updated when complete.
Next Steps
The City of Madison is now focusing its attention on composting, aiming to recover food scraps and food-soiled compostable paper. The City had a pilot food scraps recovery program from 2011-2018 and restarted it in 2020 as drop-off only. The City’s Streets Division remains committed to achieving the goals laid out in the city’s Comprehensive Plan regarding waste diversion.
November 2022
