Opportunities for Recycling and Safe Disposal in Shorewood

For many years running, the Conservation Committee hosted a “Clean Green” recycling and safe disposal opportunity in Shorewood to encourage proper reuse or recycling of difficult household items and reduce the landfill-bound waste stream in our community.

In 2017, the Conservation Committee joined forces with the organizers of the annual Fish and Feather Festival and roll our usual Conservation Fair into the event at Hubbard Park. In 2018, due to changes in vendor interest, we ended the general recycling component, but still hosted a Goodwill truck for clothing and household items in addition to the regular Department of Public Works electronics and bulk item disposal on October 6 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Going forward, we are putting our focus on education and awareness campaigns to improve existing recycling opportunities in the area.

Many of the great educational, advocacy, and community organizations doing vital work in river and land conservation in the Milwaukee area will be at the Hubbard Park event to answer your questions and offer family-friendly activities. Members of our Conservation Committee will be leading activities for families and answering questions about our environmental initiatives.

Local opportunities for household purges include Goodwill for clothing, electronics, and household items and ReStore for building materials, furniture, and other household items. The Police Department collects expired and unwanted medications and prescription drugs. The Urban Ecology center collects old tennis shoes at its Riverside Park branch. The Shorewood Village Hall and the Department of Public Works collect batteries.

More Recycling Opportunities.

If you are looking to recycle more or unusual items, a good general resource is Earth911: https://earth911.com/. Type in your zip code and see what’s available.

TerrCycle has a variety of mail-back programs that may appeal to school or church groups: https://www.terracycle.com/en-US/

Miscellaneous Items.

Torn clothing or textiles - Better Earth Textile Recycling, https://betrearth.com/

Hazardous fluids and fuel waste - MMSD has both ongoing drop-off and special events

https://www.mmsd.com/what-you-can-do/home-haz-mat-collection

Brita Pitcher filters - You can mail them back to Brita! Just print a free shipping label: https://www.brita.com/recycling-filters/.

Electronics. Shorewood DPW (“If it plugs into an outlet or runs on batteries, we can recycle it!”): Shorewood residents may bring their electronic items to the Department of Public Works facility for recycling on the first Saturday of each month throughout the year. Additionally, the Center is open the third Saturday of the month from April to November from

8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Please note that a $25-50 fee applies to all television sets and monitors dependent upon size. Recyclable items list.

Document shredding. Two local options. Also check with your personal bank or credit union.

North Shore Bank offers a free, annual community shredding event the first weekend of May. https://www.northshorebank.com/about-us/community/free-community-shredding-day.aspx

UPS on Oakland offers an ongoing opportunity with Iron Mountain shredding and charges $1 per pound. https://shorewood-wi-1971.theupsstorelocal.com/.