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Recycling Center

Contractor Permit

The Manitowoc County Recycling Center and Compost Sites now require all contractors and businesses that use the Basswood and Woodland Compost Sites to obtain and display a permit. Additionally, the Basswood Site will charge a tipping fee for any materials that did not come from the maintained yard of a residential homeowner/renter in Manitowoc County. The Woodland Site will only accept residential materials.

These charges are necessary to control the amount of unacceptable material that is turning up at our compost sites. The compost sites were designed and funded for handling residential yard materials only. Contractors and businesses that bring non-residential materials, or other non-accepted materials, easily overwhelm our site and operating budgets.

Contractor Permit Requirements and Guidelines

  • All contractors and businesses using the Basswood or Woodland Site must have a permit and be registered with the Manitowoc County Compost Program. This includes any staff, temporary help, or subcontractors hauling yard materials for them.
  • Permits are available at the Recycling Center Main Office M-F from 7am to 4pm. There is no fee for contractor permits but be we require information about your vehicle fleet to issue permits.
  • Contractors are required to have current information on file with the compost site including business name, address, contact information, and vehicle/fleet information.
  • Contractors must display permit sticker in a visible area on vehicle front bumper on all vehicles in their fleet that haul to the compost sites.
  • Contractors must agree to train all their staff/crew and subcontractors to obtain a compost permit.
  • Contractors using the Basswood or Woodland site without displaying a permit may be cited for illegal dumping for each occurrence. This is a $200.50 citation.
  • The permit is good for 3 years. After which time the Recycling Center will issue a renewal notice.
  • Contractors may bring residential yard materials from Manitowoc County residents to the Basswood or Woodland site at no charge. All guidelines apply.
  • The Basswood Site will also accept approved commercial/business yard materials for a fee. Commercial materials will be charged a rate of $30/Ton, based off the net weight at our truck scale, or other reasonable estimation methods. There will be a $5/Load minimum charge (~333lbs).
      • The fees may be changed based on expenses of the compost program, comparison of fees charged by neighboring programs, and any other applicable site expenses.
  • Contractors with commercial/business material are limited to using the Basswood site during the Main Office (scale) hours of M-F, 7a to 4p, and Saturday 8a to Noon during the on-season (Sat. from April to Nov).
  • Contractors dumping loads of commercial/business material, or split loads, must weigh in at the main office before dumping their load, then weigh out after the load has been dumped.
  • The Woodland compost site will not accept any commercial/business materials.
  • All loads (residents and contractors) are subject to random inspection.
  • Only brush/branches may be placed on the brush/branches piles. All brush and branches must be 6 inches in diameter or less, and be less than 5 feet long. No other materials go in the brush/branches pile. This includes oversized material like tree trunks, logs, and stumps. This also includes any lumber including landscape timbers, fencing, furniture, or construction debris.
  • Inspect your loads for any non-acceptable materials. All garbage should be removed from your loads including landscape fabric, plastic mesh, edging, oil bottles, string trimmer line, pots, plant tags and hangers, trays, bags, fast-food wrappers and cups, cigarette packages, water/soda bottles, and anything else that doesn’t belong there.
  • Incoming material is limited to yard materials only. Materials generated from property development, land clearing, utility easement clearing, trail blazing projects, agriculture, or similar projects that do not involve a maintained yard and associated landscape, must be approved by the Operations Manager. Consideration will be determined by available space at the site, scope of the project, staff to handle material, and rate it is delivered at.