"Build Awareness" and "Take Action" make up the dual theme of the Tosa Green Summit annual, free sustainability fair taking place on consecutive Saturdays, Sept. 7 and 14.
But before attendees take action to line up behind other cars to surrender their recyclables, there are a couple of changes to know about.
Hazardous waste collection moving to Tosa Public Works yard
The first change is the location of the Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District-led hazardous waste collection site on Saturday, Sept. 7. The site, previously at City Hall, will move to the Wauwatosa Public Works Yard at 11100 W. Walnut Road, according to Tosa Green Summit Co-Founder and Chair Jeff Roznowski.
Participants may enter the site from 113th Street and Watertown Plank Road. Hazardous waste collection will start at 7 a.m. and end at 2 p.m. on the 7th.
There's no e-waste collection event at this year's Tosa Green Summit
The second change coming to the Tosa Green Summit this year is there will be no e-waste collection event. E-waste is defined as "used electronics" by the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources.
Instead, attendees are encouraged to bring their e-waste to RD Refrigerant Depot , 5311 S. 9th St., Milwaukee, Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Most items are free to recycle at RD Refrigerant Depot, but for TVs and computer monitors, there's a charge.
Televisions cost $20 to recycle. All computer monitors cost $10. Fees are only accepted in cash. No cards or checks will be accepted.
Free recyclables include computer towers, mice, speakers, keyboards, laptops, iPads, other tablets, DVD players, VCRs, DVRs, desktop printers, scanners, fax machines, cell phones and all wiring and cords.
With a separate location for hazardous waste collection, Roznowski hopes to make the process more efficient for summit attendees.
"Our recycling collections have been enormously successful, with the unintended consequence of long lines and wait times," Roznowski said. "We are constantly trying to alleviate that."
Tosa Green Summit will feature a recycling drive, speakers and exhibitors
All other recycling, exhibitors and speakers will be on Saturday, Sept. 14 at Wauwatosa City Hall, Roznowski said.
The recycling drive for paper shredding, medicine, textiles, bikes, toothbrushes, empty toothpaste tubes and scrap metal will take place in the City Hall parking lot on Sept. 14. Donations for the Tosa Cares food pantry will also take place during this time, according to the City of Wauwatosa's website .
"We decided to create 'actionable' components for our guests, so that they would not only learn, but they could also do something that would hopefully create a recycling behavior and mindset throughout the year," Roznowski said.
To cover the "awareness" aspect of the fair, over 20 exhibitors will be in the Lower Civic Center, and two speakers will be in the Firefly Room from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.
2023 event amassed thousands of pounds of waste
According to Roznowski, the Tosa Green Summit recycling collection in 2023 amassed:
- 41,497 pounds of household hazardous waste
- 21,748 pounds of e-waste
- 10,000 pounds of shredded paper
- 4,891 pounds of textiles
- 4,300 pounds of scrap metal
- 185 pounds of medicine
- 35 bikes
Wauwatosa Sustainability Committee Chair Michael Arney said he thinks people enjoy the recycling drive because it gives them a place to dispose of their old hazardous wastes and scrap metal.
"I think people don't want to see stuff go to the dump," Arney said. "People (also) like meeting with the nonprofits and the sustainability companies that show up to the exhibits."
The Tosa Green Summit started with a mayoral campaign
The Tosa Green Summit was born from a small group of Wauwatosa community leaders who had worked together in a 2008 mayoral campaign, according to Roznowski. Although the results did not pan out in the group's favor, the members enjoyed working together and wanted to continue working toward a lasting impact on their community.
Together, they started the Tosa Green Summit which held its first event on April 29, 2009.
Working to help Wauwatosa gain wildlife habitat community certification
Now, the Tosa Green Summit is working with the local Green Neighbor nonprofit group toward being able to register the City of Wauwatosa as a wildlife habitat community certification from the National Wildlife Federation .
More: Wauwatosa and Brookfield residents are working to gain community wildlife certifications
The City of Wauwatosa needs a total of 250 single-home private properties registered for the National Wildlife Federation's wildlife habitat community certification. Currently, there are 103 homes registered, according to Green Neighbor member Cornelia Beilke.
"We have all of the administrative points already reached," said Beilke. "It's really down to getting properties registered ... We have a lot of gardens in Wauwatosa that already meet all the requirements."
Beilke spent the morning of Aug. 22 going door-to-door to ask people if they are registered for the NWF wildlife habitat certification and letting them know the possibility of doing so.
On Sept. 14, there will be a table to find out the requirements to qualify for a certification or register as an NWF-certified property, if those prerequisites are already met.
More: While Tosa government decreased emissions in 2023, community emissions remain a challenge
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Annual Tosa Green Summit continues mass hazardous waste collection event with new site
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