April Office Hours, Plastic Bag Recycling and COVID-19 Vaccines at Alliant Energy Center

I will be hosting office hours in twice in April virtually. I will be using Zoom (with video).

Please use the registration links below to get the Zoom link. When you register, you'll also get an e-mail reminder on the day of Office Hours. You can register in advance or the day of.

Note: I have set it up so I can only meet one person at a time. If I'm meeting with someone else, there will be a small waiting period in a meeting lobby. If you don't want to use Zoom, I will be answering calls (608-912-0000) during this time as long as I'm not speaking with someone else. 

• Virtual Office Hours: Tuesday, 4/13/2021 @ 7:30 AM - 9:30 AM : REGISTER

• VIRTUAL OFFICE HOURS: Thursday, 4/22/2021 @ 4:30 PM - 6:30 PM : REGISTER

If you have a question, concern, or topic of interest that you would like to discuss, but the times above don't work for you, you can e-mail me.

Streets Division’s Plastic Bag Recycling Program Ends

Do not place plastic bags into your recycling carts

Residents should no longer place plastic film and plastic bags into their recycling carts. Residents should not bring plastic film to the Streets Division drop-off sites, either.

Instead, residents who accumulate plastic bag and film should return them to the retailers that offer plastic bag and film recycling programs.

Residents are also encouraged to avoid creating plastic bag and film waste whenever possible by refusing unnecessary bags for purchases, choosing reusable bags, or choosing readily recyclable paper bags.

Why did the program end?
Plastic bag recycling has long been problematic for recyclable sorting systems.

Plastic bags and film are a common source of recycling equipment problems throughout the entire industry. This material gets tangled in sorting equipment, leading to system shutdowns.

Madison program functioned only because the bags were bundled, and because there was a market for Pellitteri Waste Systems to sell these materials that it received from city collections.

Unfortunately, the ability to sell the plastic film collected from our collection carts has hit a dead end.

We will continue to work with our recycler to try to find an alternative way to provide plastic bag recycling. However, bundled bags are not likely ever to return to the collection carts.

Why should bags be returned to retailers?
Plastic bags collected at retailers are preferred by the end users that can recycle plastic film.

Bags and film from retail takeback programs are cleaner and more consistent than that recovered from curbside collection carts.

What can you do about plastic bag and film waste?
Current state law prohibits municipalities from banning plastic bags . Therefore, the best choice would be for you to avoid creating this waste whenever possible.

Choose other options, such as reusable bags, which can be anything from canvas totes to reusable mesh produce bags to other reusable, durable containers. You can also choose paper bags for their ease of recycling.

If you have plastic bags, look for ways to extend their useful life so they are not single-use, such as drying and reusing freezer bags.

Additional Information
More information about what can, and cannot, be placed into your recycling cart can be found at www.cityofmadison.com/recycling.

Mass Vaccination Clinic Site in Madison BEGAN April 7

Mass vaccination clinic to serve thousands at Alliant Energy Center

MADISON — Gov. Tony Evers on Tuesday announced that Madison’s COVID-19 mass vaccination site at the Alliant Energy Center will receive federal support beginning April 7. In coordination with state and local partners, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Region 5 will provide federal staff and support services to administer vaccinations. Wisconsin has committed to providing up to 7,000 weekly first-dose vaccines from the state’s allocation for the site. This federally-supported mass vaccination clinic will have the capacity to vaccinate 1,400 people per day.

“This is one of the largest vaccination efforts our state has undertaken and it takes teamwork at every level to ensure we are getting vaccine to everyone as quickly, fairly, and safely as possible,” said Gov. Evers. “I am grateful for FEMA’s support to our state and coordinating with our local partners to help our most vulnerable populations get the protection they need so we can all move forward from this pandemic.”

The Alliant Energy Center has been providing weekly vaccinations since December 29, 2020, and will receive 26 additional staff from the federal government. The additional federal support will increase the number of vaccinations per week from 5,600 doses up to 7,700 doses, dependent on vaccine supply.

“We are proud to partner with the State of Wisconsin to open a federally supported vaccine location in Madison,” said Kevin M. Sligh, acting Regional Administrator, FEMA Region 5. “This site will expand access for residents of the state’s capital and second largest city, and for those living in south central Wisconsin.”

“Collaboration has been key in our response to the pandemic, so I’m happy to welcome FEMA to Madison,” said Satya Rhodes-Conway, City of Madison Mayor. “I’m thankful for the partnership between the city, public health, Dane County, the state and the federal government that will speed up the process of getting folks vaccinated here in Madison.”

Public Health Madison and Dane County have worked closely with Dane County Emergency Management to coordinate community testing and vaccination efforts at the Alliant Energy Center.

“Dane County aggressively pursued this partnership with the state and FEMA to help get as many vaccines for this community in the quickest timeframe possible,” said Joe Parisi, County Executive. “The partnership we pulled together at the Alliant Energy Center served as a model for how to effectively test at community scale and now we can pivot that success to mass vaccinations.”

Anyone currently eligible for the vaccine will need to schedule a vaccination appointment in advance by visiting https://vaccinate.wi.gov or calling toll-free at 1-844-684-1064. The Alliant Energy Center is accessible by walk-up, bike-up, drive-thru, B-Cycle, and bus. For more information, including how to schedule a free ride, visit Public Health Madison and Dane County’s website.

The mass vaccination clinic is a joint effort between Public Health Madison and Dane County, Dane County Emergency Management, Dane County, City of Madison, Wisconsin Department of Health Services, the State of Wisconsin, and FEMA Region 5.

As always, if there is anything I can do to help, feel free to reach out: district19@cityofmadison.com

-Keith F