Bad
River Recycling/Solid Waste Department
Bad
River Band of Lake Superior Tribe of Chippewa
Indians
Contact:
PO
Box 39
Odanah
, WI 54806
Phone:
715-682-7880
Fax:
715-682-7118
Generations
ago, a prophecy told the Anishinabe people
to move west to where “food grew on water.”
Migrating from the eastern shores of North
America , the Anishinabe people settled throughout
the Great Lakes region where wild rice fields
grew out of fresh water lakes. For hundreds
of years, the Bad River Band lived in present
day Wisconsin , harvesting wild rice, hunting,
and fishing. Sadly, pollution began to threaten
this sensitive ecosystem and the Anishinabe
identity. Waste was hazardous and abundant
on their lands, despite cultural creation
and migration stories stressing environmental
stewardship. The Bad River Recycling/Solid
Waste Department set about creating environmentally
sound practices of managing and disposing
waste generated on the reservation, ending
cycles of harm caused by poor disposal practices.
Now, through community-wide education, incentives,
and new waste management systems, the Bad
River Band citizens boast a clean, safe, and
green reservation environment.
For
years, Bad River was plagued by poor waste
management. Residents burned or buried their
trash. An unofficial, unregulated landfill
existed from the 1960s to the 1980s, creating
hazards. Junk cars, furniture, and old appliances
were often abandoned, creating eyesores and
health threats from chemical leakages. Because
the Band's lands are primarily sensitive wetlands,
such pollution can lead to permanent damage.
Litter on the reservation was also a problem,
as is true for many other nations. In Indian
Country, household waste pickup is not always
uniformly available and, when it is, services
are often carried out by non-Native companies
with no connections to the community. Public
education and individualized customer service
are virtually non-existent, leaving little
hope that tribal citizens will change their
waste management habits.
A growing
recognition of pollution hazards led the Bad
River tribal government to conceptualize the
“watershed approach.” Following a state announcement
to mandate recycling, the Band enacted an
ordinance in 1989 to regulate and govern waste
management on the reservation and the Recycling/Solid
Waste (R/SW) Department was established. The
Department opened a transfer station and began
to provide curbside pickup of waste and recyclables
for the entire reservation. Every household
on the reservation is now required to either
participate in the curbside pickup or haul
its household waste to a nearby town off-reservation.
The Band handles everything from glass, tin,
and plastics to motor oil, solvents, and appliances.
Five tribal citizens are employed to provide
approximately 670 households – 2,100 citizens
and non-citizens – with curbside pickup. In
addition, the R/SW Department provides solid
waste management services to tribal programs
and enterprises located on the reservation,
and for special events and public areas, such
as the powwow grounds, beaches, and boat launches.
Through tribal ordinances, culturally based
education methods, and excellent customer
service, the Bad River Band is strengthening
the nation's commitment to protecting the
environment and maintaining a pristine reservation.
An
important aspect of the R/SW Department is
the Band's environmental policy and tribal
ordinance. Environmental consciousness is
part of the Bad River culture. Ninety percent
of the tribal lands are kept in their natural
state and the Band works hard to ensure this
continues. To reinforce its culture of land
stewardship, the Band has enacted an environmental
policy that states, “Looking forward seven
generations, the Tribe is committed to ensuring
a clean and healthy environment within the
reservation ...” The recycling/solid waste
ordinance provides them necessary legal infrastructure
to enforce procedures. Supporting and strengthening
tribal sovereignty, tribal game wardens work
closely with the Department to issue citations
for noncompliance or illegal dumping. All
cases are handled by the tribal court system.
These two elements help the Department uphold
its mission to minimize the environmental
impact of waste generated by residents and
to maintain a clean and safe reservation.
From
the outset, education has played a major role
in the R/SW Department, with a focus on keeping
families healthy and protecting resources
for future generations. Pamphlets and fliers
are published and distributed regularly. Customized
education is provided to raise community awareness
on proper disposal, particularly regarding
hazardous and medical waste. For example,
diabetes is a common health problem on the
reservation, and the resulting used hypodermic
needles are hazards. The Department educates
residents on the importance of proper disposal
methods for items such as insulin needles,
teaching them to collect used needles in sealable
plastic containers. The Department also hires
tribal youth during the summer for on the-job
training and makes regular presentations to
youth groups, further reinforcing the environmental
culture of the Bad River people. The youth
bolster recycling and waste management procedures
at home and support the community's commitment
to becoming cleaner and safer.
Another
contributing factor to the Band's high recycling
rate and a clean reservation is the Department's
first rate customer service. The staff take
pride in their mission and demonstrate dedication
by picking up waste at the door if a resident
is elderly or infirm. Other noteworthy programs
have been created, such as an initiative to
deal with abandoned cars which removed 162
junk cars from the reservation. In 2005, a
burn barrel buy-back program was started and
approximately 40 barrels were turned in and
40 households pledged to no longer burn waste.
Recognizing that citizens were reluctant to
give up their barrels, staff inquired and
learned that people were burning their waste,
and particularly their mail, to prevent identity
theft and maintain privacy. When the Department
repeated the program in 2006, they provided
an industrial shredder at the transfer station
for community use. The Band has reduced the
number of burn barrels on the reservation
by another 20%, and citizens that have burning
permits have barrel screens and comply with
burning ordinances. Today, the Band bears
witness to a significant response by its community.
Bad River has achieved an average solid waste
recycling rate of about 30% – one of the highest
recycling rates in the region. Over the past
eight years, R/SW has exceeded its recycling
goal of 82 lbs per capita. In 2006, they reached
the rate of 87 lbs per capita, plus over 100
lbs per capita in extras such as appliances.
The illegal open dump on the reservation has
not only been cleaned up, but also is no longer
used. The appearance of the entire reservation
has greatly improved. Yards are free of junk
cars and old appliances. Roadways and public
areas are free of litter. Illegal dumping
in the woods and ravines is almost completely
eliminated. The habits and attitudes of the
residents have dramatically changed.
Many
communities can establish independent, tailored
solid waste management and recycling programs.
The Bad River program provides an example
of how a program can be successful by implementing
a sound legislative foundation to enforce
policies, increase recycling rates by infusing
educational materials with cultural values
and beliefs, and foster excellence within
a workforce. These simple steps all pay enormous
dividends in Bad River's mission to keep its
lands, animals, harbors, and people safe and
healthy, and most importantly, honor its cultural
philosophy by being good stewards the environment.
Lessons:
• By
putting in place ordinances in support of
a clean environment and an effective enforcement
infrastructure, a tribal government simultaneously
improves its self-governance capacity and
community quality of life.
• Culturally
based educational materials can be vital to
establishing community buy-in and sustainable
programs.
• Thoughtful
hiring and intentional staff training are
one route to excellent customer service and
more valuable, community-focused programs.
