Prior to 1968, City of Stevens Point picked up UW-Stevens Point�s refuse at no cost.  Also during this time, all residence halls, with the exception of Nelson Hall and Delzell Hall, were equipped with incinerators.  In addition, an exterior incinerator was located behind Old Main and an interior incinerator was located inside the loading dock of Collins Classroom Center.  It took approximately five hours per night to burn the waste that came either from these buildings and/or other buildings within close proximity.  Ash generated from the incinerators was put in garbage cans and picked up by City of Stevens Point on a weekly basis.  The clinkers generated from burning coal in the heating plant were stockpiled by UW-Stevens Point during the winter months and were used on the track, located behind Delzell Hall, and on Goerke Park track.

In 1968, City of Stevens Point ceased picking up UW-Stevens Point�s refuse.  UW-Stevens Point contracted with Firkus Refuse Service.  For the first time, dumpsters were located at strategic locations on campus.  The Firkus refuse trucks did not have hoists as is common on today�s trucks.  The company did fabricate a back lift to empty the dumpsters.

In the early 1970s, UW-Stevens Point contracted with Lloyd Brothers Disposal Service.  Initially, UW-SP paid for all refuse disposal costs.  In 1979, the director of general services became aware that City of Stevens Point received a municipal services allocation (Payments for Municipal Services or PMS) from State of Wisconsin to cover refuse service and police and fire protection in lieu of paying taxes.  From this time on, City of Stevens Point paid for UW-SP's refuse services. 

Effective January 1, 1986, due to DNR regulations and the number of fires in residence hall incinerators, UW-SP was required to discontinue using incinerators.  This substantially increased refuse tonnage as well as cost. 

The cost to dispose of refuse continually increased.  The funds City of Stevens Point received via the Payments for Municipal Services (PMS) allocation did not keep pace with costs.  On January 23, 1986, Stevens Point Common Council discussed whether to continue paying for refuse services.  It was decided to continue the service as long as UW-SP and/or State of Wisconsin covered all costs over and above the amount allocated for waste services.

 Refuse services were bid for the first time.  Deluxe Disposal was awarded the refuse contract on August 2, 1986.   

Hauling and disposing of ash generated at the heating plant during the coal burning (winter) months was also bid.  Somers Landscaping provided the lowest bid and hauled the ash to its landfill where it was mixed with road fill materials.  In March of 1988, due to DNR regulations, Somers Landscaping was unable to utilize ash for this purpose.  The ash had to be disposed at Portage County Landfill.  UW-SP had to pay for both hauling and disposal of ash (via the PMS program).  The landfill tipping fee was $27 per ton.  Due to the enormous cost of ash disposal, the PMS allocation was quickly depleted and UW-SP was forced to use operating dollars for refuse services. 

Early in 1989, University of Wisconsin System, in conjunction with Department of Administration, audited UW-SP�s purchasing procedures.  The refuse contract was one of the contracts audited.  The refuse contract was scheduled to be re-bid.  At this time, recycling became an important issue.  Due to local and state regulations, UW-SP initiated a recycling program.  The current refuse contractor, Deluxe Disposal Services, offered to cooperate by picking up recyclable materials at no cost.  Due to Deluxe Disposal�s commitment to assist with establishing a recycling program, System Purchasing and Department of Administration extended the refuse contact with Deluxe Disposal for an additional year. 

In response to new state recycling regulations, Department of Administration, in the fall of 1989, designated five state institutions as pilot sites for recycling programs.  University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point became the pilot for universities.  Office paper, newspaper, aluminum cans and glass were the initial items.  The program started with a small core of buildings.  As non-residential buildings are unique in needs and space, it was necessary to consult with building representatives.  A boilerplate approach could not be established for the entire campus which resulted in the need to conduct a building-by-building program.  From April of 1989 through January of 1990, the building-by-building approach, with the assistance of a building coordinator, progressed until all buildings were on line.  The building coordinator was responsible for communicating with the building occupants and assisting with establishing the program for his/her building.