Title: Wisconsin Coalition for Recycling Records
Inclusive Dates: 1969-1985

Creator:

• Wisconsin Coalition for Recycling

Call Number: Mss 988; Tape 1395A; PH Mss 988

Quantity: 1.8 c.f. (5 archives boxes), 1 tape recording, and 103 transparencies

Repository:

Wisconsin Historical Society
Contact Information

Archival Locations:

COLLECTION MAY BE STORED OFF-SITE: see catalog entry to request materials and for additional information.

Wisconsin Historical Society (Map)

Abstract:

Records of the Coalition, a non-profit citizens' action group, founded in 1980, whose goal was to promote public education on the value of recycling and resource conservation through canvassing, environmental fairs and forums, publicity, and lobbying. Their initial goal was to pass a beverage container law in Wisconsin and to raise the funds necessary to combat the lobbying efforts of the beverage industry, both of which were largely unsuccessful, and the Coalition was dissolved in 1985. Included is correspondence, news clippings, reports, newsletters, surveys, a public relations slide show, financial records, membership information, and lobbying files.

Language: English

URL to cite for this finding aid: http://digital.library.wisc.edu/1711.dl/wiarchives.uw-whs-mss00988

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The Wisconsin Coalition for Recycling, a non-profit citizens' action group, was founded on February 2, 1980 in response to a concern about the waste of energy and natural resources in Wisconsin, the growing amount of litter, landfill space, and the lack of recycling policies in the state. The founding members aimed to successfully pass a beverage container law in Wisconsin and to encourage statewide recycling efforts. The Coalition was based in Madison but there were also a group of volunteers in Stevens Point and an office in Milwaukee. Marsha Cannon served as co-chairperson and treasurer of the seven-member board which included Carol Luetkens, chairperson, Larry Sperling, secretary, Dan Fago, Glenn Reynolds, Michael Brandt, and Burton Howells. Originally, the Coalition had a mailing list of over 400 individuals and 60 groups including the Sierra Club, the League of Women Voters, and the Izaak Walton League of America.

To promote public education on the values of recycling and resource conservation the Coalition engaged in an active awareness campaign consisting of door-to-door and telephone canvassing, attendance at environmental fairs and forums, publicity, and lobbying. The Coalition specifically targeted the 18 to 25 age group partly because they felt the group was a main consumer of bottled and canned goods. Other activities in which the Coalition engaged were weekly meetings, a monthly newsletter, fundraisers, annual meetings, and maintaining a strong presence on college campuses throughout Wisconsin. In addition, the Coalition worked closely with the Committee on Environmental Resources in an attempt to have a strong lobbying presence at legislative hearings.

By the time the Coalition was founded in 1980 Wisconsin had unsuccessfully introduced deposit legislation yearly for the past 17 years. Because of the vast amount of lobbying against beverage container deposits by the food, beverage, and container industry, the Coalition chose to seek outside assistance by incorporating with a national environmental organization, Environmental Action, Inc. The incorporation took place in 1983, giving the Coalition, among other things, a needed financial base for the attempt of rallying legislation to successfully pass a beverage container law in Wisconsin. At the time of the incorporation, the Coalition changed its name to the Wisconsin Coalition for Recycling, Inc. However, after repeated efforts to pass a beverage container law in Wisconsin had failed, the Coalition was dissolved in 1985.

The bulk of the records are for the years in which the Wisconsin Coalition for Recycling was active although some reference materials are present documenting past recycling efforts in Wisconsin and the United States. The collection has been arranged into three categories: Correspondence, Organizational Files, and Subject Files. The records range in dates from 1969-1985 but the bulk of the records are from 1980-1985.

The Correspondence (1970-1985) relates to both support and opposition to beverage container legislation. These records consist of correspondence to and from Wisconsin Governors and Legislators and include references to failed beverage container laws such as AB 221, SB 172, and AB 840, all of which proposed deposits on beverage containers. Also included is correspondence with various companies in the food, beverage, and container industry and correspondence with various environmental groups.

The Organizational Files (1975-1985) consists of contracts of affiliation, bylaws, and articles of incorporation, general business files, minutes, newsletters, financial records, and membership records. Included with the articles of incorporation are agreements with Environmental Action, Inc. General business files consist of business and governmental mailing lists, grant proposals and applications, and an Independent Study of the Wisconsin Coalition for Recycling. The meeting minutes and agendas and the newsletters provide an extensive look into how the Coalition functioned and how it planned for events. The financial records principally document the finances of the Coalition before its incorporation in 1983. The membership files consist of mailing lists, demographics, and suggested responsibilities of active members. Also included is a slide presentation with audio created by the Coalition in the summer of 1982 in an attempt to recruit new members and to promote recycling awareness.

The Subject Files (1969-1985) consists of legislation, recycling in Wisconsin, and recycling in the United States. The legislation relates to beverage container legislation in both Wisconsin and other states and consists of background research, statistical data, economic impacts, opinion polls, a history of the bottle deposit law, and news clippings. The remainder of this series consists of research and background material relating to general recycling in both Wisconsin and the United States.

Acquisition Information

Presented by Marsha Cannon, Madison, Wis., 1989.

Processing Information

Processed by Nicole Gueli (Practicum student), 2003.

Mss 988	Correspondence
Box   1 Folder   1	Governors, 1981-1984
Box   1 Folder   2-4	Legislators and Legislation, 1970-1985
Box   1 Folder   5	Food, Beverage, and Container Industry, 1973-1984
Box   1 Folder   6	Environmental Organizations, 1975-1984
Box   1 Folder   7-9	General, 1974-1985
	Organizational Files
Box   2 Folder   1	Contracts of Affiliation/Bylaws/Articles of Incorporation, 1980-1983
Box   5 Folder   4	Financial Records, 1980-1983
Box   2 Folder   2-4	General Business Files, 1979-1985
Box   2 Folder   5-6	Minutes, 1980-1984
Box   2 Folder   7-8	Newsletters, 1979-1985
Box   2 Folder   9	Membership, 1975-1983
PH Mss 988	Slide Presentation Physical Description: 103 transparencies
Tape 1395A	Cassette
Mss 988	Subject Files
Box   3 Folder   1-6	Legislation, 1972-1985
Box   4 Folder   1	Legislation, 1972-1985, continued
Box   4 Folder   2-5	Recycling in Wisconsin, 1975-1984
Box   4 Folder   6-7	Recycling in United States, 1969-1984
Box   5 Folder   1-3	Recycling in United States, 1969-1984, continued