This week, Baileys Harbor joined a growing list of governments in Door County, restricting access to area green sites. The town cited a surge in illegal dumping as the motivating factor in the decision. Baileys Harbor estimates that proper disposal was costing it around $1,000 per load. Sturgeon Bay Municipal Services Director Mike Barker says that last year his city found itself removing roughly a ton of garbage per month from its compost pile. Sturgeon Bay had originally planned sweeping changes to how its site is run for 2020, but that was put on hold due to the economic shutdown this spring.

Barker says dumping has been less extreme this year compared to last, but issues remain.