August 10, 2005

New Lisbon-based inmate work program gives
new life to old road signs
 

Hydro-stripping operation saves money for WisDOT, gives offenders work experience

(NEW LISBON) – Under a new work program by the Wisconsin Department of Corrections’ Bureau of Correctional Enterprises (BCE), old road signs are being made new again, giving inmates valuable work experience while saving taxpayers money.

Department of Corrections (DOC) Secretary Matthew Frank praised the new hydro-stripping operation at New Lisbon Correctional Institution (NLCI) as a win-win for DOC and for the state Department of Transportation (DOT), which receives the recycled signs.

 “This cooperative inter-agency effort is one small piece of the Doyle Administration’s ongoing efforts to streamline state government operations to increase efficiency and save taxpayer dollars,” Secretary Frank said.  “The hydro-stripping program not only saves the state money, but it also provides valuable work experience and skills to inmates.  It is truly a win-win for all involved.”  

Since May 2005, NLCI inmates, working for the BCE, have been performing so-called hydro-stripping, an inexpensive method to recycle road signs in which high-pressure water is used to strip the reflective sheeting off the aluminum substrate, so new sheeting can be applied to create new signs.

 The program is a cooperative effort between the DOC and the DOT. Under the arrangement, the BCE buys worn-out road signs from the DOT, sorts out the ones that can be hydro-stripped, then strips, sheets, and places the message on the sign.  Completed signs are sold back to the DOT for less than the cost of a new road sign. Signs that can’t be hydro-stripped are sold as scrap for conventional recycling.

Prior to this, the only viable option for worn-out signs was to sell them for recycling at scrap value.  The advantage to hydro-stripping is the more direct re-use of the aluminum, as the material can be directly re-used for a sign without having to be melted down and remanufactured in to the needed dimensions.

The DOT expects to save more than $104,000 a year in sign costs as a result of this partnership.

Right now, the hydro-stripper is operating at 80 percent of capacity. The BCE hopes to expand its customer base to include not just county and municipal governments, but also other states.

Six inmates currently work on the hydro-stripping program. Eventually, 13 inmates will be employed. The program cross trains the inmates in a variety of areas, such as safety and equipment use and maintenance.

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