How do you make history?
When Milly Zantow learned about a problem in her Sauk County community—a landfill closing much earlier than it should—she took action. Seeing for herself that there was too much plastic waste, she thought it should be recycled. At that time, no one was recycling plastics, but Milly figured it out. She went on to come up with the idea for the numbering system to identify plastics for recycling, now used worldwide, and she helped with the writing of Wisconsin’s recycling law, making her a real revolutionary for an important cause.
Meet Milly Zantow
Questions to Consider
Before learning about the closing of the landfill, Milly had experiences in her life that shaped her attitudes about waste and recycling. What were some of those experiences? How did they make her feel about what was happening at the landfill? What things in your life have made you want to take action in your community?
Recycling plastics didn’t happen overnight. What were some of the challenges Milly came up against when trying to make it happen? What steps did she take to address those challenges?
Milly’s dedication to recycling changed not only her community, but her state, and later, the world. What does her story show you about making change? Is there a problem in your community that you want to solve? How might you start trying to find a solution to that problem?
Peek Into the Past
Milly Zantow
Young Mildred “Milly” Zantow in the 1920s.
Stevens and Zantow Families.
Milly Volunteering
Milly volunteered at the International Crane Foundation in the 1970s.
Stevens and Zantow Families.
Landfill Plastic
When Milly went to her county landfill she saw it was full of plastic.
Wisconsin DNR.
Milly in 1981
A photo of Milly in 1981 when she ran E-Z Recycling with her friend, Jenny Ehl.
J.W. Jackson III/Wisconsin State Journal Archives.
Jenny Ehl in 1981
Milly’s friend Jenny Ehl, who was her partner in E-Z Recycling.
J.W. Jackson III/Wisconsin State Journal Archives.
Jenny Ehl
Jenny Ehl placing a plastic item into a grinder for recycling.
Stevens and Zantow Families.
Plastic Pieces
Plastic ground up into tiny pieces to be used to make new products.
Image courtesy of the Wisconsin DNR.
Plastic Items
At E-Z Recycling, Milly, Jenny, and their crew collected plastic items to be recycled.
Stevens and Zantow Families.
Milly Recycling
The recycling business kept Milly very busy.
Stevens and Zantow Families.
A Recycling Poster
A recycling poster that Milly would show others when talking about recycling.
Stevens and Zantow Families.
Milly in 1990
Milly in 1990 sharing about her recycling work, in a photo by Doris Litscher Gasser.
Jane Litscher, Ruth Culver Community Library.
Milly Zantow Smiling
Milly has inspired others to recycle and help their communities.
Craig Schreiner/Wisconsin State Journal Archives.
Read On
Milly Zantow: Recycling Revolutionary
Get the full story with this biography book. Audio files are available on each page if you’d like to listen along!
Project Credits
Producer
Mia Forslund
Illustration
Mickey Willard of The Brave Union
Animation
Brandon Ribordy
Animation Voice Over
Maureen McCollum
Sound Design
Beauxregard Neylon
Audiobook Narration
Aika Zabala
Audiobook Editing
Kerman Eckes
Captioning
Catie Pfeifer
Vicki Way Kipp
Educator Support Materials
Mia Forslund
Web
John Vieth
Erika Kachama-Nkoy
Tim Schneider
Design
Charles Barrows
Translation Services
University of Wisconsin-Madison Cultural Linguistic Service
Special Thanks
The Stevens and Zantow Families
Elise Moser
Liz Nevers
Liese Dart
Suzanne Litscher and Jane Litscher
Jack Berndt and the Sauk Prairie Area Historical Society
Lauren White and the Ruth Culver Community Library
Katelyn Van Lankvelt and
the Sauk City Public Library
Executive Producer
Megan Monday
Director of Education
Alyssa Tsagong
Director of Television
Jon Miskowski
Story Advisors
Debra Burmeister
Tullar Elementary School
Neenah, WI
(2020)
Karen Cody and her students
Tower Rock Elementary Prairie du Sac, WI
(2020)
Pam Dempsey
James C. Wright Middle School
Madison, WI
(2021)
Dan Halling
Sauk Prairie High School Prairie du Sac, WI
(2020)
Tracy Haupt and her students
Merrimac Community School
Merrimac, WI
(2020)
Lisa Husnick
Lodi Elementary School
Lodi, WI
(2021)
RDell Johnson
Tower Rock Elementary School
Prairie du Sac, WI
(2020)
Kerri Lintl
Merrimac Community School
Merrimac, WI
(2020)
Jenna McCann and her students
Merrimac Community School
Merrimac, WI
(2020)
Elizabeth Melby and her students
Tower Rock Elementary School
Prairie du Sac, WI
(2020)
Susan Plewa
Gaenslen School
Milwaukee, WI
(2021)
Diane Sullivan and her students
Sauk Prairie Middle School
Sauk City, WI
(2020)
Cliff Thompson, Sauk Prairie School District
Prairie du Sac, WI
(2020)
Jeff Wright, Sauk Prairie School District
Prairie du Sac, WI
(2020)
Funding provided by
This project was part of Wisconsin Hometown Stories: Sauk Prairie, funded by major support from Greg and Carol Griffin Family, Darlene Ballweg, Culver’s Foundation, and Wollersheim Winery & Distillery, with additional support from Bank of Prairie du Sac, Consumers Cooperative, Sid and Lisa Cook, John and Alice Grady, Jerry and Nancy Kaufman, Richard and Marilyn McFarlane, Milwaukee Valve Company, Ellen Paul, Sauk County UW Extension, Arts and Culture Committee and Wisconsin Arts Board, Schwarz Insurance, Tim and Pat Size, Jim Slattery, Tools for Marketing, Inc., Wyttenbach Meats, the Focus Fund for Wisconsin History supported in part by the National Endowment for the Humanities. Additional support from The Timothy William Trout Education Fund, a gift of Monroe and Sandra Trout, the Focus Fund for Education, and Friends of PBS Wisconsin.