# Milwaukee's Kevin Shafer on Circular Thinking in Wastewater Management

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Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/sustainability-in-your-ear-838586/milwaukee-s-kevin-shafer-on-circular-thinking-in-wastewater-management.md
Podcast: [Sustainability In Your Ear](https://stenobird.com/podcast/sustainability-in-your-ear-838586)
Published: 2026-02-02T11:50:07+00:00
Episode link: https://earth911.com/podcast/sustainability-in-your-ear-milwaukees-kevin-shafer-on-circular-thinking-in-wastewater-management/
Audio file: https://dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/api.spreaker.com/download/episode/69687801/siye_interview_kevin_shafer_milwaukee_sewerage_district_on_circular_thinking.mp3
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Duration seconds: 2578

## Resource

Subscribe to receive transcripts by email. Read along with this episode . Every gallon of wastewater flowing through a municipal sewer contains recoverable energy, nutrients, and water—assets that the linear "flush and forget" model has long treated as problems to dispose of rather than value to recapture. Meet Kevin Shafer, who has spent more than two decades proving otherwise. As executive director of the Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District (MMSD) since 2002, he's transformed an agency once mocked as a symbol of government waste into a national model for sustainable infrastructure, and last year, Veolia designated it as America's first "eco factory." Milwaukee's circular approach actually predates the term by nearly a century. In 1926, the district began producing Milorganite —Milwaukee organic nitrogen—a fertilizer made from dried biosolids that most utilities simply spread on fields or incinerate. Today, that product returns $11 to $12 million annually to the city's budget while keeping waste out of landfills. Kevin explains that this foundational commitment to doing the right thing has shaped MMSD's culture ever since: 'We just always look at those type of approaches. It's foundational to the district.' The district's eight digesters at its South Shore plant now generate 80 to 85% of the facility's electricity from biosolids, with enough material left over to continue making Milorganite. Kevin calls it Cradle to Cradle in action, referring to the philosophy pioneered by architect William McDonough, who visited MMSD in 2006 and was intrigued by work that predated his framework by decades. The district is also partnering with regional breweries and food processors, accepting their organic waste streams for co-digestion. This reduces disposal costs for industry…

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