Wisconsin county launches 5-year composting effort

Dane County, Wisconsin, is launching a five-year composting effort aimed toward eventually accepting roughly 22,000 tons of yard waste and 1.2 million pounds of food waste each year.

“This is the first time in a long time that we’re actually … able to accept food waste, so it's really exciting,” Alex Thomas, carbon offset program manager at the Dane County Department of Waste & Renewables, tells The Cap Times.

The county will spend $1 million on the program over five years and received a $400,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture to expand food waste drop-off sites throughout the county.

As reported by The Cap Times, local waste company Purple Cow Organics will accept the county’s food and yard waste to be processed. The byproduct will be integrated into some of Purple Cow’s products used by farmers, gardeners and landscapers.

Dane County will be providing money for Purple Cow to make infrastructure upgrades at its composting facility near the Dane County Landfill and will pay the company for its compost services. Purple Cow, with the help of the county, will build a drop-off location and a mixing bunker for food scraps. 

The effort is part of Dane County’s climate goals, which aim to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 50 percent by 2030.

The city of Madison alone makes 10,000 tons of food scraps a year, The Cap Times reports. Roxanne Wienkes, deputy director of the Dane County Department of Waste & Renewables, says this program is about providing food waste opportunities for the communities within the county. 

“Dane County sees the need for that large-scale, commercial option for food waste, and that's where this project really starts,” Wienkes says.