The Quiet Second Life of Your Scraps: How Food Recycling Works in Dane County

Most people think of recycling as bottles, cans, and cardboard. But in Dane County, one of the most impactful recycling efforts happens in the kitchen—long before trash ever reaches a landfill.

Food waste recycling, often called “food scraps recycling,” plays a major role in reducing landfill use, lowering methane emissions, and turning everyday leftovers into something useful. Yet many residents are still unclear on how it works, where their scraps go, and why it matters.

This is the behind-the-scenes story of food recycling in Dane County.

Why Food Waste Matters More Than You Think

When food is thrown into a landfill, it does not break down the way people expect. Buried without oxygen, food waste produces methane—a greenhouse gas significantly more potent than carbon dioxide.

Food scraps also take up a surprising amount of space. Nationwide, food is one of the largest categories of landfill material by weight. Keeping it out of landfills extends landfill life and reduces long-term environmental and taxpayer costs.

That is why Dane County treats food waste as a resource—not garbage.

How Food Recycling Works in Dane County

In Dane County, food scraps are collected separately from trash and recycling. Residents can participate in a few different ways depending on where they live.

Many households in City of Madison have curbside food scraps pickup. Other residents use designated drop-off sites throughout the county.

Accepted materials typically include:

• Fruit and vegetable scraps

• Meat, bones, and dairy

• Bread, pasta, and grains

• Coffee grounds and filters

• Food-soiled paper products

  
  

Once collected, these scraps are transported to processing facilities overseen by Dane

County Department of Waste & Renewables.

Where Your Food Scraps Actually Go

Instead of being buried, food scraps are processed through composting or anaerobic digestion systems.

• Composting turns food waste into nutrient-rich material used to improve soil health.

• Anaerobic digestion breaks down food waste in sealed systems to produce biogas,

  which can be converted into renewable energy.

In both cases, what starts as leftovers ends up supporting local agriculture, renewable energy, and soil restoration—closing the loop instead of creating more waste.

Common Misconceptions About Food Recycling

“It smells.”When stored properly in compostable bags or sealed containers, food scraps recycling produces little odor.

“It’s complicated.”Most residents find that separating food scraps quickly becomes routine, much like traditional recycling.

“One household doesn’t make a difference.”Food waste adds up fast. Small daily habits, when multiplied across tens of thousands of households, create measurable impact.

Why Dane County’s Approach Is Different

Dane County has invested heavily in waste reduction infrastructure because landfill space is finite, disposal costs are rising, and environmental impacts are long-term.

Food recycling is not just an environmental program—it is a cost-control strategy and a sustainability investment that benefits the entire community.

The Bigger Picture

Every banana peel, coffee filter, and leftover meal diverted from the landfill reduces methane emissions, preserves landfill capacity, and supports local sustainability efforts.

Food recycling is one of the simplest ways Dane County residents can make a meaningful impact without changing their daily routines dramatically.

It is already happening quietly, every week, in neighborhoods across the county.