Compost stations aim to address food waste

According to the USDA, food waste is estimated at between 30-40 percent of the food supply in the United States. This figure, based on estimates from USDA’s Economic Research Service of 31 percent food loss at the retail and consumer levels, corresponded to approximately 133 billion pounds and $161 billion worth of food in 2010.

This amount of waste has far-reaching impacts on society and the environment. Healthy food that could have helped feed families in need is sent to landfills. Land, water, labor, energy and other inputs are used in producing, processing, transporting, preparing, storing, and disposing of discarded food.

So, to borrow a phrase from Leo Tolstoy, what is to be done?

In 2015, the USDA joined with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to set a goal to cut our nation’s food waste by 50 percent by the year 2030. But much of the real work is being done at the local level.

That’s why carpenter Dan Ganch has been busy building five community composting stations on South Second Street in downtown Mount Horeb. Delaney Gobster, business development and outreach coordinator for Dane County Department of Waste & Renewables (W&R), recently spoke to the Village of Mount Horeb’s Sustainability and Natural Resources Committee about the countywide initiative, which will place community drop-off locations in Madison, Middleton, McFarland, and Verona in June of 2025.

In partnership with host municipalities, W&R will collect food scraps from free residential drop-off locations across Dane County for composting at Purple Cow Organics. Food scrap collections at the Dane County landfill will launch April 1, 2025. Residents may use the Clean Sweep facility entrance at 7020 Maahic Way to avoid large hauler traffic. Community drop-off locations in Madison, Middleton, McFarland, and Verona will launch  in June. Tim White, a member of the Mount Horeb Village Board and the Sustainability Committee, said he hopes the community will eventually have its own local site as well.

“Composting is our department’s newest recycling program,” said Gobster. “We operate the County landfill that accepts over 300,000 tons of materials every year. Over 34 percent of all landfilled items in Dane County are organic materials (food, yard waste, etc.).  It is our largest single waste stream and the majority of that is wasted food. These materials are a community resource that instead of being landfilled, can be turned into compost, and ultimately food for our community.”

“Aside from consuming landfill space, there’s an environmental impact from the methane generated from organics decomposing in the landfill,” she continued. “We’re always innovating and have invested in a Renewable Natural Gas plant that can recycle the methane produced from the landfill, but we can go further. If we can prevent organic waste from being landfilled by composting it instead, we will extend the life of our landfill and reduce emissions, but we can’t do it without community support and participation.”

“We have a lot of great local composters, but Dane County is growing rapidly, and our department is committed to expanding the local organics recycling infrastructure,” Gobster said. “We have partnered with Purple Cow Organics and are investing in their ability to accept food scraps. Launching our Food Scrap Stop program for free residential drop-offs is our next step towards expanding our community’s access to food scrap composting.”

EVERYTHING YOU EVER WANTED TO KNOW ABOUT COMPOSTING...

Composting is the managed, biological decomposition of organic materials (i.e. food scraps and yard waste) by microorganisms in an oxygen-containing (aerobic) environment (EPA). When organic material breaks down in a landfill, without oxygen, it generates methane which is a potent greenhouse gas. By recycling organic resources through composting, significant greenhouse gas emissions can be avoided and valuable landfill space can be conserved for more difficult to dispose of materials. In addition, finished compost is a nutrient-rich soil amendment that can be used to support agriculture.

Why is the County getting into the business of compost?

If there is a higher better use for a material, the landfill should not be the first option for disposal. The Dane County Department of Waste & Renewables (County or W&R) is always looking for ways to divert more waste from the landfill. We can target waste streams that are easy to separate, like large bulky items, or we can target materials for diversion if they make up a large portion of the waste stream. We know that over 30 percent of the material that goes into the Dane County Landfill is organic material that could be composted and recycled back into soil. Therefore, organic material is a prime target for waste diversion. Composting is a part of our larger effort to move Dane County towards a circular economy and minimize the amount of trash we are putting into the landfill.

How will the Dane County compost program work?

Through issuance of a public request for proposals in 2024, Dane County Department of Waste & Renewables entered into a partnership with Purple Cow Organics, a local composting company who has operations just a few miles away from the Dane County Landfill for food scrap and organics composting. County staff will work with businesses, haulers, municipalities, and residents to coordinate collection services for drop off at Purple Cow’s facilities while Purple Cow’s staff will manage the facility operations and sale of the finished compost. The County has also invested in equipment and infrastructure upgrades at Purple Cow’s facility so that food scraps can be successfully processed. There are a number of successful businesses in the composting market and we believe the County’s role is to support growth and stability of the industry rather than competing directly with established private businesses. By summer 2025, Dane County will be launching residential food scrap drop-off kiosks where residents can bring their food scraps from home and drop the material off for free. They are currently in the final stages of kiosk design with partners at the Madison Children’s Museum and once complete, the kiosks will be installed at various locations around the county including: Madison, Middleton, McFarland, and Verona. Additional locations will likely be added in the near future. In addition to the new food and yard waste composting service, the County will continue to offer its Organics Management Grant to support local community compost and food waste reduction programs. The County will also continue to accept clean brush and logs for chipping at its Rodefeld location.

What food scrap materials does the program accept?

To prevent contamination, start deliberately, and align as close as possible with what the City of Madison has successfully been accepting with their farmer’s market drop-offs, the residential drop-off program will be primarily plant-based from the start, accepting: Raw fruit and vegetable scraps (including cobs, rinds, pits, etc); Coffee grounds and loose tea (no filters or bags); Eggshells Grains, rice, cereals, breads, and pastas.

The residential drop-off program will not accept: Meat, bones, seafood, or animal products; Dairy and egg products; Cooked foods prepared with fats/oil/ greases; Liquids, sauces, fats, oils, grease; Pet or human waste; Paper and tissues products; Produce stickers, twist ties; “Compostable/biodegradable” bags or food service materials; Inorganic or hazardous materials (i.e. plastic, metal, chemically treated items).

Businesses may contact the program coordinator for a list of commercially accepted items since additional materials can be accepted with the proper controls and training in place.

While participation will be free for residents, the county plans to lock the bins to prevent contamination. Residents interested in participating in the program will receive the lock combination by visiting the program’s webpage. Detailed instructions for accessing each site will be available on the Department’s website when the program is launched. Residents interested in receiving program updates can sign up from the program webpage. The residential drop-off program is funded in part by the USDA’s Compost and Food Waste Reduction grant program, with the drop-off kiosks and outreach materials designed in partnership with the Madison Children’s Museum. Businesses interested in participating in food scrap collection and/or training services can submit an inquiry form from the program webpage or contact Gobster.Delaney@DaneCounty.Gov.