Dane County breaks ground on new landfill and sustainability campus

MADISON, Wis. (WMTV) — Dane County officials broke ground Thursday on a new landfill and sustainability campus off Highway 12 in Madison.

The project is expected to bring a new approach to waste collection and management to the area, with the landfill site set to open by summer 2027 and campus buildings to follow in fall 2027.

‘A new approach to waste management’

John Welch, director for Dane County Waste and Renewables, said the project is designed to reduce how much material ends up in the landfill long-term.

“This project is very innovative,” Welch said. “It’s a new approach to waste management and it sets us up for future waste diversion, recycling of additional materials so that we can landfill even less material in the future. It changes how we’re going to manage our waste within our community.”

No taxpayer dollars involved

Welch said the project is not funded through Dane County tax dollars.

“This is being done without any Dane County taxpaying dollars,” Welch said, “We are what’s known as an enterprise fund which means that we don’t use GPR [general purpose revenue] tax dollars for our operation. Our customers pay us for the services we provide, and we have renewable energy production that generates revenue as well.”

Education and community space

The campus is also planned to include space for school groups, tours, and community classes focused on recycling and waste management.

“We’ve got space to bring in school groups and tours and educate them about waste,” Welch said. “If we can educate the next generation, that helps us to prevent waste in the future. We’ve also got classroom space there, maker space, so we can bring in groups that can teach classes on composting or fixing bicycles and things of that nature in this space.”

Plans also include a new sustainable business park on the campus grounds.

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