Composting Resources

UW-Madison Division of Extension Publications

Our Composting Recipe Cards provide a quick reference guide for assembling your composting system:

“Hot & Fast” Compost

“Cool & Easy” Compost

These Compost Recipe Cards are also available in Spanish and HMoob/Hmong

“Can I Compost That?”: Compostable Materials Requiring Special Handling

Guide to Community Garden Composting (Coming Soon!)

Take a deep dive into composting by reading the Composting Home Study Guide

Making and Using Compost in the Garden

Publications on Bin Building

Dane County and Wisconsin Composting Information

Dane County Dept. of Waste & Renewables Composting Resources 

Wisconsin Dept. of Natural Resources Composting Resources 

Can’t compost at home?

No worries! Check with your local municipality–most have curbside or drop-off collection for your yard wastes, leaves and brush. From June 14-Oct. 25, 2022, you can drop your food scraps off at the South Madison Farmers’ Market and the Eastside Farmers’ Market through Sustain Dane’s Farmers’ Market Food Scrap Collection Program.

If you are interested in curbside collection of your food scraps, there are many private pick-up composting businesses that serve Dane County. Check out Litterless for an up-to-date list on food scrap collection services.

Reduce Your Waste by Becoming a Master Recycler

While food waste reduction and composting are excellent ways to reduce our impact on the environment, recycling is another important tool to reduce the overall waste we generate. Recycling can be difficult, as 13% of the waste in the Dane County Landfill could be recycled. To help bring clarity, Sustain Dane hosts the Master Recycler Program to learn the ins and outs of our local recycling system and get your recycling questions answered.