Waukesha, WI Landscaping Rules: Composting (2026)

10 exists to promote recycling yard waste through composting while keeping piles sanitary. Any pile that isn't pure yard waste, meaning anything beyond leaves, grass clippings, garden debris and brush, must be fully enclosed in a free-standing bin no larger than 125 cubic feet and no taller than 5 feet. Bins containing horse manure or fruit must stay covered except when turning, and every pile or bin must sit at least 3 feet from a property line or building. Location is restricted to the rear yard, between the rear building wall and the rear lot line, unless the pile sits in a side yard screened by shrubs, plantings or fencing that exceeds the bin's height by at least a foot.

Prohibited ingredients include lake weeds, cooked food scraps other than coffee grounds and tea leaves, fish, meat and other animal products, and any manure besides horse manure. Permitted ingredients are yard waste, raw vegetable and fruit scraps suitable for composting, horse manure and commercial compost additives. 06 nuisance-abatement procedure in addition to the composting penalty.