Dane County, WI Trash & Recycling: Yard Waste Collection (2026)
Key Facts
- Banned outright
- grass clippings and leaves (§ 41.25)
- Brush/yard waste tipping fee
- $25-$58 per ton
- Standard solid waste rate
- $47 per ton
- Forfeiture
- $200-$500 per violation
- Governing law
- Dane County Code ch. 41, §§ 41.25, 41.83
Summary
Dane County bans grass clippings and leaves from every county-owned landfill outright, and Chapter 41's mandatory-recycling rule adds brush to the list of materials landfill users can't dump unless their municipality runs an approved recycling program. Yard waste and brush instead go through the county's composting drop-off stream at set per-ton fees.
41.25 BANNED MATERIALS. The following materials shall not be deposited in any Dane County owned landfill: (1) Grass clippings and leaves. (2) Electronic devices. (3) Oil filters and oil absorbent materials. [...] 41.83 VIOLATIONS RELATIVE TO MANDATORY RECYCLING. ... (6) On and after January 1, 1992, it shall be unlawful and a violation of this ordinance for any landfill user, other than a municipality which has in place an effective recycling program or a private waste hauler that has certified to the County of Dane that each of its customers has an effective recycling program, to deposit, allow to be deposited or cause to be deposited in any landfill, as defined in sec. 41.30(2), any newsprint, ferrous metal cans, aluminum cans, corrugated cardboard, glass bottles and jars, HDPE plastic, PET plastic, large appliances, used oil, grass, leaves, brush, tires or lead acid batteries.
Full Breakdown
' That ban is chapter-wide and doesn't depend on whether a hauler is licensed. 235. 115 fee schedule at County Landfill No. 2 (Rodefeld) prices clean logs, branches, and brush at $25 per ton and compost/yard waste/food scraps at $58 per ton, distinct from the $47-per-ton standard solid-waste rate, pricing meant to push generators toward composting over disposal. 06, and no fee schedule takes effect without county board approval.
Violations & Fines
Depositing banned yard waste at a county landfill, or a landfill accepting it from a municipality without an effective recycling program, is 'unlawful and a violation of this ordinance' under § 41.83(6)-(7), carrying a forfeiture of $200 to $500 per violation under § 41.90(5), escalating to $500-$2,000 for a third or later violation within twelve months, with up to 30 days' confinement for anyone who can pay but refuses.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I put grass clippings and leaves out for landfill disposal in Dane County?
Where does yard waste go if not the landfill?
Is dumping brush illegal in Dane County?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Dane County
Compare Dane County to another location·View the Wisconsin trash & recycling overview
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