Walworth County, WI Trash & Recycling: Yard Waste Collection (2026)

Walworth County's Sec. 74-70 covers yard waste composting sites in the A-1 through A-4, P-1, P-2, and M-1 through M-4 zoning districts of the unincorporated towns under Walworth County zoning. The ordinance folds in the state's NR Ch. 502 locational standards: no facility within 1,000 feet of a navigable lake, pond or flowage, within 300 feet of a navigable river or stream, within a floodplain, within 1,000 feet of a state trunk highway or public park right-of-way unless screened, within 10,000 feet of a turbojet runway or 5,000 feet of a piston-aircraft runway, or within 1,200 feet of a public or private water supply well, unless the Department of Natural Resources grants a waiver.

On top of the DNR site approval, the county zoning ordinance requires a conditional use hearing before the Committee for any compost facility over 20 cubic yards; a backyard or neighborhood pile under that threshold is exempt. Applicants must submit a legal description of the property, ownership data, a land-use survey of the quarter mile surrounding the site, an operations plan covering vehicle routes, dust and odor control and hours of operation, plus an existing-conditions map covering the half-mile radius. The section excludes solid waste and sludge composting, which need a separate DNR license.

This rule governs facility siting, not household collection: Walworth County itself does not run curbside yard waste pickup for the unincorporated towns, so residents should check with their town hall or hauler for pickup schedules.