The City of Madison in partnership with Sustain Dane and Neighborhood Food Solutions is happy to announce the return of food scraps recycling.

Individuals may take certain allowable food scraps to a designated drop-off booth at the South Madison Farmer’s Market beginning on Tuesday, June 14, 2022.

This is the first of two drop-off locations that will be announced. The second location will be announced at a later date.

Details about the South Madison Farmer’s Market Food Scraps Drop-Off
The market is located at 1602 South Park Street on the grounds of the Madison Labor Temple.

Food scraps drop-off will be available from 2:00pm until 6:00pm during the Tuesday evening market only.

Food scraps will be accepted starting on Tuesday, June 14, 2022 and lasting until September 27, 2022.

What food scraps will be accepted at the market drop-off site?
The food scraps acceptable in this program are the same materials that would be suitable for your backyard.

Coffee grounds, egg shells, raw fruits and vegetables, and other similar scraps.

The program cannot accept meat products, bones, grease, or dairy products (including cheese).

More information about what can, and cannot, be accepted at the food scraps drop-off site will be announced as we get closer to the start of the food scraps drop-off program.

Will there be additional drop-off sites?
Yes. One additional drop-off site for food scraps will be available this year. The location will be announced at a later date.

What changed that allowed food scraps recycling to start again?
The City of Madison received a grant from the United States Department of Agriculture for community composting and food waste reduction. The Natural Resource Defense Council also provided additional funding through their Food Matters initiative.

Using those funds, we were able to secure help from Sustain Dane to provide assistance in staffing the food scraps drop-off sites to help control contamination and provide additional materials necessary for the drop-off site to be a success.

The food scraps will be taken to the Neighborhood Food Solutions urban farm for composting to help their soil regeneration efforts and also supporting their mission and programs.

Additional Details
More details about food scraps and other ways you can address this issue at your home or business, please go to the Streets Division’s food scraps website, www.cityofmadison.com/FoodScraps.