Solid Waste Planning: Dane County Construction & Demolition Recycling Partnership, Rodefeld Landfill, Madison, WI

Recycling volumes are growing quickly, and are on track to grow to 60,000 tons of material diverted from the landfill. DCPW is saving $600,000 per year by not having to truck materials off-site for recycling.

Background
The Dane County Department of Public Works (DCPW) Rodefeld Landfill has low tipping fees and little room for expansion. The County sees promise in diverting construction and demolition (C&D) materials from the landfill and recycling them; but cheap landfill space, a low concentration of C&D materials, and only a mid-sized market for recycled materials make it hard for recycling to thrive in Dane County.

Challenge
The Rodefeld landfill was filling up fast. DCPW needed to preserve air space to keep the landfill running smoothly. They focused on finding solutions that would get them to market fast and keep the recycling option low cost and accessible to consumers.

DCPW created a unique public-private partnership to help them overcome these challenges. They worked with four partners to set up the partnership and ensure the ongoing operation and resale of their recycled materials.

• SCS Engineers provided the building design and engineering services. To help reduce costs and promote sustainability, SCS worked within the footprint of the existing DCPW transfer station and included green features like natural daylighting and LED lights. The design included the use of waste heat from the nearby landfill for heating and minimized the need for newly paved areas.
• Sparta and General Kinematics collaborated to provide system design, integration, controls, manufacturing, and installation of all equipment. They worked together to design and install equipment to maximize uptime, reduce redundancy, and support future capacity expansion.
• Landfill Reduction & Recycling operates the facility on behalf of DCPW and fosters new end markets for recycled C&D materials. These markets are critical to the long-term success and viability of C&D recycling across the entire state.

Outcomes and Benefits
Operations began on time and within budget in February 2016, and the facility is meeting all of the success metrics DCPW set out to achieve. Recycling volumes are growing quickly, and are on track to grow to 60,000 tons of material. DCPW is saving $600,000 per year by not having to truck materials off-site for recycling. In 2016, DCPW saved 60,000 cubic yards of airspace, extending the life of the Rodefeld Landfill while providing an economically viable C&D recycling option for Dane County.

See how the process works on YouTube

View the Dane County Video Presentation

SCS Solid Waste Services