Each year, we host nearly a thousand visitors of all ages for tours of our facilities. Our tours offer an excellent opportunity for lessons in environmental stewardship, science, engineering, and technology.
Interested in a tour? Check back soon for monthly tour opportunities in 2025!
To inquire about accomodating large groups for a private tour, please fill out our Landfill Tour Request Form. Note that tour availability is dependent upon staffing, landfill operating hours, and winter weather limitations. For more information, please contact kohn.hanna@danecounty.gov.
Can't visit us in person? There are other plenty of great ways for community members and students to learn about where waste goes and how it can be used as a resource. Check out our Video Resources Page for an array of educational videos and accompanying K-12 lesson plans or visit our Virtual Tours Page for a self-guided tour of our site! To check out our Trash Lab at a community event near you, check out our Upcoming Events tab on our Trash Lab webpage.
Location & Duration
Tours begin with a visit to our mobile Dane County Trash Lab exhibit parked at the County Park Lot off Hope Rd. After visiting the Trash Lab, participants will board the tour vehicle to drive around the facility grounds. During our grounds tour, guests will view sites such as our Clean Sweep Facility, Construction & Demolition Recycling Facility, Renewable Natural Gas plant, and active Landfill. A typical tour lasts approximately an hour and a half. Tour length may be modified upon request to suit your group's schedule and interests.
Our tours begin at Hope Park (located on County Highway AB near Hope Lutheran Church 3702 County Hwy AB, McFarland, WI 53558). For location details, and day-of directions for visiting bus drivers and participants, please see our Tour Meeting Area map.
Our mobile Trash Lab exhibit will be parked at Hope Park with our "tours" sign to mark our gathering point. Visitors will have a chance to explore the Trash Lab prior to the grounds tour.
The health and safety of our visitors and staff is important to us. We have implement the following policies and procedures for our tours program:
Each youth tour group that visits the Dane County Landfill must have the appropriate number of adult chaperones in attendance (not including our Landfill tour guide) as defined by the following criteria:
The Department of Waste & Renewables will pay for transportation costs (up to $250 per group) for schools that find transportation fees a barrier to visiting our site. The bus fee waiver is subject to the need of the school and preference will be given for schools with over 40% of students approved for free and reduced meals.
Contact Us
Email waste.renewables@danecounty.gov for additional information about the program.
