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 one of our upcoming monthly tours? Sign up here.
To inquire about the possibility of reserving a special time to accomodate 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 our current scheduled events. For follow up questions please contact gobster.delaney@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 the 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. However, the tour length can be flexible depending on your group's schedule and interests.
To start our tours, we will be meeting at Hope Park, next to the former Waste & Renewables Training Center (3737 County Hwy AB McFarland, WI 53558). For location details, and day-of directions for visiting bus drivers, please see our Tour Meeting Area map. Please meet here beforehand, you do not need to go to the landfill entrance at the start of the tour. Feel free to share this map with any group participants joining the tour as applicable, especially visiting bus drivers.
Our mobile Trash Lab exhibit will be parked out front, with our "tours" sign to mark where we will be gathering. Visitors will have a chance to explore the 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 tour group comprising of youth must have an appropriate number of adult chaperones (not including the 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.
