Dane County and the City of Madison are planning to convert part of the Yahara Hills Golf Course into a landfill, as well as a sustainability campus.

IT'S NOT TOO LATE TO TAKE ACTION! 
There are more opportunities to make our voices heard over the next year. The land sale is only one step in a very long process, and a buy-back contingency was added to the land sale agreement.

Currently, the DNR is completing environmental impact and feasibility studies to assess the suitability of the proposed site for landfill development.

“Even if the deal is finalized by the city and the county, there is no guarantee the site will eventually get converted into a landfill.

.…Under the agreement, Madison could buy back the land through the end of 2024 should Dane County decide not to put a landfill on the site.”

Robinson, L (2022, May 11). $5.5M YAHARA HILLS PARCEL | POTENTIAL NEW LANDFILL.Golf course to landfill: Madison City Council agrees to sell part of Yahara Hills Golf Course. Wisconsin State Journal. https://madison.com/news/local/govt-and-politics/golf-course-to-landfill-madison-city-council-agrees-to-sell-part-of-yahara-hills-golf/article_57dee96c-2259-5c36-a847-2d116bcb62d2.html

HELP DANE CTY AND THE CITY OF MADISON HEAR OUR CONCERNS!

1. Sign the petition to OPPOSE the proposed landfill development  — DO NOT placing the landfill/sustainability campus on the 230 acres of the Yahara Golf Course the City of Madison sold to Dane County — it’s too close to children, families, and residents.
2. Have everyone in your household sign the petition too!
3. If you prefer working with a hard copy, sign a paper petition and mail it to: Neighbors for A Better Landfill c/o LDV, 4702 Bellingrath Street, McFarland, WI 53558.
4. Tell us your "Why" in the comments section. What concerns you about this proposed project?
5. Share this petition via social media.
6. Visit The Neighbors for A Better Landfill website to see how you can volunteer or sign up for website notifications.
7. Learn about Dane County's plans: Dane County Department of Waste & Renewables website.
8. READ ABOUT WHY YOU SHOULD OPPOSE THE LANDFILL BELOW:

THANK YOU!!!!

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SIZE OF EXISTING LANDFILL
The current Rodefeld landfill is 169 acres with a 7-foot vertical expansion.

PROPOSED SIZE OF NEW LANDFILL/SUSTAINABILITY CAMPUS
180+ acres for 50 years+ of landfill disposal 
25+ acres for organics management 
25+ acres for businesses and onsite recycling infrastructure 

WHERE THIS PROJECT STANDS
Dane Cty and the City of Madison have:

• Approved the initial land sale, with an added contingency to buy back the land if issues prevent the land from being used for a landfill/sustainability campus
• Gathered limited public feedback, and indicated stakeholder input will occur during the local negotiated agreement process
• Entered the permitting phase of the project - where the DNR examines the plan’s potential environmental and logistical impacts 

REMAINING ISSUES OF CONCERN

• FAR-REACHING HEALTH AND PUBLIC NUISANCE IMPACTS ON LOCAL COMMUNITIES: East Madison, Mcfarland, Cottage Grove, Blooming Grove, Monona will experience the effects of this landfill. The smells from the Rodefeld Landfill are an ongoing nuisance that has not been fully resolved — despite current efforts and technologies within the existing landfill. How can we have confidence this wouldn’t occur in the new landfill — especially one that is closer to residential homes?
• LIMITED STATE AND FEDERAL PRECEDENT OF PLACING A LANDFILL SO CLOSE TO HIGH DENSITY RESIDENTIAL AREA : There is limited precedent in the state or nation where a sustainability campus/landfill have been placed close to 600 + residential homes + a school. There are many community outcomes that deserve further discussion, beyond the scope of the 1,500 ft.
• PROXIMITY TO RESIDENTS AND FUTURE SCHOOL:  The project is within 2,200 ft of district owned land that is on Siggelkow Road, which is planned for a future school building. It would be helpful if Dane County and City of Madison leaders would involve the McFarland School District in discussions prior to taking action on key parts of this plan, such as land purchases, planned use and other impacts that may impact the McFarland School District, including all territory of the proposed Dane County Landfills.

• CURRENT LANDFILL AGREEMENTS DO NOT SUFFICIENTLY INCLUDE IMPACTED PARTIES: Landfill communities within 1,500 feet of the proposed landfill are invited to participate in local negotiated agreement and potential compensation plans, but McFarland is likely NOT included unless less Madison and Cottage Grove municipalities explicitly invite the village to join the negotiations.

• COMPOSTING OUTCOMES WILL BE SMELT SOONER THAN YOU THINK: The new sustainability campus will have composting — a greater smell concern overtime. Dane County Landfill’s goal is to begin composting of organics and food in 2025-2028. 

• THE EAST SIDE IS AN ONGOING DUMP TO MADISON: The East Side of Madison has shouldered the burden of the county’s waste for 40-50 years. We were told the existing landfill would be capped, and instead it was expanded to the size of “7-story building."  This proposed landfill is slated to last 70 years, so the East Side communities will carry the majority of waste and potential health impacts for the whole of Dane County once again.

WHAT DO WE KNOW FOR SURE?

• TIME IS OF THE ESSENCE: Why invest money in a potential site, that requires an extensive permitting process, and not have a Plan B if the land doesn't work out? Is this a wise use of the County’s limited time and money, as they need to expedite this project before the Rodefeld Landfill is full in ten years? Per the County, they are not seriously “pursuing” other sites, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t other sites to be pursued. If the location is deemed to be unsuitable, another location could be selected.