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Yard & Food Waste

Food Waste and Yard Debris

Food waste and yard debris are organic materials and make up to 24% of the waste stream. While some items (grass, leaves, garden trimmings, and brush) are banned from Wisconsin landfills by State law, all of these items can be kept out of landfills to conserve natural resources and help create healthier soil through composting.

Backyard composting is a great way to handle yard debris or a combination of food waste and yard debris. To support backyard composters, the City of Milwaukee Department of Public Works holds an annual compost bin sale.

Food Waste

Food waste is a large part of our waste stream that is being wasted by sending it to the landfill. Learn more about how you can reduce the amount of food waste sent to the landfill by cutting down on food items that often end up in your garbage can, using garbage disposals, composting in your yard, or finding other community compost opportunities.

Have a small space, but still want to compost? Check out Keep Greater Milwaukee Beautiful's presentation on just that!

Did You Know?

Worldwide, 1/3 of all food produced for human consumption is lost or wasted. American’s sent 1/3 of their fruits and vegetables to landfills in 2013. 37 million tonsof food waste was generated with only 5% being diverted.

Food Waste accounts for about 21% of our waste. Food waste happens where food is grown, where it is processed, where it is sold, and in the home. In 2010 each person sent 218.9 pounds of food for disposal from their homes, restaurants, and school and work cafeterias. The EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) is using this data to set a goal to reduce food waste by 50% by 2030.

All of this food takes an enormous amount of natural resources and energy to create. U.S. food production accounts for:

70% of global water use
13.5% of global greenhouse gas emissions

By 2050, rising populations and incomes are expected to result in a 70% increase in global demand for agricultural production.

How to Divert Food Waste

Source Reduction

(Stop food waste before it starts)

Be a smart shopper.
Meal planning tips.
Store food properly. Visit SaveTheFood.com's Food Storage Directory for helpful tips and tricks.
Learn how to decipher different dates on foods and their packaging.
Freeze, preserve, or can surplus fruits and vegetables
Learn more about source reduction from the EPA and from SaveTheFood.com
Feed Hungry People
Feed Animals

Industrial Uses

Recycle used cooking oil by taking it to one of our Drop Off Disposal Centers
Use a garbage disposal to have food scraps turned into energy and Milorganite. Learn more.
Learn more from the EPA

Compost

Compost at home with this additional information from the WI Department of Natural Resources.
Sign up for a local curbside organics collection service.
Drop off your food scraps at a community compost site.

Yard Debris

Yard Debris or yard waste is a broad category of waste that describes a variety of items that are banned from the landfill due to a State law that became effective July 1, 1993. Yard waste is easily composted and, if allowed to be landfilled, would unnecessarily consume valuable landfill space and emit methane gas.

Items that cannot be placed in your garbage cart include leaves, grass clippings, yard and garden debris and brush, including clean woody vegetative material no greater than 6 inches in diameter.

Branches and Brush

Cut brush down to size. No branches longer than 4 feet or larger than 6 inches in diameter.
December - March, take items to a Drop off Center
April - November, curbside collection available for up to 2 cubic yards of properly set out material. Submit a pickup request online or call 414 286-CITY.

Leaves

Using your lawn mower, mulch the leaves and let them return to the soil
Compost on-site
Take to a Drop off Center
The City offers a Fall Leaf Collection (Oct. 1 - Nov. 15). Visit website to confirm dates.

Grass Clippings

Leave them on the lawn to decompose and nourish the soil or compost
Take to a Drop off Center
Grass clippings are not collected curbside at any time and it is a violation of City ordinance to blow or move them into the street.

Garden Debris and Weeds

Garden debris includes material from vegetable and flower gardens like tomato vines, dead plants, corn and sunflower stalks, and weeds.
- Compost on-site
- Take to a Drop off Center
- Garden debris can be placed on top of leaves during the official City fall leaf collection. Weeds and garden debris are not collected any other time.

Flowers

Flowers and floral arrangements are exempt from the state yard waste ban. Compost them, take them to a drop off center, or bag them with other trash for the garbage cart.