Madison Reporter

Our three free food scraps drop-off sites at farmers' market locations around Madison have surpassed 10,000 pounds collected for composting this year. This achievement places us ahead of last year’s pace.

In 2023, a little more than 18,200 pounds of food scraps were composted, which is roughly equivalent to the size of two adult hippopotamuses and a stout juvenile hippo. For 2024, the goal is more ambitious, targeting the collection of 22,000 pounds, or 11 tons, of food scraps for composting.

"Over 10,000 years ago in the ice age, mammoths roamed North America," noted an organizer. "These giants of the Pleistocene weighed somewhere between four to eight tons apiece. This means with your help, we can compost the weight of two mammoths this year."

To achieve this goal, residents are encouraged to bring appropriate food scraps to one of the free farmers’ market drop-off sites. The locations and schedules are as follows:

- **South Madison Farmers’ Market (1602 S. Park St):** Located at the corner of S. Park Street at W. Wingra Dr., across from Wingra Creek bike path. Open every Tuesday from 2:00 pm to 6:00 pm until October 29, 2024.

- **Eastside Farmers’ Market (202 S. Ingersoll St):** Located within McPike Park. Open every Tuesday from 4:00 pm to 7:00 pm until October 29, 2024.

- **Westside Community Market (505 S. Rosa Rd):** Located in the Research Park area. Open every Saturday from 7:00 am to 12:30 pm until October 5, 2024.

Acceptable scraps include raw fruits and vegetables and their peelings, cores, stems; egg shells; coffee grounds; and loose tea leaves. A detailed list of acceptable items can be found on the City of Madison food scraps website.

The collected scraps are taken to the Neighborhood Food Solutions farm where they are composted and used to grow produce sold at the South Madison Farmers' Market.

For more information about food waste prevention, composting guidelines, and donation opportunities, visit www.cityofmadison.com/FoodScraps.