Construction & Demolition Facility Operation Services

Dane County Department of Waste + Renewables (W+R or County) is seeking proposals from qualified firms to operate the County’s Construction and Demolition (C&D) Recycling Facility located at the Rodefeld Landfill in Madison, Wisconsin. The facility plays a critical role in diverting recoverable materials from disposal, conserving landfill airspace, and supporting the County’s broader sustainability and circular economy goals.

The selected operator will be responsible for day-to-day operations, staffing, safety, equipment management, material processing, and end-market development. The County seeks an operator with demonstrated expertise in recycling systems, strong safety practices, robust market knowledge, and the ability to maximize diversion of C&D materials from landfill.

The purpose of this document is to provide interested parties with information to enable them to prepare and submit a proposal according to the specifications set forth within this document.

The County intends to use the results of this process to award a contract services stated Operation of the County-owned construction & demolition recycling facility .

The Dane County contacts listed on this RFP are the sole points of contact for questions and issues that may arise during the RFP process.

MANDATORY SITE VISIT

• Due to the nature of the services, any interested proposer must tour the Facility in order to be considered.
• Site visits are available upon request from January 5 - January 16, 2026 .
• To schedule a site visit, email the project manager: Wyeth Augustine-Marceil, augustine-marceil.wyeth@danecounty.gov .

The Dane County C&D Recycling Facility (Facility) began operations in February 2016 and has operated nearly continuously since. Over the past decade, the facility has become a core component of the County’s waste diversion system and a critical processing option for the region’s construction and demolition sector. The Facility has been successfully operated by three different operators (a result of mergers and acquisitions). Despite these transitions, the Facility has maintained consistent performance and remains the only active, full-scale C&D recycling facility in Wisconsin.

Inbound tonnages have ranged from approximately 46,000 to 82,000 tons per year, with annual totals from 2017 through 2025 shown below:

The Facility accepts mixed C&D loads and utilizes a mechanical and manual sorting system including primary and secondary finger screens, a magnet belt, a density separator (currently out of commission), and a staffed hand-picking line (typically staffed with 8-10 employees) to recover marketable commodities. Past operators have successfully recycled clean wood, metal, aggregates, cardboard, and vinyl siding. The County also maintains unconnected services for accepting clean shingles and organic landscaping debris. The County intends to expand the portfolio of recoverable materials and is especially interested in finding outlets for gypsum drywall. Please note that relatively little aggregate comes to the Dane County site, as other local businesses will accept aggregate for little or no cost.

In the County’s current operating model, the Operator owns the recovered materials and retains all revenue from the sale of commodities. The County pays the Operator a per-ton processing fee for inbound loads, while the operator pays a reduced fee for disposal of residuals (unrecyclable trash and C&D fines) sent to the co-located Rodefeld Landfill. Dane County maintains Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (WDNR) approval for using fines as landfill alternative daily cover (ADC).

The facility currently or formerly accepted the following materials for recycling:

• Clean wood, which is sold for animal bedding, mulch, or landscaping silt sock
• Cardboard
• Metal, separated by steel, copper, aluminum
• Aggregate
• Vinyl siding

The C&D Recycling Facility is well-positioned within a rapidly growing service area. Dane County is the fastest-growing county in Wisconsin, with steady construction and demolition activity producing materials suitable for recycling at this facility. W+R maintains relationships with many of the region’s largest haulers and the C&D recycling facility is a key compliance pathway for projects subject to C&D Diversion requirements within the City of Madison , and the City of Fitchburg , as well as projects pursuing green building certifications, such as LEED.

An ideal Operator will maintain stable operations, increase inbound C&D material, expand recoverable material streams, ensure high safety and staffing standards, and continue improving recovery efficiency. The C&D Recycling Facility offers a strong platform for an Operator to continue generating value, increasing diversion, and supporting Dane County’s long-term sustainability goals.