When a municipality is faced with the challenge of a struggling and at times unusable public golf course, the solution is not typically a conversion to anaerobic digestion of food waste in its place. However, that is the case in Madison, Wisconsin. According to a July 2020 article in the Wisconsin State Journal, “A recommended plan for addressing the financial struggles of Madison’s four city golf courses would close half of Yahara Hills Golf Course… The city’s Task Force on Municipal Golf on Thursday voted 4-2 to recommend closing 18 of the 36 holes at Yahara Hills on the Southeast Side…” One resolution to repurposing the potentially closed 18 holes would be an anaerobic digester to process food waste in Dane County. 

Noted in last month’s Capital Times article, a feasibility study has been conducted to process food waste on the site currently occupied by 18 of Yahara Hills Golf Course’s 36 holes. Growing up golfing at Yahara and now working at the intersection of golf and sustainability, I immediately reached out to the city officials mentioned in the Capital Times article to learn more. In speaking with Madison’s Recycling Coordinator, Bryan Johnson, I learned that a solution for food waste processing has been in the thought process of the city for 10 years. “21 or 22% of city waste is organic material and would benefit from food waste processing.” according to Johnson. He also cited limited existing options for organic waste processing are best suited for yard waste. Any push for processing may be met with trepidation from a certain percentage of community members, especially when at the expense of public golf.

The practical business case for food waste processing is one that is likely a net positive, albeit one difficult to quantify when accounting for the loss of recreational activity. The fact that municipal lands are available as an injection site to capture energy produced by anaerobic digestion is not replicable at any other site than Yahara Hills Golf Course which would help limit initial costs. The initial investment to build a digester could range between $13 million and $30 million with operating costs landing between $850,000 and $2.8 million according to the EPA-funded feasibility study cited in the Capital Times Article.

Real problems with food waste exist in a nation littered with high consumption. The most concerning and tangible problem in the local Madison community is that the Dane County Landfill, which sits directly across the highway from Yahara Hills, has a timeline of about eight years before it reaches its capacity Johnson notes. Should conversion of the golf course take place, many positives will result. The biggest asset would be the creation of energy in the form of biogas. The creation of renewable energy would lead to new revenue streams for the City and create the blueprint on food waste processing and renewable energy for an entire region. Logistically speaking, located at the junction of Interstate 90 and US Highways 12 & 18 creates ease of access and local proximity for hauling for the City’s organic waste as well as an attractive outlet for potential hauls from larger nearby cities, Milwaukee and Chicago.

The conversion of public lands to innovative business is not uncommon and can lead to support to host what is known as a “sustainability campus” or “business park” promoting research and shared best practices similar to what is done in Kent County, Michigan. There is the reason for some hesitation for golfers to be unsure of why a once popular course is under review to be the location of expanded capacity for a waste processing facility.

At the end of the day, city-owned land can and will continue to retain recreational activities but it can also lead the way in sustainable and innovative business. Moreover, if golfers are concerned about public land being turned into waste facilities, they can actively look in the mirror and make a change by consuming less and making more thoughtful purchases by prioritizing companies that support environmentally conscious products. When a community makes the choice to invest in the future through materials management and sustainability, we are in effect extending the life of recreation events we enjoy as a result of resources the earth provides.