The Marathon County Solid Waste Department is a county-owned enterprise fund operation, meaning it does not receive any county-levy funds and is completely self-supporting.

User fees collected at the site defray the cost of site operation, maintenance, future construction, host community fees, state fees, administration, engineering, monitoring, closure, and long-term care of the site.

The Solid Waste Department operates with county staff and contracts for some specialized services, as needed.

Solid Waste Department Strategic Plan 2026-2030 - Draft

The Marathon County Solid Waste Department (SWD) and Solid Waste Management Board (SWMB) have drafted an updated Strategic Plan to guide departmental activities and operations at the Solid Waste Management Facility between 2026 and 2030. This plan is intended to:

• Guide SWD operations over the next 5 years, in conjunction with the County’s Strategic Plan.
• Direct SWD program management and development, and partnerships that support achievement of the County and Solid Waste Management goals.
• Advance the SWD’s vision of being an integrated waste management system of choice, fostering economic development while protecting human health and the environment.

2026-2030 Solid Waste Strategic Plan DRAFT

Submission of Comments

Please submit any written comments or feedback on the draft to jeff.pritchard@marathoncounty.gov by Friday, December 5, 2025. Please put “SWD Strategic Plan” in the subject line. 

Opportunity for Public Comment 

The Solid Waste Management Board will meet to review comments and consider a recommendation for adoption of the Solid Waste Department Strategic Plan 2026-2030 on:

Date:            Monday, December 8, 2025

Time:           2:00 PM

Location:     Wisconsin Room, Marathon County Lake View Conference Center 
1000 Lake View Drive, Wausau, WI 54403 (Park in Lots E or F; enter Door 31)

All comments submitted by December 5, 2025, will be shared with the SWMB. There will also be an opportunity for public comments at the December 8th meeting. Please contact Brittanie Schulz at brittanie.schulz@marathoncounty.gov or 715-261-6000 for questions about attending and/or submitting comments at the December 8, 2025, meeting.

Final Consideration and Adoption of Plan

Following the SWMB recommendation for adoption, the Environmental Resources Committee and the County Board will consider the Solid Waste Department Strategic Plan 2026-2030 for final adoption in January 2026.

What We Offer

The Solid Waste Department offers a wide range of solid waste and recycling services. From programs to help you reduce waste and recycle more, to state-of-the-art landfill disposal, we are here to serve the residents, businesses and municipalities of central and north-central Wisconsin.

We're so much more than a landfill; we're your county resource! Our staff are experts in all things related to solid waste and recycling. We are here to help provide assistance with the following:

• Waste Resource Management Consulting
• Special & Hazardous Waste Management
• Educational Tours of our Facility
• Environmental educational programming for schools, groups, and organizations
• Municipal Contract Support
• Environmental consulting

Doing Even More

The Solid Waste Department is fortunate to call "home" to over 575 acres of beautiful and diverse land in Central Wisconsin. Over the years, the department has worked hard to make the site available for public use in order to share the many wonders of this location.

• Mountain Bay State Trail
• Ice Age National Scenic Trail
• Glacial Bluebird Nest Box Trail
• Snowshoe Trail
• Ringle Trail System

In addition to overseeing the development and maintenance of 5 other trail systems in Central Wisconsin, the Central Wisconsin Offroad Cycling Coalition (CWOCC) maintains the the Ringle Trail System located at the Marathon County Solid Waste Department. 

The Ringle Trail System is a network of smaller loops that can be combined into one larger loop. All trails, Rock the Wierzba, Ruby Ridge, Lost Forty and the Rookery are fully machine constructed through the glacial terminal moraine ridges of Marathon County. Numerous jump, gap, and drop features are scattered throughout the trail with all features being optional with a ride around if you want to keep your tires on dirt. Additionally, these trails are groomed for winter riding.