The Sustain Dane - City of Madison Recycle Better Course Begins on July 2

The Streets Division is once again working with Sustain Dane to offer the online Recycle Better classes.

The class is in the evening of July 2, 2025. 

This is the last opportunity to take the course this year.

By taking the Recycle Better class, you can help your friends, family, neighbors, and coworkers learn the right way to recycle more.

What is the Recycle Better Course?

The course not only teaches you how and why it’s important to recycle, it also gives you the knowledge and confidence to help your community recycle better. 

Upon completion of the course, you can become a Certified Recycling Steward so you can share this useful knowledge with those in your social circles.

Over 1,300 people have taken the Recycle Better course since 2021 and their outreach projects have reached over 100,000 people.

Class Details

Each online course has two 90-minute sessions.  The first session is July 2, 2025 6:30pm to 8:00pm with the second session on July 9 from 6:30pm to 8:00pm.

More details can be found on the Sustain Dane registration webpage, or the Streets Division’s website.

Sustain Dane charges a small tuition for the course ($15).  If cost is a burden, please contact Sam Worden at Sustain Dane to ask about having the tuition waived.

Why does recycling right and the Recycling Better course matter?

We have seen fires in Madison recycling trucks  very likely caused by something that should have never been placed into a recycling cart.

Also, when trash and other wrong items are in the recycling, it raises the costs of the Resource Recovery Special Charge. We all pay extra to remove trash from the good recyclables.

And, the wrong items can be dangerous to the people who work at the sorting facilities, too.

Why is recycling confusing?

The stuff in our lives is always changing.  And recycling rules are not the same everywhere you go.

This can make recycling confusing, especially for people who move to new states.

And since there are no set guidelines around the country, internet search engines and social media advice may not always give you the right local information you need for the carts in Madison, Wisconsin.   

The good news is that Wisconsin has strong and specific recycling mandates.  And here in Madison, we have many extra recycling opportunities in Madison, too - you just need to follow the guidelines.

How you help

People like you who care about your community can take the Recycle Better course so you can help your neighbors, co-workers, fellow congregants, and members of your online communities reach our local recycling information. 

This will help spread the recycling guidelines so more people learn the right thing to do with the waste we all generate daily. 

Free Recycling Resources

City of Madison recycling information is free and readily available.

You can learn what you can put in the recycling cart at your home by visiting the Streets Division’s recycling website.

There are many other free resources are available, too.  There are magnets, paper guides, and even vinyl stickers all available to help you recycle the right way at your home.  They are available for free by contacting the Streets Division.  

Free copies of the Recyclopedia booklet are available at your Madison Public Library and the Streets Division offices.

Additional Information

For more information about the City of Madison Streets Division’s recycling program, please visit the City of Madison recycling website.

For more information about Sustain Dane and all of the classes and services they provide, visit their website.