About_Content Page_EM Insight 2026 Q1

EM Insight 2026 Quarter 1: January - March

Quarterly News and Highlights from the Environmental Management (EM) Division

Ice buildup along a cliff on a Wisconsin shore.
"February Chill" by Jason Ming - 2014 Great Waters Photo Contest


The EM Insight is a quarterly report from the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) Environmental Management (EM) Division that profiles some of the great results that our staff, teams and partnerships have achieved. The division is pleased to present the following highlights of our work from January - March 2026.

In This Edition

 Headline News

DNR Publishes Wisconsin Food Waste Evaluation

Wisconsin's goal is to reduce per-capita food waste disposal in landfills by 50% by 2030, compared to 2020 levels. As part of that effort, the DNR contracted with HDR, Inc. to better understand Wisconsin's food waste landscape. The resulting Food Waste Evaluation, published in January 2026, includes recommendations for individuals, businesses and government agencies on how to meet Wisconsin's goal.

Key findings of the study include:

  • The vast majority (88%) of the food waste going to Wisconsin landfills is from residential and food service sources, with residential contributing the largest share at 47%.
  • Infrastructure for hauling food waste to destinations other than landfills (such as composting and anaerobic digestion facilities) will have to expand significantly to achieve the statewide food waste reduction goal.
  • Of the 286 facilities licensed for composting in Wisconsin, just 30 (10%) are approved to accept food waste. Of the 122 anaerobic digestion facilities currently operating in Wisconsin, just 37 (30%) currently accept food waste.
  • To expand food donation, food rescue and food waste processing infrastructure, education, technical support and funding will be needed. Regulatory and policy reform may also be necessary.

Office of Great Waters Participates in Manoomin Restoration Partnership

The DNR Office of Great Waters is part of a collaboration supporting Tribal partners in manoomin (wild rice) restoration and research. A video, Understanding the Health of Restored Manoomin, was produced by UW-Madison's Rural Partnerships Institute and Extension to highlight the collaborative project to understand the health of restored manoomin in the St. Louis River Estuary. To learn more, visit the UW-Madison Division of Extension website.

 New and Updated Resources

New Web Resources From Air Management

Revised fees for construction permit actions contained in ch. NR 410 of the Wisconsin Administrative Code went into effect April 1, 2026. The new Construction Permit Fees webpage provides information on fees for construction permit actions. Construction permit actions include construction permits, construction permit revisions and exemption determinations. Fees for construction permit actions vary depending on the type of permit action and level of review required.

Facilities must monitor their compliance with emission limits and other applicable requirements. Monitoring and associated recordkeeping provides documentation to support the compliance certification required of facilities. Air Management created a new Compliance Monitoring webpage, which includes supporting documents to help facilities understand and apply applicable compliance monitoring requirements.

What to Recycle in Wisconsin

The DNR updated its popular 1/3-page flyer on what to recycle in Wisconsin. In addition to covering landfill-banned materials that can be recycled anywhere in the state, the flier discusses what not to put in your recycling bin. This includes tanglers, batteries and electronics, sharps and propane tanks. The goal of the flyer is to inform residents of what can be recycled and also cut down on materials that put recycling workers and equipment at risk.

Office of Great Waters Works With Partners on Community Engagement Toolkit 

The Office of Great Waters’ Lake Superior Team worked with the Lake Superior Headwaters Sustainability Partnership and others to create a set of community engagement resources to guide conservation work in the St. Louis River Estuary and surrounding watersheds.

The Community Engagement Framework captures the values, commitments and practices essential for community engagement. It reflects the Partnership’s learning from 2023 to 2026 through collaborative work, community conversations and guidance from the Headwaters Partnership Community Council. It captures the values, commitments and practices partners and community leaders have identified as essential for meaningful engagement.

The framework provides a common foundation that helps partners coordinate engagement efforts that are responsive to community priorities and needs. The Community Engagement Toolkit is designed to help project managers, organizations and agencies create engagement plans. It includes job aids to help develop a plan to implement community engagement for conservation projects in the St. Louis River Estuary and landscape for project managers and decision-makers.

 Annual Awards And Awareness Campaigns

DNR Awards 2026 Surface Water Grants

The DNR Surface Water Grant Program recently announced approximately $6 million in grant funding to lake organizations, nonprofit organizations and municipal and county governments throughout Wisconsin. Funding will help to restore and protect our state’s surface water resources in 2026 and beyond.

This year, the program received 471 applications from eligible applicants requesting nearly $7.3 million in funding. The awarded 426 grants are incredibly diverse, including education and outreach activities, management planning, habitat restoration, runoff management, water quality improvement projects and aquatic invasive species prevention and management. 

For more information about the Surface Water Grant awards and to view the Priority Funding List, please visit the DNR's Surface Water Grants webpage.

Celebrate And Protect Groundwater During Groundwater Awareness Week

The DNR celebrated Groundwater Awareness Week from March 8-13. The annual awareness week highlights how important groundwater — water that exists underground — is to Wisconsinites and the rest of the nation. Groundwater is often a forgotten resource because it is not easily visible, yet we use it every day.

This valuable resource supports continued growth in tourism, agriculture and manufacturing industries. The quality and quantity of groundwater can also vary throughout the state. That is why it is important to consider using conservation measures and protection strategies, including source water protection, legislation and education about groundwater. Awareness is the first step in safeguarding groundwater now and for future generations.

 Social Media Spotlight

This is a Lake Michigan appreciation post.

Eighty-eight percent of the food waste sent to Wisconsin landfills comes from residential and food service sources, with residential contributing the largest share at 47%.

Stay up to date on the air quality in your area by viewing the DNR’s interactive air quality maps and forecasts.

If your property is at risk to springtime flooding, we encourage you to learn more about flooding.

As the weather warms up, start checking your county or local municipality's website to see if they are hosting a Clean Sweep event and what they are accepting. You may save yourself the trouble of storing unwanted household hazardous waste for another year.