City of Madison Winter

08/31/2026

No Trash, Recycling, or Other Collections on Labor Day (9/7/26); Drop-off Sites Also Closed - The Streets Division will not perform trash, recycling, brush, or large item collection on Monday, September 7, 2026, in observance of the Labor Day holiday. The drop-off sites and offices will also be closed. Monday Collection Day? Put the Cart(s) Out by 6:30am Tuesday (9/8/26) If your trash and recycling are collected on Mondays by the Streets Division, place the scheduled cart(s) out for emptying by 6:30am, Tuesday, September 8, 2026. If you have a Tuesday collection of trash and recycling by the Streets Division, you should also have the scheduled cart(s) out for pickup by 6:30am on September 8. If you set your carts out after 6:30am for their scheduled pickup, you may miss your collection opportunity. If you don't know if the holiday will cause your collection to be delayed, check your collection schedule. Download a copy from our website, or contact our offices to have one mailed to you. Large Item Collection Due to the holiday, large item collection will begin on Tuesday, September 8, 2026, for residents who submitted work orders to set out items on Sunday, September 6, 2026. Remember, you need to schedule your large item pickup. And then you put your large items out on the date you picked. Large item collection occurs sometime during the work week following the set-out Sunday you chose when filing out the work order. Crews do not collect items on Sundays. They do not collect items on city-observed holidays. Schedule your large item pickup on our website or by contacting our offices. Drop-off Sites The City of Madison drop-off sites will be closed on Monday, September 7, 2026, in observance of Labor Day. The sites will reopen for their normal operating hours on Tuesday, September 8, 2026. Check the Streets Division's website to verify locations and hours before loading up a vehicle to bring material to a site. Streets Division Offices Streets Division offices will be closed for the holiday on Monday, September 7, 2026. The offices will reopen on Tuesday, September 8, 2026. Sign Up for Collection Schedule Update Emails You can sign up for email update reminders about trash and recycling collection delays on the Streets Division website. Additional Information Additional information about all of the Streets Division services can be found on our website.

The Streets Division will not perform trash, recycling, brush, or large item collection on Monday, September 7, 2026, in observance of the Labor Day holiday. The drop-off sites and offices will also be closed.Monday Collection Day? Put the Cart(s) Out by 6:30am Tuesday (9/8/26)If your trash and recy...

08/21/2026

Extra Collections for the Downtown August Moving Days Are Complete for 2026 - The Streets Division's extra collections for the annual downtown August moving days are now over. The final day of the moving days operations was today, Friday, August 21, 2026. In response to the annual event where thousands of Madison residents change homes on or around August 15 along the isthmus in the defined moving days area, the Streets Division provides extra collections to try to keep up with the amount of large items, trash, and recyclables pushed to curb. This year the Streets Division provided extra collections for the move out area starting on Monday, August 3, and the extra pickups end today, Friday, August 21, 2026. Our personnel picked up and sent over one million pounds of extra material to the landfill during this year's out period. What to do with unwanted large items, like furniture, now that the August move out is over? If you need a large item collected from the Streets Division, you need to schedule a large item work order. If your home is ineligible to receive large item collection from the Streets Division, work with your property management to learn your collection options through the private waste hauler at your complex or building. Every dumpster service provider also has large or bulky item pickup services. All Madison residents can also take large items to a Streets Division drop-off site. If your furniture or other items are reusable, there are many donation opportunities around Madison, including many places that will come to your home and collect the items for free. What do I do with extra cardboard that won't fit into the recycling collection cart? This is a common problem that happens across the city during move ins, move outs, and the holidays. We have a webpage that spells out the rules to follow so you can get the cardboard picked up from the curb on your recycling day. You can also take the extra cardboard to a drop-off site. Please visit the extra cardboard website to learn what you need to do. What do I do if I have more trash than the cart can hold? We have specific guidelines and limits on how to place extra bags of trash so it will be collected on your normal curbside pickup day. Visit our household cleanup page for these specific details. Additional Information For more information about Streets Division operations, visit our website or contact our offices.

The Streets Division's extra collections for the annual downtown August moving days are now over.The final day of the moving days operations was today, Friday, August 21, 2026.

08/14/2026

The 2026 Brush Collection Season is Ending Soon - All Madison residents have at least one remaining set-out date for brush collection in 2026. Once your final collection opportunity for the year passes, scheduled brush pickup for your neighborhood will be over until the start of the brush pickup season in 2027. City of Madison residents can also take brush to a drop-off site. How do you get brush picked up? When you should set out sticks, branches, and tree limbs for pickup depends on where you live. Get the date when you should set out from the brush collection website. Enter your address into the form, and you will see the date you need. Put your tree limbs and other brush out for pickup according to the rules on the set out date shown. Pickup occurs during the work week that follows the set out date. Brush Collection Rules Think of brush as branches and sticks. It's the woody material you cut from trees, shrubs, and bushes. We take your brush and make wood mulch out of it. Brush must measure between 18 inches and 8 feet so crews can collect it safely. Pile brush on the terrace, or the grass at the edge of the street. Stack brush with the cut ends facing the same direction. Keep brush at least 5 feet away from trees, cars, utility poles, mailboxes, fire hydrants, and other obstructions. Do not put brush in the street or on the sidewalk. Do not mix brush and yard waste together. Brush mixed with weeds, grass clippings, and other yard waste will not be picked up. Yard waste collection is a separate service with a different schedule. Do not put brush in bags, boxes, or other containers. What do I do with brush after the Streets Division ends curbside collection for 2026 in my neighborhood? Take brush you create to a Streets Division drop-off sites. All three city drop-off sites are open year-round and they accept brush. Make sure you know the hours, locations, and site restrictions before loading your vehicle. Drop-off site information is available on our website. Why does brush collection end so early? It takes multiple weeks for every neighborhood in Madison to have their final turn for brush pickup. By the time every neighborhood receives their last turn, it will be the start of the fall leaf and yard waste season. Crews collecting brush today are the same people that will be collecting leaves & yard waste when that service begins. Brush pickup service needs to end so the people are available to collect leaves and yard waste. Will the Streets Division do more brush pickup after leaf collection is done? We cannot make any promises of extra collections. Once your final set out date has passed for your neighborhood, do not set out brush for pickup again until the next scheduled set out dates in 2027. Brush pickup will return in the spring of 2027. The set out dates will be published to the brush website sometime in February or March 2027. You can take brush to a drop-off site. Sign up for brush schedule email alerts. If we get an opportunity to do an extra collection round later this year, we will send out a notification to that email group.















Why can't the Streets Division promise an extra collection?


We need to finish the leaf and yard waste pickup before we can consider any extra brush pickup work. Fall leaf and yard waste pickup starts in October. The last scheduled fall leaf and yard waste set-out date isn't until the week after Thanksgiving. This means fall leaf pickup doesn't end up until early December. Typically, at the end of leaf and yard waste season, there are many calls for additional leaf and yard waste pickup at the conclusion of that collection season, too. The same people who collect your leaves & yard waste (and brush) are also the same people who drive the snowplows. We need the weather to cooperate deep into December to give us an opportunity to perform extra pickup rounds of leaves & yard waste and possibly brush. As of the publication of this release in August, we just don't know what the weather will be like in mid-to-late December to make any promises now about extra brush collection.












Additional Information For more information about brush collection, visit the brush collection website.









All Madison residents have at least one remaining set-out date for brush collection in 2026. Once your final collection opportunity for the year passes, scheduled brush pickup for your neighborhood will be over until the start of the brush pickup season in 2027. City of Madison residents can also take brush to a drop-off site. How do you get brush picked up? When you should set out sticks, branches, and tree limbs for pickup depends on where you live. Get the date when you should set out from the brush collection website. Enter your address into the form, and you will see the date you need. Put your tree limbs and other brush out for pickup according to the rules on the set out date shown. Pickup occurs during the work week that follows the set out date. Brush Collection Rules Think of brush as branches and sticks. It's the woody material you cut from trees, shrubs, and bushes. We take your brush and make wood mulch out of it. Brush must measure between 18 inches and 8 feet so crews can collect it safely. Pile brush on the terrace, or the grass at the edge of the street. Stack brush with the cut ends facing the same direction. Keep brush at least 5 feet away from trees, cars, utility poles, mailboxes, fire hydrants, and other obstructions. Do not put brush in the street or on the sidewalk. Do not mix brush and yard waste together. Brush mixed with weeds, grass clippings, and other yard waste will not be picked up. Yard waste collection is a separate service with a different schedule. Do not put brush in bags, boxes, or other containers. What do I do with brush after the Streets Division ends curbside collection for 2026 in my neighborhood? Take brush you create to a Streets Division drop-off sites. All three city drop-off sites are open year-round and they accept brush. Make sure you know the hours, locations, and site restrictions before loading your vehicle. Drop-off site information is available on our website. Why does brush collection end so early? It takes multiple weeks for every neighborhood in Madison to have their final turn for brush pickup. By the time every neighborhood receives their last turn, it will be the start of the fall leaf and yard waste season. Crews collecting brush today are the same people that will be collecting leaves & yard waste when that service begins. Brush pickup service needs to end so the people are available to collect leaves and yard waste. Will the Streets Division do more brush pickup after leaf collection is done? We cannot make any promises of extra collections. Once your final set out date has passed for your neighborhood, do not set out brush for pickup again until the next scheduled set out dates in 2027. Brush pickup will return in the spring of 2027. The set out dates will be published to the brush website sometime in February or March 2027. You can take brush to a drop-off site. Sign up for brush schedule email alerts. If we get an opportunity to do an extra collection round later this year, we will send out a notification to that email group.









Why can't the Streets Division promise an extra collection?


We need to finish the leaf and yard waste pickup before we can consider any extra brush pickup work. Fall leaf and yard waste pickup starts in October. The last scheduled fall leaf and yard waste set-out date isn't until the week after Thanksgiving. This means fall leaf pickup doesn't end up until early December. Typically, at the end of leaf and yard waste season, there are many calls for additional leaf and yard waste pickup at the conclusion of that collection season, too. The same people who collect your leaves & yard waste (and brush) are also the same people who drive the snowplows. We need the weather to cooperate deep into December to give us an opportunity to perform extra pickup rounds of leaves & yard waste and possibly brush. As of the publication of this release in August, we just don't know what the weather will be like in mid-to-late December to make any promises now about extra brush collection.




All Madison residents have at least one remaining set-out date for brush collection in 2026. Once your final collection opportunity for the year passes, scheduled brush pickup for your neighborhood will be over until the start of the brush pickup season in 2027. City of Madison residents can also take brush to a drop-off site. How do you get brush picked up? When you should set out sticks, branches, and tree limbs for pickup depends on where you live. Get the date when you should set out from the brush collection website. Enter your address into the form, and you will see the date you need. Put your tree limbs and other brush out for pickup according to the rules on the set out date shown. Pickup occurs during the work week that follows the set out date. Brush Collection Rules Think of brush as branches and sticks. It's the woody material you cut from trees, shrubs, and bushes. We take your brush and make wood mulch out of it. Brush must measure between 18 inches and 8 feet so crews can collect it safely. Pile brush on the terrace, or the grass at the edge of the street. Stack brush with the cut ends facing the same direction. Keep brush at least 5 feet away from trees, cars, utility poles, mailboxes, fire hydrants, and other obstructions. Do not put brush in the street or on the sidewalk. Do not mix brush and yard waste together. Brush mixed with weeds, grass clippings, and other yard waste will not be picked up. Yard waste collection is a separate service with a different schedule. Do not put brush in bags, boxes, or other containers. What do I do with brush after the Streets Division ends curbside collection for 2026 in my neighborhood? Take brush you create to a Streets Division drop-off sites. All three city drop-off sites are open year-round and they accept brush. Make sure you know the hours, locations, and site restrictions before loading your vehicle. Drop-off site information is available on our website. Why does brush collection end so early? It takes multiple weeks for every neighborhood in Madison to have their final turn for brush pickup. By the time every neighborhood receives their last turn, it will be the start of the fall leaf and yard waste season. Crews collecting brush today are the same people that will be collecting leaves & yard waste when that service begins. Brush pickup service needs to end so the people are available to collect leaves and yard waste. Will the Streets Division do more brush pickup after leaf collection is done? We cannot make any promises of extra collections. Once your final set out date has passed for your neighborhood, do not set out brush for pickup again until the next scheduled set out dates in 2027. Brush pickup will return in the spring of 2027. The set out dates will be published to the brush website sometime in February or March 2027. You can take brush to a drop-off site. Sign up for brush schedule email alerts. If we get an opportunity to do an extra collection round later this year, we will send out a notification to that email group.








Additional Information For more information about brush collection, visit the brush collection website.

All Madison residents have at least one remaining set-out date for brush collection in 2026.Once your final collection opportunity for the year passes, scheduled brush pickup for your neighborhood will be over until the start of the brush pickup season in 2027. City of Madison residents can also tak...

08/12/2026

2026 Fall Leaf & Yard Waste Schedule Now Available; Collection Begins in October - The set out dates for the fall 2026 leaf and yard waste schedule are now available on the Streets Division website. Each neighborhood has three assigned dates to set out leaves and yard waste. The exact dates when you should set out your leaves will depend on where you live. Collection of leaves and yard waste should occur during the work week following the set-out date provided. Leaves and yard waste are banned from Wisconsin landfills. Do not put leaves and yard waste in the trash cart. Do not put them in the recycling cart. Leaves and yard waste have been banned from all Wisconsin landfills since 1993. Your options for yard waste disposal: Use the curbside collection provided by the Streets Division, Use the drop-off sites, Compost the yard waste yourself and other self-management options on your property (like mulching leaves into your lawn), or Utilize a private lawn care service. How do I know when to put out my yard waste for City of Madison collection? Go our yard waste website. Enter your address into the form. You will see the next available set out date for yard waste collection. Every neighborhood has three scheduled set-out date opportunities for the fall. What will yard waste crews collect? Yard waste crews collect leaves, weeds, pumpkins, and other plant debris you have raked or pulled from your lawn or garden. Yard waste is not the same as brush. Brush is defined as sticks, branches, and tree limbs. (Learn more about brush collection on the brush website.) Stacks of brush mixed together with piles of yard waste will not be picked up. How should I put out my yard waste for collection? Place the leaves and yard waste at the street edge or on the terrace on the date shown for your home. Do not place yard waste into the street. Placing leaves into the street is an ordinance violation. Keep the material at least five feet from obstructions. Street signs, fire hydrants, utility poles, mailboxes, trees, stumps, and parked cars get in the way of crews. Bagging your leaves and yard waste? Use compostable paper leaf and lawn bags. Keep your bags open so crews can see what is inside. Other bags are acceptable if they are kept open, too. Crews may need to rip or slice open plastic bags to empty them. Crews will leave the split bags behind at the curb. How does the City of Madison collect leaves and yard waste? During the height of leaf collection, every available operator and vehicle we can spare is assigned to that task - so over 90 people are assigned to collecting leaves as quickly as we can. The crews work in the teams to push or pull material from the right of way space next to the road, and then gather it forward into a collection truck. Later, a street sweeper comes through to sweep up and leaf litter remaining in the road. The leaves are then delivered to a local composter for processing. You can watch a short video that shows the leaf collection process as well. Can I take yard waste to a drop-off site? Yes. Drop-off sites are for City of Madison, Wisconsin residents or taxpayers. Check the drop-off site website for locations, restrictions, and hours before loading your vehicle. What are my options besides curbside pickup or the drop-off sites? You can compost your yard waste to help your lawns and gardens grow next year. Free guides on how to compost are available at City of Madison libraries and additional composting resources can be found on the Streets Division's website. You can also mulch your leaves in place with your lawnmower. It's an easy way to help manage your leaves, help the lakes, and improve your lawns. Will there be more than three pickup chances? We don't know if the December weather will let us do an extra pickup round at this time. If the weather lets us, and conditions require an extra pickup round, we will announce it before we start. We strongly encourage you to sign up for email updates on our website to stay updated for any changes to our operations. The reason why we can't promise more than three collections takes a little bit of explanation. There are some neighborhoods whose third scheduled pickup is set to occur the week after Thanksgiving. In order to be fair, all neighborhoods need to have their turn for the three scheduled pickups before an extra collection round can be performed. This means an extra pickup round would not happen until sometime in December at the earliest. For you to get more than three pickups, we need the weather to cooperate through the first couple weeks of December so we have an opportunity. Because if it starts snowing, our crews are needed for snowplowing work instead; the same people that pickup leaves are the same people driving the plow trucks. Additional Information More information about yard waste collection can be found on the Streets Division's website.

The set out dates for the fall 2026 leaf and yard waste schedule are now available on the Streets Division website.Each neighborhood has three assigned dates to set out leaves and yard waste.The exact dates when you should set out your leaves will depend on where you live. Collection of leaves and y...

08/10/2026

This Friday (8/14/26) is the first-ever Mooveapalooza at the Alliant Energy Center. It's a donation and mattress recycling event.

Bring clothes, furniture, books, home decor, and other gently used items out to donate so these items don't get sent out to pasture.

And you can also bring your mattresses & box springs to be recycled for a $20 per item fee.

08/10/2026

Mooveapalooza: A Donation & Mattress Recycling Event is This Friday (8/14/26) at the Alliant Energy Center - The first-ever Mooveapalooza will be this Friday, August 14, 2026, from 8:00am to 2:00pm at the Alliant Energy Center. At this event, you will be able to donate items for free to St. Vincent de Paul and Habitat for Humanity. And, you will be able to recycle your mattress and/or box spring when you bring to this site for a per-item fee with 7 Rivers Recycling from LaCrosse, WI. Who can attend Mooveapalooza? Mooveapalooza is for everyone, especially the folks shuffling apartments during the annual downtown moving days. Just bring your items to donate, or your mattress/or box spring to recycle. What can you donate? St. Vincent de Paul will be accepting clothes, books, and other smaller household items. Check their website to learn all the items they can accept. Habitat for Humanity will be accepting furniture, tools, and other larger home décor items. Check their website for a full list of the items they can accept. Remember to bag or box your small items before you donate them. And please clean your items before you donate them. Mattress & Box Spring Recycling at Mooveapalooza This is special. Mattresses and box springs collected by the City of Madison from the curb or at the drop-off sites are buried in the Dane County landfill. To have your mattress and box spring recycled at Mooveapalooza, you need to deliver it to this event. 7 Rivers Recycling from LaCrosse, Wisconsin charges $20 fee per item. Additional rules and information about mattress recycling at this event can be found on the Mooveapalooza website. Additional Information More information about Mooveapalooza, such as seeing a map on how to enter the event, can be found on the website. Information about the downtown moving days operations performed by the Streets Division can be found on the Moving Days website. If are not in the downtown moving days area, but are still moving out or making more trash (and recycling) than the carts can hold, check out our household cleanup webpage that explains your options. And if you cannot make it to Mooveapalooza, and you are interested in donating your usable items, the Streets Division has a website where we list many potential resources for you.

The first-ever Mooveapalooza will be this Friday, August 14, 2026, from 8:00am to 2:00pm at the Alliant Energy Center.At this event, you will be able to donate items for free to St. Vincent de Paul and Habitat for Humanity.And, you will be able to recycle your mattress and/or box spring when you bri...

07/31/2026

August Moving Days: How to Set Out Appliances, Furniture, & Bags That Won't Fit in the Cart - The student move out collections run from August 3, 2026, until August 21, 2026, within the downtown student move out area. For the collection process in the in the move out area to be fast and safe for everyone, follow these guidelines for large items and bags of extra material that can't fit into the carts. Rules for Setting Out Furniture, Appliances, and Other Large Items If your situation requires it, make sure you have a large item work order and the item is out on the date you picked Keep items 5 feet away from fire hydrants, utility poles, street signs and other obstructions. Do not place items under low-hanging wires and low tree limbs, or other overhead obstructions Keep your large item piles tidy. For example, if you have taken apart a desk, stack the pieces neatly. Keep metal items and appliances separate from wood items and furniture. This helps us collect the metals and appliances for recycling. Extra Bags of Trash & Recyclables Outside the Cart Use bags for small things that can't fit in the carts. No loose heaps of trash, clothes, recyclables or other scattered debris on the ground. Overflow recyclables must be in clear bags so crews can see what is inside of them, and stack the extra bags of recyclables near recycling carts. Follow the recycling rules for what belongs in the recycling cart (and bags). And follow the guidelines for extra cardboard that can't fit into the recycling cart. Do not stuff small boxes into one large cardboard box. Do not pile bagged trash or bagged recyclables on top of large items or appliances.Don't live in the moving days area, but still have extra bags of trash & recycling? We have a household cleanup webpage that explains just what you should do. Make Collections Faster and Safer for Everyone When you set the items out within these guidelines, you create a safe environment for our staff. And you help everyone in the student moving area by allowing us an opportunity to work quickly. Some items are collected by a truck-mounted crane. This is why you should never place items under low-hanging wires and branches. You help keep our operators safe, and you help save us time so we do not have to drag items away from overhead obstructions before we can safely use the crane. We also use two-person crews to lift things from the curb by hand. And this is why you should keep your large item piles tidy and organized. The less time our crews have to spend gathering scattered items, the faster we can work. Use the Drop-off Sites All Madison residents can bring large items to Streets Division drop-off sites. Excess trash and recycling can also be taken to the drop-off site, along with many other items. Be sure you know the hours, locations, and restrictions of the sites before loading your vehicle. Check the Streets Division's drop-off site page for more information. Additional Information If there are questions, all residents are encouraged to contact the Streets Division. Additional information can also be found on the Streets Division's Moving Days website, the Streets Division's electronics recycling website, and the Recyclopedia.

The student move out collections run from August 3, 2026, until August 21, 2026, within the downtown student move out area. For the collection process in the in the move out area to be fast and safe for everyone, follow these guidelines for large items and bags of extra material that can't fit into....

07/30/2026

August Moving Days: Free Electronics & Battery Recycling - If you are a City of Madison resident, your personal electronics and batteries are accepted for free at the Streets Division drop-off sites. Free electronics and battery recycling is not just for the August moving days. This is true all year-round. Free electronics recycling includes televisions, printers, computers, modems, phones, cords, blu-ray players, cameras, and all other electronic devices. Never place your electronics in the recycling or trash carts. Do not put them on the terrace for pickup. If the drop-off site hours are not convenient with your work or school schedule, or if you are ineligible to use the drop-off sites, then take your electronics to a reputable private electronics recycler in the area. Recycle Electronics and Batteries at the Drop-off Site for Free Televisions, computers, printers, cell phones, modems, routers, and many other common electronics are banned from landfills in Wisconsin. Do not place these items into the trash or recycling carts. Putting electronics in collection carts can lead to fires. Do not set them out on the terrace for curbside pickup. Placing electronics on the curb for pickup is against City of Madison ordinance. If you do this, it can lead to fines or a special assessment. These items are accepted at the drop-off sites for recycling for free from City of Madison residents. Household batteries are also accepted for free at the drop-off sites. Batteries can also be a fire hazard when disposed of incorrectly. Visit the Streets Division's battery recycling website to learn how to identify what kind of batteries you have and the right way to package them before bringing them to a recycler. Recycling Electronics is More than Computers and Cell Phones Many other electronic items like Christmas tree lights, charging cables, box fans, vacuums, kitchen appliances, hair dryers, and so on can be recycled at the drop-off sites. For details about the City's electronics recycling, go to our e-cycling website. Drop-off Sites Information Residents can bring one load of items accepted at the drop-off site per day. The single load cannot be larger than what would fit into a standard pick-up truck bed or small single-axle trailer. Loads larger than those guidelines will be denied access. Drop-off sites are for City of Madison residents and taxpayers only. Contractors may not use these facilities. You must provide proof you are a City of Madison resident to use the sites. Many individuals show their driver's license, but other official documents like utility bills or rental agreements also work. Check the drop-off site website to be sure you know the location of the sites and their hours before loading your vehicle. Businesses Cannot Use the Streets Division Drop-off Sites for Electronics Recycling Since the City of Madison is part of the Wisconsin DNR e-Cycle program, businesses cannot use City services for electronics recycling. Businesses should use the Wisconsin DNR website to find an alternative reputable electronics recycler for the e-waste they generate. Additional Information If you have questions about recycling your electronics, please contact the Streets Division. Additional information can also be found on the Streets Division's Moving Days website, and the Streets Division's electronics recycling page.

If you are a City of Madison resident, your personal electronics and batteries are accepted for free at the Streets Division drop-off sites. Free electronics and battery recycling is not just for the August moving days. This is true all year-round.Free electronics recycling includes televisions, pri...