Common Council

Fall Yard Waste Schedule Now Available

The Streets Division has published the set-out schedule for the fall leaf and yard waste collection.

To get the set-out dates for your home, go to www.cityofmadison.com/yardwaste. Enter the address your address into the form to see the dates when you should set out yard waste for collection.

All residents will receive three collection opportunities this fall.

In order to have your leaves and yard waste collected, you must set out for pickup your yard waste on a set-out date listed for your home.

What is yard waste?

Yard waste is the leaves, weeds, garden debris, grass clippings, and other similar material you have raked or pulled from your lawn or garden.

Where should yard waste be set out for collection?

Yard waste should be placed along the edge of the road on the set-out date for your home. Use the grassy terrace between the sidewalk and the curb, or otherwise along the edge.

Never place yard waste into the street gutter directly.

When rainwater passes through yard waste in the road it creates a nutrient-rich runoff that enters the storm drains. All the storm drains in the city eventually lead out to our lakes, streams, and other waterways. The extra nutrients in the runoff lead to algae bloom, weed growth, and murky waters.

Additional information about stormwater and ways you can help our local waterways can be found at http://www.ripple-effects.com .

How should I pile the yard waste for crews to pick it up?

Residents have three choices to set their yard waste out for pickup.

• Bag it.

Bagging helps keep leaves and yard waste set out for collection from blowing into the street. Use compostable paper lawn bags that are available at local hardware stores and other retailers. If you choose to bag your leaves, this is the preferred method as it is faster for crews to collect since they can take the entire bag.

You can use plastic bags, but this slows down collection. Crews need to empty the bags out and then leave the plastic behind as they do not have room in the trucks for empty bags.

Plastic bags advertised as compostable will be treated just like regular plastic bags by collection crews. If you would like to use a compostable bag, please choose paper.

• Cover it.

You can pile the yard waste loose at the curb for collection, and cover it with a tarp to prevent the yard waste from blowing into the roadway. Crews will leave the tarp behind at the road edge after collection.

• Pile it.

Yard waste piles can also be set out loose as well and crews will collect it. Piles should be on the road edge or on the terrace. Remember to keep the pile out of the street gutter directly.

Drop-off Sites

The Streets Division drop-off sites will also accept yard waste material.

To learn the hours and restrictions of the drop-off sites, please visit www.cityofmadison.com/DropOffSites.

Additional Information

More information about the yard waste collection process, including why the set-out dates are all Sundays (and why your yard waste will not be picked up on the Sunday you set it out) can be found at www.cityofmadison.com/yardwaste.

More information about Streets Division services can be found at www.cityofmadison.com/streets.

Contacts

• Bryan Johnson, 608-267-2626, streets@cityofmadison.com

• Streets Division - West Office, 608-266-4681

• Streets Division - East Office, 608-246-4532