Common Council

Brush clean-up from wind storm

The Streets Division is performing brush collection in response to the wind storm that hit Madison on of the evening of December 15, 2021.

You may place woody material that meets the brush collection specifications on the terrace for collection. If you need curbside brush collection, set the brush out for pickup as collection is already underway. Crews collecting brush from the storm will not be collecting yard waste.

Crews will be working during normal daytime operations, and crews will also be working during the overnight hours to collect brush.

Responding to snowstorms remains the highest priority. If a winter snowstorm arrives, crews will stop brush clean up and instead provide snow-related duties. While every effort will be made to collect as much storm-related brush as possible, there is a chance that a winter storm will arrive before brush clean-up is complete, and the brush unable to be collected by crews could become frozen to the terrace under snow until the spring thaw.

Overnight Crews Will be Collecting Brush

On top of the normal daytime operations, the Streets Division will have crews working during the overnight hours collecting brush.

The overnight crews will not be operating wood chippers to minimize noise. Instead, the brush will be placed into a rear-loading trucks that will be later chipped into mulch. However, this work may still generate noise that some may find disruptive.

Residents should also be alert for collection vehicles when traveling through neighborhoods at night.

Brush Guidelines

Brush collected by the Streets Division must be between 18 inches and 8 feet long, and no thicker than 8 inches in diameter.

Brush should be piled with the cut ends facing in the same direction.

Please keep brush at least four feet away from obstructions that includes, but not limited to, street signs, fire hydrants, terrace trees, and mailboxes. Brush blocked by obstructions will not be picked up.
Brush collection crews will not be collecting yard waste. Yard waste includes leaves, weeds, and small thin twigs.

Drop-off Sites Available

The Streets Division drop-off sites are also available to accept brush from City of Madison residents.

The drop-off sites are open at 1501 W. Badger Rd and 4602 Sycamore Ave. The sites are open 7:30am to 2:30pm on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday.

Brush loads are restricted to one trip a day, and the loads must not be larger than what would fit into a standard pickup truck bed, or 5' x 8' trailer.

Brush piles larger than what can be accepted at the drop-off sites can be taken to the brush processing center at 121 E. Olin Ave. accepted at the processing center can be chipped for a per-ton fee. Additional information about the brush processing center can be found on the Streets Division's website.

Additional Information

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