August Moving Days: Your Time Starts Now

The annual August Moving Days for downtown Madison will soon get underway. Thousands of Madisonians will be changing homes within the moving days area during the first few weeks of August.  And if you are moving, you have many tasks ahead.

The Streets Division will be providing more information in the coming days about what our operations will be in response to the annual move out, and what residents should do to follow the rules.

Make a Plan & Start Today

If you are one of the many, many Madisonians that are part of the annual August moving days, don’t wait until the last minute to pack up your things.

Identify what you need for your new place, and items you no longer need.

This is an easy first step. It will help you later when it is time to start packing up the essential items for the big move.

This way you won’t leave behind anything important, or and you won’t need to scramble and stuff things into bins as time runs out.

Donate Usable Items You Do Not Need

From the items you no longer need, donate usable items to one of the many Madison-area thrift stores.

The Streets Division Reuse website lists some of the many local donation or resale opportunities available.

Some thrift store locations will come to your home to pick up what you have.  You just need to contact them to arrange it.

By donating or reselling your usable items, you guarantee your items will be used again by people who need or want them.  And you will not make unnecessary waste to fill our community’s landfill.

Items That Cannot be Donated

Use your upcoming scheduled collections and the drop-off sites to begin disposing of what cannot be used again.

Remember to follow the rules regarding large item collection and the work order system. 

Why does the “August Moving Days” matter?

On August 15 each year, most leases in the student moving area in downtown Madison end.

This means thousands of student-residents living in housing near the University of Wisconsin campus are all moving from their homes at the same time.

And every year, the move out produces around one million pounds of trash each year.

Streets Division crews work hard to collect all of this move out debris pushed to the curb, and the crews pick up a lot of it by hand.

This is a big annual undertaking.

With everyone’s help involved in the move, the process can be fast and safe for everyone when collection rules are followed.

Additional Information

More information about the Streets Division operations during the annual August move out can be found on the Moving Days webpage.