Leaf & Yard Waste Collection – Collection & Recycling – Streets & Recycling – City of Madison, Wisconsin

How to Prepare Yard Waste for Pickup

Yard Waste Placement

• Pile your leaves & yard waste at the street edge or terrace.
• Do not put leaves in the street.
  • This is an ordinance violation (MGO 10.17) and it harms our lakes.
  • Remember to protect our lakes!
• Keep piles four feet from obstructions.
• Separate yard waste & leaves from brush.

Covering & Bagging Leaves

This will help keep leaves from blowing into the street. However, this is not required.

Compostable Paper Leaf Bags (Preferred): Please leave bags open at the top so we can see what is inside.

Plastic Bags: Please leave bags open at the top. Bags will be slit open and either left on the terrace or put in refuse cart.

Tarp or Plastic Sheet Cover: You may also cover your leaf piles with a tarp or other plastic sheeting to prevent them from blowing away.

Frequently Asked Questions:

Why are all of the scheduled set-out dates Sundays?

Crews will be circling through the neighborhoods during the work week following the Sunday listed.

You must get your leaves out by or on the date listed because crews start working on collecting leaves early on the Monday following the scheduled set-out date. If you wait until later in the week, you are likely to miss your collection chance. Crews will not return for piles set out late.

Will my leaves actually get picked up on the Sundays listed for my address?

The Sundays listed are the dates when you should set them out so crews can pick them up during the work week.

If you wait to set out your yard waste later in the week, it is very likely you will miss your pickup opportunity for this round.

I set my leaves out on the Sunday it said on the schedule. Today is Tuesday and my leaves haven’t been picked up. Have I been missed?

Your neighborhood is not the only one to have that assigned Sunday to set out leaves. Crews were likely working in one of the other areas and have yet to get to your home. If you set out leaves on the Sunday listed as the set-out date, the next step is just wait for pickup.

It takes time for crews to circle through all of the neighborhoods that share the assigned set-out date. The leaves should be picked up sometime during the normal work week.

Yard Waste vs. Brush

Please separate yard waste & leaves from brush. We will not collect mixed piles.

What is Yard Waste?

Yard waste is the plant debris you rake or pull from your lawns or gardens.  It can include:

• Leaves, weeds, grass clippings garden trimmings, and other similar plant debris.
• Twigs less than 18″ long.
• Pumpkins, crab apples, corn stalks, pine cones, etc.

What is Brush?

Brush is a separate collection.

Brush is woody material you have cut from a tree, shrub or bush. 

For more information about brush pickup, go to the brush collection page.

Other Yard Waste Rules & Information

Drop-Off Sites

You can also bring yard waste to a drop-off site.