Madison's Streets Division provides free weekly trash and biweekly recycling pickup (MGO Β§10.18). Carts must be placed curbside by 7 AM on collection day and retrieved within 24 hours. Between pickups, carts must be stored out of public view. Fitchburg, Middleton, and Sun Prairie contract with private haulers under similar screening rules.
Madison General Ordinance Β§10.18 governs residential solid waste collection, operated by the Streets Division with city-provided 95-gallon carts. Carts must be placed at the curb with handles facing the house and lids closed by 7:00 AM on the scheduled day, no more than 24 hours before collection, and retrieved within 24 hours after collection. Between pickups, carts must be stored in the side or rear yard, in a garage, or screened from public street view (MGO Β§10.18(5)). Overfilled carts with lids not closing are refused and tagged. Fitchburg, Middleton, Verona, Sun Prairie, and Stoughton use contracted private haulers (Pellitteri, Waste Management, GFL) with similar placement and screening rules in their local codes. Multi-family properties over 8 units must use commercial dumpsters screened per MGO Β§28.142 with opaque fencing. Dane County Code Β§47 regulates solid waste in unincorporated areas and prohibits accumulation creating nuisance conditions. Wisconsin Stat. Β§287.07 bans yard waste, electronics, tires, appliances with refrigerants, and rechargeable batteries from landfills; Dane County Landfill (Rodefeld) enforces these bans. Madison separates yard waste (curbside seasonal), leaf collection (fall), and large-item pickup (on-call, fee).
Madison MGO Β§10.18 violation: warning then forfeiture $50 to $250 per occurrence. Overfilled/contaminated carts: refused service and possible surcharge ($25 to $75). Dane County Β§47 nuisance accumulation: citation $187 with continuing-violation daily fines. Illegal dumping Wis. Stat. Β§287.81: forfeiture up to $2,000.
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See how Dane County's trash bin storage rules stack up against other locations.
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