Fitchburg, WI Trash & Recycling: Pickup Rules & Schedules (2026)

City Code § 41-22 sets the placement rule that drives every pickup in Fitchburg: containers of refuse and recyclables from residential premises go at the curbline adjacent to the designated street, while commercial, industrial, school or church premises must place containers to the rear of the premises in a suitable enclosure, unless the director of public works directs or authorizes a different arrangement to facilitate collection from a particular property. Section 41-23 then fixes what can go in those containers: refuse and recyclables must be placed in approved city refuse or recycling carts or watertight bags, and no container or bag may exceed 32 gallons in capacity or 50 pounds in net weight, except containers supplied by the hauler.

Section 41-25 backstops the placement rule by banning anyone from setting refuse or recyclables on any street, alley, sidewalk, or public or private property except in the required containers at the proper time, and bars putting materials out at a curbline or alley next to a property the person does not own or occupy without permission. Section 41-27 lists items the city will not pick up at the curb at all, including stone, concrete, rubber, earth, sod, lead-acid batteries, waste tires, tree trunks or stumps, construction debris, carcasses, hazardous or toxic wastes, chemicals, paint, flammable liquids, and explosives, so those must go elsewhere under the article's separate management rules.