De Pere, WI Trash & Recycling: Yard Waste Collection (2026)

Section 82-5(a) leaves the collection schedule for brush, refuse and yard waste to the board of public works, but subsection (b) fixes exactly how each must be set out. Brush must be placed in stacks aligned parallel to the curb, kept clear of the street, gutters and sidewalk; where there is no sidewalk, brush goes within four feet of the curb line, still stacked parallel and clear of the gutters. Refuse, meaning bulky items too large for a polycart such as furniture, appliances or mattresses, must be placed curbside for the easiest possible loading and must be free of jagged or sharp edges, protruding nails, protruding screws or any other hazardous condition. Yard waste, meaning leaves, grass clippings and other vegetation capable of natural decomposition (but not brush, and not yard waste generated by a paid service contractor), must be piled neatly within six feet of the curb line without blocking the flow of water through the gutters or obstructing the sidewalk or street.

Subsection (c) lets the city set up refuse or rubbish drop-off sites as the board of public works sees fit, limited to city residents, closed to rubbish from commercial operations, and available only for dropping off material, not removing anything already deposited there. Section 82-11 separately regulates a compost site: no bags or reusable containers may be left there, haulers must cover loads in transit to stop scattering, hours are published by the department of public works, and yard waste from commercial operations is barred outright.

Section 82-10(b) applies chapter 82's standard municipal-citation enforcement to yard waste and brush violations, with the forfeiture set by common council resolution and each 24-hour period of noncompliance a separate offense.