Green Bay, WI Trash & Recycling: Yard Waste Collection (2026)

Green Bay's Municipal Code defines yard waste in § 32-1 as leaves, grass clippings, garden debris, and brush, and lists it under recyclable waste, one of the categories of solid waste. Section 32-2(g)(2) forbids mixing yard waste with other waste, and § 32-2(g)(2)e sets the brush standard: three-foot to eight-foot lengths, at least one-half inch in diameter, and no brush from vacant property, new building construction, or any contracted job. The code does not publish the leaf calendar. Sections 32-2(a), 32-2(g) and 32-5 hand collection rules and schedules to the Director of Public Works, so the dates below come from the DPW program page and its September 21, 2026 news release.

Fall loose leaf and yard waste collection begins Monday, October 19, 2026. The deadline to put material to the curb is Sunday, November 15, 2026, and the release says yard waste placed to the curb after November 15th will not be collected by the city. The city collects yard waste curbside 2 times per year, once in spring and once in fall, and all collection is weather dependent. Crews follow the sanitation zones, with Monday trash routes as Zone 1 through Friday as Zone 5, and try to work a few days ahead of the trash trucks. The route status map is updated nightly and is not a guaranteed time of collection. The spring notice still posted about Tuesday routes is about spring collection, not fall.

Set leaves out loose on the grass terrace at the curb, with leaves and grass in one pile and brush and branches in a separate pile. Do not pile next to trees, poles, mailboxes, or other obstructions.

The street is off limits. The city says placing yard waste in the road is prohibited by City ordinance and ties the rule to its storm sewer permit from the Wisconsin DNR. Since 2020 DPW mailed educational notices; it now invoices residents for yard waste placed in the street, and terrace placement draws no invoice. The news release names no section. The code text on point is § 32-4(d), which bars leaving solid waste on any street, and § 32-40, which bars sweeping litter into a gutter or street; § 32-37 lists leaves and yard clippings as rubbish. Burning is no substitute: § 32-4(c) bans burning solid waste outdoors, and § 18-66 prohibits burning leaves, yard waste, or brush in recreational fires.