Middleton, WI Trash & Recycling: Yard Waste Collection (2026)
Key Facts
- Homeowner rule
- Stack brush, butt ends toward street
- Governing section
- § 6.04(4)(b)6
- Contractor ban
- No landscaper/tree-service brush at curb, § 6.04(7)(l)
- Brush defined
- Trimmings up to 6 inches diameter
- Also banned
- Stumps, logs, tree roots, § 6.04(7)(k)
- Penalty
- $25-$500 forfeiture per offense
Summary
Homeowners bundling their own brush for city pickup must stack it separately with the cut ends facing the street, but Middleton bars landscapers and tree services from leaving job-site brush or yard waste at the curb at all. Municipal Code § 6.04 defines brush and sets both rules together.
"Brush" means tree and shrub trimmings not exceeding six (6) inches in diameter. ... 6.Stack all brush separate from other material placed curbside for collection. Butt ends of brush shall be pointed toward the street or in the direction of vehicular travel. ... No person shall: ... (l)Place or permit to be placed any brush or other yard waste generated by professional landscapers, tree-trimmers or similar businesses at the curbside for collection.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Municipal Code: Supplement 3 Update 1).
Full Breakdown
04(2) defines 'Brush' as tree and shrub trimmings not exceeding six inches in diameter, and separately defines 'Non-Woody Vegetation' as herbaceous annuals, biennials and perennials, excluding shrubs, vines, trees and brush. 04(4)(b)6 requires that all brush be stacked separate from other curbside material, with the butt ends pointed toward the street or in the direction the collection vehicle travels, so crews can grab and load it efficiently. 04(7)(l) draws a hard line for anyone else, prohibiting any person from placing or permitting to be placed brush or other yard waste generated by professional landscapers, tree-trimmers or similar businesses at the curbside for collection.
That means a lawn or tree service working in Middleton must haul away its own debris rather than leaving it for the city cart route. 04(7)(k), so oversized woody debris of any origin needs private disposal. Both the homeowner stacking rule and the contractor ban sit within the mandatory-recycling chapter the Common Council last amended by Ordinance No. O1666 on November 18, 2025.
Violations & Fines
A landscaper, tree-trimmer or similar business that leaves job-generated brush or yard waste at a Middleton curb violates § 6.04(7)(l), and any resident who fails to stack brush separately with butt ends toward the street under § 6.04(4)(b)6 is likewise out of compliance. Both violations fall under § 6.04(9)(a)'s forfeiture of $25 to $500 per offense, with each day of a continuing violation counted separately.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I put my own yard trimmings out for city pickup?
Can my landscaper leave the brush from trimming my trees at the curb?
What counts as brush under Middleton's waste code?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Middleton
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Yard Waste Collection in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Dane County handle yard waste collection.