Milton, WI Trash & Recycling: Yard Waste Collection (2026)
Key Facts
- Brush diameter limit
- 8 inches max (§26-81)
- Pile height limit
- 3 feet max (§26-81)
- Crew time limit
- 30 min/parcel/cycle (§26-81)
- Mandatory separation
- yard waste & brush (§62-11(4))
- Compost definition
- grass, leaves, trimmings under 6 in. (§62-5)
Summary
Milton runs a scheduled brush collection program under § 26-81: branches must be under eight inches in diameter, stacked at the curb pointing with traffic flow in piles no taller than three feet, and crews spend only 30 minutes per parcel per cycle. Chapter 62 separately makes yard waste a mandatory recyclable, kept out of regular trash.
The city offers brush collection for private property owners at a schedule determined by the director. Brush collection is not intended to be used for brush resulting from work performed by private tree removal contractors or resulting from ordinance violations. Brush shall not exceed eight inches in diameter, be stacked in the street right of way pointing the direction of traffic flow in piles no greater than three feet in height. ... Compost: ... Compost items shall include garden waste, grass clippings, leaves, tree trimmings less than six inches in length and ½-inch diameter and other yard waste.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 21 Update 2).
Full Breakdown
Section 26-81 offers brush collection to private property owners at a schedule determined by the director, but the service isn't unlimited: brush shall not exceed eight inches in diameter, must be stacked in the street right of way pointing the direction of traffic flow in piles no greater than three feet in height, and can't block the street or a sidewalk. Collection excludes brush generated by a private tree-removal contractor's work or by correcting an ordinance violation, and crews are limited to 30 minutes of labor per parcel per cycle; anything left after that gets billed at the city's hourly labor-and-equipment rate if the owner wants it picked up.
Christmas trees get their own January pickup, stripped of stands, lights, ornaments, and tinsel. Chapter 62, the Solid Waste Collection and Recycling Ordinance, backstops this at the definitional level: § 62-5 defines Compost to include garden waste, grass clippings, leaves, tree trimmings less than six inches in length and half an inch in diameter, and other yard waste, and § 62-11(4) lists Yard waste and brush among the materials residents must separate from regular trash, noting that burning brush is allowed only under the restrictions in § 50-33. Trees the city has already declared a nuisance and ordered removed under § 26-80 are excluded from the free brush program entirely.
Violations & Fines
Brush that exceeds the eight-inch diameter or three-foot pile height, or that isn't stacked pointing with traffic flow, simply won't be collected under § 26-81, and material dumped in the street or blocking a sidewalk is a violation subject to the Chapter 26 forfeiture at § 26-82 under the § 1-14 general penalty schedule. Failing to separate yard waste as required under § 62-11 can result in denial of collection under § 62-6(b), with further enforcement available under Chapter 62's penalty provisions.
Frequently Asked Questions
How big can brush be for Milton's curbside collection?
Will the city collect brush from a tree service I hired?
Do I have to separate yard waste from my regular trash?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Milton
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Yard Waste Collection in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Rock County handle yard waste collection.