Fall Leaves and Yard Waste Collection Begins Next Week

When curbside collection begins, crews will pick up leaves, weeds, pumpkins, and other plant debris you have raked or pulled from your lawn or garden.

Yard waste is not the same as brush.

Piles of brush and yard waste mixed together will not be picked up by the yard waste collection crews.

We do not know right now if we will be able to provide more collections than what is shown on the yard waste collection website.

When possible, we provide an extra “last chance” leaf collection after the guaranteed rounds are completed.  This has been normal practice for the past few years.

If the weather allows for it and if the collection season requires it, a “last chance” pickup could occur in mid-December once the guaranteed rounds are completed.

If a “last chance” pickup is provided, we will announce it in a news release before it begins.   

To be clear, as of right now in early October 2024, we cannot guarantee you more than the three leaf collection opportunities published on the yardwaste website.

We don’t know if the weather in two months from now will allow for an extra leaf pickup, and we can't say for certain if an extra collection will be necessary at this time either. 

Not everyone in Madison has the same set out dates.  Different neighborhoods share different set out dates.

Scheduling decisions are based on what we know of past years' volume of leaves, and how to best distribute our staff to get leaves picked up as efficiently as we can before winter hits.

Each year, the three guaranteed collections take us until early December to complete. 

Unfortunately, every year some folks have their final pickup a little earlier than they would like.  We understand that.  And if the trees are stubborn with their leaves, it makes it that much harder.

We are racing against winter every fall season.  The people who collect your leaves are the same people who drive the snowplows.  We really need to have the guaranteed leaf pickups done before the threat of snowstorms start.

We do not want to put you in a position where you are relying on a mid-December leaf collection only to have a snowstorm arrive and make it where we can’t pick up your leaves. 

But if the weather lets us do more pickups, and more pickups are necessary, we will announce a “last chance” pickup as we have done in previous years. 

The date shown on the website is the day when you should set out yard waste for pickup.

This is not the date when your yard waste will be picked up.

Crews will be collecting leaves and yard waste from your neighborhood sometime during the normal work week following the set-out dates you see on the site. 

By placing the yard waste out on the date given on the website, your material will be out on time and will only sit on the terrace for one week at most.

If you choose to place material out after your set-out date, you may miss your collection opportunity.

Place the leaves and yard waste at the street edge or on the terrace. Do not place yard waste into the street.

Keep the material at least four feet from obstructions. Street signs, utility poles, mailboxes, trees, stumps, and parked cars get in the way of crews.

If you bag your leaves and yard waste, please use compostable paper leaf and lawn bags and keep them open so crews can see what is inside.

Other bags are acceptable if they are kept open as well, but keep in mind that crews may need to rip or slice open plastic bags to get the yard waste out. Crews will need to leave the split bags behind at the curb, too.

You can compost your yard waste to help your lawns and gardens grow next year.

Free guides on how to compost are available at City of Madison libraries and additional composting resources can be found on the Streets Division’s website.

You can also mulch your leaves in place with your lawnmower. It’s an easy way to help manage your leaves, help the lakes, and improve your lawns.

Yes, you can.   

Drop-off sites are for City of Madison, Wisconsin residents or taxpayers.

Check the locations, restrictions, and the hours for the site you want to use before loading your vehicle at  www.cityofmadison.com/DropOffSites.