Yard Waste & Leaves

Look up your Set-Out Date

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For residents with a November 17 set out date

Your leaves and yard waste will be collected by the Thanksgiving holiday.

Why can't I see set out dates?

If you enter your address into the above form, and it is after your last set out date, you will not see a date.

When you read what pops up, it will say that collection is over and you should take yard waste to a drop-off site.

So - what should you do when your final yard waste set out date has passed? You should take yard waste to a drop-off site.

The way this information pops up for homes that do not have any more set out dates isn't as clear as it should be. That's our mistake.

So, we are working on redeveloping this part of the page to help make the information more clear.

It's not quite a simple as just adding some text to make all the improvements we need. But we hear you, and we are working on fixing it.

Will there be more leaf pickups in 2024?

As of November 15, 2024 when this FAQ was published - we don't know. It's up to the weather.

You can always take yard waste to a drop-off site.

When we know that we can do another collection, we will announce it via a news release. We strongly recommend you sign up to receive those, and also messages from your alder and other messages from the City so you can stay connected with what is going on around Madison.

We are very aware that many trees have leaves still in them and understand many residents want another pickup to do it.

The final round of leaf pickup does not end until the first week of December.

Any extra leaf pickups won't occur until sometime after then.

We don't know what the weather will be like yet in the middle of December when any extra leaf pickups would occur.

The same people who collect leaves are the same people who drive snowplows. And any leaf piles set out at that time could get buried under snow, too.

We just don't know right now if an extra leaf pickup in the middle of December is possible since we don't know if it's going to snow then or not.

Set-Out Dates

Your set-out date for yard waste will be on a Sunday. We will collect the yard waste during the week after your Sunday set-out date.

If your yard waste is not out for pickup on the set-out date, we may not collect it.

How to Place Yard Waste

Please follow these guidelines to make sure we can pick up your yard waste.

Pile your leaves and yard waste on the terrace, or on the grass at the edge of the street. Do not put leaves in the street.
Keep yard waste at least 4 feet away from trees, cars, utility poles, mailboxes, fire hydrants, and other obstructions.

Yard Waste vs. Brush

Please separate yard waste and leaves from brush. Yard waste and brush are separate collections.

Yard waste is plant material from your lawn or garden, including:
- Leaves, weeds, grass clippings, and garden trimmings
- Twigs less than 18 inches long
- Pumpkins, crab apples, vines, corn stalks, and pinecones
Brush is sticks and branches from trees, shrubs, or bushes.

Covering & Bagging Leaves

You do not need to cover or bag your leaves. However, this helps keep leaves from blowing into the street.

Compostable paper leaf bags (preferred): Keep your bags open at the top so we can see what is inside.
Plastic bags: Keep your bags open at the top. We will cut open plastic bags and leave them on the terrace or in your trash cart.
Tarp or plastic sheet cover: You can cover your leaf piles with a tarp to keep them from blowing away.

Protect Our Lakes

Leaves contain nutrients like phosphorus that are harmful to are lakes and rivers. They contribute to algae blooms and murky water.

When it rains on leaves in the road, the rain takes nutrients from those leaves into the storm drains. And the storm drains take the nutrients into our lakes.

You can help protect our lakes by changing the way you rake your leaves.

Rake leaves out of the street and onto the terrace before it rains.
Mulch leaves in your yard using a lawn mower.
Compost leaves instead of setting them on the curb.
Cover leaf piles to keep them from blowing into the street.