Garbage

Household Garbage - Weekly Service

Madison provides weekly pickup of household garbage. Customers should roll the city-provided service cart to the curb the night before their assigned trash day. To assure regular and efficient pick up, all residential garbage must be:

Bagged
Placed in a curbside service cart
Covered with the lid

After Trash Pick-Up. You should return the cart to the rear of your home as quickly as possible (same day is the goal). Carts shall not be left at the street from day to day or week to week under any circumstances.

Back Door Pick-Up. If, because of a physical condition, you are unable to roll your cart to the street for pickup, contact City Hall and let staff know of your situation. The sanitation crew will pick your garbage up at your back door as before. We ask that you still use your cart.

Need a second trash cart? For an additional $6 per month, a pick-up of a second cart can be added to your service. Contact City Hall and request a second service cart.

Cart Ownership/Damage.The cart placed at your residence has been assigned to your address. It should not be removed from the property should you move. The cart is the property of the City of Madison but you are responsible for it. Should your cart be damaged, destroyed, lost, or stolen, you will be responsible for the cost of the replacement. All incidences of loss will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis and in cases where you are clearly not at fault a replacement will be provided at no cost.

Schedule. Four weekdays (Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday) are allotted for normal garbage service. Households are divided into four household garbage routes (PDF). During a holiday week, garbage may run on an alternative schedule.

Check the Alert Center for notifications of route changes during holiday weeks. You can also use Notify Me to sign up for email or text reminders of these changes.