Collection and disposal of Waste

All Refuse Must Be Inside the City-Provided Tan-Colored Refuse Cart

The owner or occupant of each residence must use the city-provided tan-colored refuse cart. All household waste must be placed inside the tan-colored refuse cart. Recyclable items, yard waste, brush, and other hazardous materials are banned from the refuse cart. For information regarding more refuse than will fit into your cart, see below section on Excess Refuse. Refuse carts must be put out for collection prior to 7:00am on the scheduled day. Late set outs will not be collected until your next scheduled collection day. City ordinance states that no cart shall be placed at the curb edge more than 12 hours before collection day, and it must be removed within 24 hours after collection. The weight of the cart cannot exceed 100 pounds to prevent the cart from falling into the collection truck. Material should not protrude more than 18 inches above the top of the cart. Anything outside of the cart and not meeting either the large item collection or the move-out/household cleanup collection requirements will not be collected. See below section on Excess Refuse for more information. Placement of Refuse Cart Always place your cart so that the white serial numbers are facing the street. This places the lid opening in the proper position for emptying. Place your cart at the curb edge in your driveway apron or next to it so that it is four (4) feet away from obstacles such as parked cars, mailboxes, and utility poles. Carts should be side-by-side with adequate space between carts. Please do not stack one behind the other. Your carts may also be placed in the gutter line immediately next to your driveway if you need to prevent vehicles from parking in front of them, which would prevent collection. Placing carts in the gutter line interferes with traffic, street sweeping, and snow plow operations. Please refrain from placing carts in the street unless it is necessary. If you live in the Clean Streets/Clean Lakes special street sweeping zone, you should not put your cart in the gutter on days when sweeping is scheduled. Place your refuse cart on the opposite side of the driveway from your recycling cart. Improperly placed carts will not be collected. Winter Placement The best placement is on your driveway after you have cleared it of snow. It can also be placed on a cleared area of your terrace. After your street has been plowed, you place it in the gutter right next to your driveway. Keep in mind carts in the street will interfere with the ability plow your street curb-to-curb when those operations are ongoing Do not leave your cart on the sidewalk or on top of a snow bank. Alley Placement: Carts must be placed at the alley edge. Carts on private property or by the garage will not be collected. When storing carts outside in the alley, please leave the lid closed. If your cart is missing a lid, please contact the Street Division offices that service your neighborhood to request it be repaired. Lost/Missing Carts Replacement carts can be supplied upon contacting the Streets Division. Each situation that results in a missing/lost cart is different and residents may need to purchase their replacement. Please contact the Streets Division that services your address for more information if you need a replacement cart. East side residents should call 608-246-4532 and west side residents should call 608-266-4681. Mandatory Recycling Large Item Collection Ashes, Sawdust, Vacuum Cleaner Dust, Remodeling / Construction dust, etc. Ashes, Sawdust, Vacuum Cleaner Dust, Remodeling / Construction dust, etc. all pose a health hazard to our operators. To protect them, all material must be double-bagged in sealed weatherproof bags and placed in your tan-colored refuse cart. Ashes must be cold prior to disposal or the bag may start a fire in the cart or in the truck. Broken Glass, Mirrors, etc. Broken Glass, Mirrors, etc .can be placed into your tan-colored refuse cart. Deer Carcasses Must be double-bagged and placed in the refuse cart. Explosives / Fireworks / Ammunition Fluorescent Bulbs / Tubes Do not place these into your cart. Streets Division will not collect these items. City and County ordinances require that retailers who sell fluorescent bulbs / tubes take back old lights / tubes from their customers and recycle them. Some may charge a small fee. There are several locations in the area that will accept them Dried Paint Cans of dried paint can be placed in your tan refuse cart. If the solid paint can be removed, you may place the solids into your refuse container and recycle the empty can in your green recycling cart. Empty paint cans, including empty aerosol paint cans can be placed in your green recycling cart. Waste Motor Oil Vehicle Batteries (lead acid). Contaminated Cardboard Cardboard Cardboard contaminated by grease, oil, or other contaminants should not be recycled. For pizza boxes, consider ripping the lid off to recycle that piece while the bottom, food-stained half would be refuse. Propane Tanks and Pressurized Gas Containers Gas Cans Will be collected as a large items if the cans are empty and left open at the curb. Smoke Detectors Put in your tan refuse cart. The minute amount of radioactive material does not pose a hazard in the landfill. We cannot recycle smoke detectors. Carbon Monoxide Detectors Household Batteries (AA, AAA, D, etc.) Solid Waste Collection For information call East (608) 246-4532 or West (608) 266-4681