Milwaukee trash & bulky-item rules

For properties served by City of Milwaukee Sanitation Services, up to one cubic yard of ordinary bulky material—roughly a recliner or two garbage carts—may be placed at the regular collection point on the normal collection day without a special request. For larger piles, Milwaukee uses a paid special pickup: the current published charges are $75 for 1–4 cubic yards and $225 for 4–6 cubic yards.

Piles over six cubic yards, loose material and mixed loads containing construction waste, recyclables, tires or brush are not eligible for the regular special-bulky service. The program is only for properties receiving City Sanitation solid-waste collection.

Broken furniture, mattresses and large household toys are core bulky items under Milwaukee’s program. Small qualifying amounts can go at the regular collection point; larger qualifying piles require the paid special request.

If you would rather self-haul, City residents and property owners may bring furniture and mattresses to a Drop Off Center. Facility fees depend on load volume, and users must meet residency/property-ownership and vehicle rules.

Milwaukee explicitly excludes appliances, electronics/TVs and tires from bulky-item curbside pickup. These materials go to the City Drop Off Centers for the appropriate recycling/disposal stream. The current center page allows up to three televisions with a per-TV fee and up to five passenger tires, with the current tire fee shown as waived on the main Drop Off Center page.

Appliances are also accepted at the Drop Off Centers. Do not mix them into a paid bulky-pickup pile; a load can be rejected or referred for enforcement when excluded materials are mixed together.

Construction and demolition waste is handled separately from ordinary bulky items. Milwaukee allows qualifying C&D material at Drop Off Centers for volume-based fees and offers a pre-paid construction-debris collection option currently priced at $50 per cubic yard. Small area-rug-sized carpet can be treated differently, so check the current construction-debris page.

Paint, pesticides, gasoline and other household hazardous material use the Milwaukee County/MMSD household hazardous-waste route, not a bulky pickup. Yard waste and brush also have separate City programs.

For Milwaukee, start with the local authority links below. Recheck them before a special trip or unusual set-out because programs, prices and facility hours can change.

• Bulky Item Pickup1 yd³ regular pickup, special-pickup pricing and exclusions.
• Drop Off CentersResident eligibility, facility fees, TVs, tires, appliances and bulky drop-off.
• Construction DebrisC&D disposal and pre-paid collection rules.
• Household Hazardous WastePaint, chemicals and other HHW routing.