For questions regarding your service, contact us below or call 608-257-4285.
The Village of Waunakee receives automated cart collection for all trash and recycling pickups. Trash and recycling are both collected weekly.
The standard cart size for the Village of Waunakee is a 95-gallon trash cart (brown) and a 95-gallon recycling cart (blue). 35-gallon and 65-gallon carts are available as well. There is a one-time $45.00 fee to have us switch your cart(s) at the curb. You can make arrangements with the Village of Waunakee exchange your cart at the Public Works Garage by calling 608-849-5712. You can also bring your current cart size to our office in Madison for an exchange (by appointment). We need one day notice to bring carts over from another location. Please contact us to make arrangements.
The normally scheduled service days for the Village of Waunakee are Monday through Friday, depending on your address. Trash is collected every week and recyclables are collected every other week. Recycling carts put out on a non-recycling collection week will not be picked up. Residents must have their carts put out by 7:00 am. Pickup times may vary from week to week. Trash and recycling are picked up at separate times during the day.
Carts should be placed at the end of your driveway and be within two feet of the street. The carts should be placed on level ground and should be at least four feet from any obstacle such as utility poles, mailboxes, trees and parked cars. The handles of the carts should face your house so that the lids open properly when being dumped.
Trash:
Only household trash can be put in your trash cart. Do not place any recyclables, cardboard, brush/yard waste/leaves, construction materials, demolition, electronics, or hazardous materials in your cart.
Recycling:
Please see our recycling page for a list of acceptable items, printable copies in English and Spanish, a 7-minute video of what happens to your recycling, 1-minute recycling tip videos, and a video on solid waste technology in Wisconsin ("Becoming Stewards of Recycling", which aired on the Into The Outdoors television series).
Trash:
If you have extra bags of trash outside of your cart, we will pick them up for a prepaid nominal fee. Please call us at (608) 257-4285 at least one business day in advance to schedule and prepay. If you have bag-tags that you've purchased from the Village, please still call our office one business day in advance so we can make a no-charge service order for it. They may not be picked up otherwise. The lid on your cart should shut; in order to prevent messes, please do not overload carts.
Recycling:
Residents may place one properly prepared additional bag of recycling outside of their cart per week at no charge. If you have more than one extra bag, please call our office at 608-257-4285 to prepay for the additional bags prior to your pickup day. Please do not overload your carts, the cart lids should shut. The extra bag fee is $4.10 per bag for 2024. Additional recycling must be placed in a clear plastic bag no larger than 32-gallons and no heavier than 50 pounds. Extra cardboard should be flattened and placed in the clear plastic bag as well. Do not tie or bundle cardboard. If you consistently have additional recycling despite the new weekly recycling service, you may want to consider a larger or additional recycling cart. Please call us for details at 608-257-4285.
Additional carts are available for an annual fee. Please contact us for pricing and scheduling.
Every year the Village of Waunakee has a free curbside spring clean-up event (typically in May). During this event, extra bags, furniture items, and miscellaneous items are accepted for free curbside pickup. When the event is scheduled, it will be posted on our website with the list of items that will or will not be collected along with any preparation guidelines. The Village usually mails out a flyer as well.
Throughout the rest of the year or for items not accepted in the clean-up events, please call us with details of the quantity and types of items. We are happy to provide you with the bulky item disposal cost and instructions for disposal, as well as alternative disposal options if available.
No. The carts are not to be taken from the existing household. If you move to a new home in Waunakee, please contact us to set up delivery for the new address.
Please call us at (608) 257-4285. The carts are the property of the Village of Waunakee. We will take care of any normal wear and tear or damage done by our trucks. There is a fee to the resident if the cart is damaged or stolen while in their custody.
Many factors can contribute to whether carts remain upright after being emptied. The automated system uses hydraulic arms to pick up the cart and dump it into the truck which are controlled by a joystick from inside the truck. The carts tend to be top-heavy once empty, especially 35 gallon carts and 65 gallon carts. Depending on how flat the surface of where the cart has been set, as well the size of the cart, how heavy the contents of the cart were, moisture on the outside of the cart, and the amount of wind, it can be very difficult to set the carts down without them tipping over. Due to safety concerns for both residents and the drivers, the drivers are not able to get out of their trucks to set cart back upright at every home. There are many benefits to the automated system, especially for safety and cost savings to residents. We appreciate your understanding and cooperation with the automated system.
The automated cart dumping process lifts the cart upside down and stops with a slight jolt. If the material is wedged tightly in the cart the material may not come out. Please put heavier items in the bottom of the cart and do not compact the material.
There is typically a Village-wide curbside clean-up event in May. The dates vary year-to-year; when it is scheduled, it is posted on our website and the Village will send out a notice. You can also sign up for email alerts from Pellitteri Waste Systems to be notified. Please see the list of acceptable items. Items must be placed out to the curb by 7:00am on the Monday of the week of the clean-up. We will make one sweep through the Village for pickup; the collection may not fall on the same day as your normal trash cart pickup day.
Brush and yard waste cannot be placed in your trash or recycling carts. Brush and yard waste are both banned from landfills in Wisconsin. Please check with your local municipality to see how you are supposed to handle your brush or yard waste. Many municipalities have drop-off sites and some may provide curbside pickup. Brush is generally defined as branches or limbs while yard waste includes grass clippings, leaves, weeds, vines, vegetable/plant matter, hay/straw, and twigs less than half an inch in diameter (roughly as thick as your thumb) and less than 12 inches long. The only exception is “invasive plant species” (or “noxious weeds”), which must go to the landfill. Pellitteri customers must place invasive plant species in black trash bags in your trash container with a note on the bag that says it contains invasive plant species so drivers don’t think it’s yard waste. Common invasive plant species include garlic mustard, honeysuckle, purple loosestrife, buckthorn and more.
