Why Milwaukee trash pickup days change throughout the year and how to get alerts

At homes across the City of Milwaukee, the garbage pickup day changes multiple times throughout the course of the year.

An example: One south side home this year had garbage collection on Wednesday for three weeks, Thursday two weeks and Friday for two months or so before changing again.

The days of recycling pickup at the address also change, before winter collection in December shifts away from regular collection altogether.

The question is, why not just keep these services consistent?

There are a few reasons, according to Rick Meyers, sanitation services manager at the city's Department of Public Works.

What role do holidays play in Milwaukee's shifting garbage and recycling collection schedule?

Much of the shifting schedule has to do with the holidays, Meyers said.

Many other communities make up the pause in garbage and recycling collection over a holiday and maintain the same pickup day year-round, he said. They're able to do this either because they have enough people and equipment to double collection or, more often, because they shift collection days citywide by one day so crews finish on Saturday instead of Friday. That allows those communities to reset to their regular schedules the next week.

That's not Milwaukee's approach.

The city has opted not to schedule employees for overtime shifts on the Saturday after a holiday, allowing garbage and recycling collection workers to also enjoy a shorter week, and the city to avoid the overtime costs, he said.

That means the schedule typically shifts one day forward for each of the city's holidays.

For Thanksgiving, though, city employees have that Thursday and Friday off, and the schedule shifts two days forward.

That's not the case for the Christmas Eve and Christmas Day holidays, when the one-day-forward shift returns.

Overtime is scheduled following the Christmas holiday because so many holidays come at the same time demand for garbage and recycling spikes, Meyers said.

The city observes holidays for both New Year's Eve and New Year's Day, but only for sanitation workers, the day the city observes New Year's Eve is a working day. Those employees then get an additional day to schedule time off at a different time of year.

"We did that so we didn't have two double weeks in a row of two holidays," he said.

They instead collect five days' worth of garbage in four days' time.

Why does the recycling pickup become 'unscheduled' in winter?

Only about 1/3 of Milwaukee's recycling routes are scheduled year-round, so the city can redirect recycling crews to snow and ice removal throughout the winter months, Meyers said.

For the routes that become "unscheduled," residents are instructed to leave their recycling carts visible at the storage location for crews to empty it every 15 to 20 days or so.

What role do Wisconsin winters play in Milwaukee's shifting trash and recycling collection schedule?

Wisconsin winters are the other major consideration for the garbage and recycling collection schedules because of the staff (and sometimes equipment) needed to clear the roads.

"Unlike a lot of communities that have their snow and ice control built around other parts of their DPW streets department and so on, most of the workforce for our snow and ice operations comes from sanitation," Meyers said.

The need to redirect those workers to snow and ice removal — even when it's just salting that's needed — is why the city doesn't have a set day for most of its recycling routes in the winter, he said. Often, it's the people working recycling routes who are among the first redirected to snow and ice operations, followed by those who work on garbage collection.

For the times when Milwaukee is blanketed in a deeper layer of snow and the city's salt trucks need reinforcements, all of the garbage and recycling trucks have a plow mount so they can be repurposed for a larger snow clearing operation, he said.

When that happens, the city suspends all collections and then works extended hours to get back on schedule, Meyers said.

When winter pickup of trash and recycling is delayed due to winter weather, residents are asked to leave the carts at the collection point until they are emptied.

Weather aside, has Milwaukee explored what it would cost to keep trash collection days consistent?

Yes.

Meyers provided a February 2021 study that explored three alternative holiday collection options. It found benefits in a more consistent schedule for residents, collection operations and program administration.

"The main benefit is the consistent schedule will eliminate any permanent collection shifts andresult in more efficient and regular holiday collections," the report states. "It will also reduce confusion for residents regarding when their actual collection day is during a holiday week, since each option presents a coherent alternative collection day."

The report concluded each option would cost about $456,000 more per year and require an increase in residents' solid waste fee.

Meyers said at the time the study was done, there was not an appetite to further increase the fee.

And, he said, the costs shown in the report are likely to be about 25% higher today based on factors including current wages, fuel and equipment.

More: What you pay for garbage collection in Milwaukee area suburbs depends on where you live

How can I find my trash and recycling pickup schedule in Milwaukee?

Milwaukeeans looking for their garbage and recycling pickup schedules can find that information by entering their address at Milwaukee.gov/CollectionDay.

Additional instructions can also be found at the link.

How do I sign up for email and text alerts about trash, recycling collection Milwaukee?

Alerts about garbage and recycling are sent via the city's E-Notify system.

Those looking to sign up for garbage and recycling email and text alerts can do so at Milwaukee.gov/News-Events/enotify.

The city's Department of Public Works also works to update its snow and ice control website if there are weather impacts on collections, in addition to telling the city's call center (414-286-CITY (2489)) to be prepared for questions and putting out a press release.

When do I need to put out my trash for pickup in Milwaukee?

On collection days, carts and bins must be at the designated collection point by 7 a.m. and returned to the storage area by 10 p.m.

They must be three feet away from any other objects, have a clear path to access them and be free from ice and snow.

Garbage must be in bags. Recycling must be loose.

How does the City of Milwaukee decide the trash pickup schedule?

The city determines its routes based on factors including the number of households, number of carts, and travel time between the route and the stations to drop off the garbage, Meyers said.

How many garbage trucks does the City of Milwaukee have?

Right now, the city has 67 trucks assigned daily to residential garbage collection and another 36 assigned to residential recycling collection, he said.

The city also has different equipment for bulky waste pickup.

How can I request additional garbage and recycling carts?

Additional recycling and garbage carts can be requested online at the city's Click4Action website and by calling the city's Unified Call Center, 414-286-CITY (2489).

Additional recycling carts are free.

One garbage cart is allotted to each residential unit. Units will be charged each quarter on their municipal services bill for each additional garbage cart, according to the website.

What do I do if I miss my garbage collection time?

Residents can submit requests for pickup online at the city's Click4Action website and by calling the city's Unified Call Center, 414-286-CITY (2489).

Alison Dirr can be reached at adirr@jrn.com.

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Why Milwaukee's garbage, recycling pickup schedule changes frequently