Dane County's own websites weren't loading when we checked these facts in October 2026, so county facts are linked to archived copies of its official pages from August to October 2026. Call before a big trip.
Dane County Landfill
- Where and when: 7102 Maahic Way, Madison, across from Yahara Hills Golf Course; 608-838-9555.(Dane County) Monday to Friday 6:30 a.m. to 3:15 p.m., Saturday 8 to 10:45 a.m.; closed Sundays and major holidays, and open only 6:30 to 10:30 a.m. on Juneteenth, Indigenous Peoples' Day and Veterans Day.(Dane County)
- Who: Dane County residents and businesses only. Tie down or tarp your load or you'll be turned away. Small loads in a car go to the dumpsters by the scale house.(Dane County)
- Takes: household trash, mattresses and box springs, furniture, carpet, washers, dryers, dishwashers and stoves (recycled as metal), construction debris, tires, clean shingles, brush and logs, yard waste and food scraps.(Dane County)
- Doesn't take: refrigerators and other refrigerant appliances, propane tanks, electronics, hazardous chemicals, waste oil, cardboard or aluminum containers.(Dane County)
- 2026 fees: trash $15.03 for up to 500 pounds, $30.05 to 1,000, and $60.10 a ton over a ton. Sorted construction loads $58 a ton, clean shingles $65, brush and yard waste $40. Tires 17 cents a pound, about $4 to $6 each. Visa or Mastercard.(Dane County)
- The county says the landfill has less than five years of space left, and plans a new one with a reuse and repair "Sustainability Campus" on former Yahara Hills golf course land.(Dane County)
Clean Sweep
Dane County's household hazardous waste and electronics drop-off, at 7020 Maahic Way (the second entrance past the landfill); 608-838-3212. Monday to Friday 7:15 a.m. to 3:15 p.m., Saturday 8 to 10:45 a.m. Unlike the landfill, it's closed on Juneteenth, Indigenous Peoples' Day and Veterans Day.(Dane County)
- 2026 fees for Dane County households: $15 per trip for hazardous waste, $15 per TV or monitor, $10 per microwave, and $35 per refrigerator, freezer, air conditioner or dehumidifier. Out-of-county households pay $75 a trip.(Dane County)(Dane County)
- No appointment unless it's a big load: a full truck bed, a trailer, a large SUV with the seats down, or 45 gallons or more of paint. Bring proof you live in Dane County.(Dane County)
- Takes: paint, stain and varnish, solvents, pesticides, pool chemicals, gasoline (up to 6-gallon cans), antifreeze, aerosols, fire extinguishers, mercury thermometers and thermostats, rechargeable and lithium batteries up to 300 watt-hours (e-bike batteries too), vapes, computers, TVs, phones and other electronics.(Dane County)(Dane County)
- Doesn't take: dried latex paint (trash it), fluorescent bulbs, sharps, medicines, smoke detectors, cooking oil, propane and other gas cylinders over 1 pound, alkaline batteries, or appliances other than microwaves and refrigerant units.(Dane County)
- Packing: keep products in their original containers, upright in a box, and don't mix anything. Pull batteries out of electronics and tape the ends of lithium and rechargeable ones. For fridges and freezers, empty them and take the doors off.(Dane County)
- Free stuff: the Product Exchange gives away usable paint, solvents and pesticides during Clean Sweep hours, once a week per person.(Dane County)
What Can't Go in the Trash
Wisconsin law keeps these out of landfills, so they can't go in your trash cart:(Wisconsin DNR)(Wis. Stat. 287.07)
- Recyclable containers and paper: cans, glass, #1 and #2 plastic bottles and jugs, cardboard, newspaper and office paper.
- Electronics, since 2010: TVs, computers, monitors, printers, phones, game consoles and more.(Wisconsin DNR)
- Major appliances: refrigerators, freezers, air conditioners, dehumidifiers, washers, dryers, dishwashers, stoves, microwaves, water heaters, furnaces and boilers.(Wisconsin DNR)
- Car batteries, tires, motor oil, oil filters, and yard waste.(Wisconsin DNR)
Paint
- Latex paint isn't hazardous. Let it dry solid, mixing in cat litter if there's a lot, and put it in the trash.(Wisconsin DNR)(Wisconsin DNR) Madison won't take liquid paint in the cart.(City of Madison)
- Oil-based paint, stain, varnish, thinner and wood preservatives are hazardous waste: take them to Clean Sweep.(Wisconsin DNR)
Electronics and Appliances
- Electronics: wipe your data first; deleting files doesn't erase them.(Wisconsin DNR) Madison households can drop electronics at City drop-off sites for free.(Dane County) Elsewhere, find a registered site with DNR's E-Cycle collection site list. Each site sets its own fee, and many manufacturers offer free mail-back.(Wisconsin DNR)
- Refrigerators, freezers, air conditioners and dehumidifiers need their refrigerant recovered. In Madison, schedule a large-item pickup or use a drop-off site; otherwise Clean Sweep takes them for $35.(City of Madison)(Dane County) Retailers, scrap yards and charities are other options, and most charge for cooling appliances.(Wisconsin DNR)
- Focus on Energy's fridge and freezer recycling program has ended.(Focus on Energy)
- Washers, dryers, dishwashers and stoves are recycled as scrap metal at the landfill or through Madison's large-item pickup.(Dane County)
- Mattresses: Madison picks them up by large-item work order, but sends them to the landfill; there's no year-round mattress recycling in Dane County.(City of Madison) The landfill takes them at the trash rate.(Dane County)
Tires, Oil and Batteries
- Tires: most tire dealers take old ones for a fee.(Wisconsin DNR) The landfill charges about $4 to $6 each.(Dane County)
- Motor oil and filters: stores that sell oil must take used oil or post where to take it.(Wisconsin DNR) Madison has self-serve oil tanks open around the clock at Monona Golf Course (111 E. Dean Ave.) and Cherokee Conservation Park (902 Wheeler Rd.), which also take oil filters and transmission and power steering fluid. Antifreeze, gasoline and kerosene go to Clean Sweep.(City of Madison) Madison keeps oily rags and absorbent out of carts.(City of Madison)
- Car batteries: any store that sells them must take an old one back, free with a purchase or for up to $3 without. A new battery carries a $10 deposit you get back when you return the old one.(Wisconsin DNR)
- Household batteries: alkaline AA, AAA and 9-volt can go in the trash. Lithium, rechargeable and button batteries can start fires in trucks; tape the ends and take them to a store drop-off box, a Madison drop-off site or Clean Sweep. Never put batteries in recycling.(Wisconsin DNR)
Bulbs, Propane, Sharps and Medicine
- Fluorescent tubes and CFLs go back to a store: Madison and Dane County require any store that sells them to take them back, though some charge. Clean Sweep and the drop-off sites don't take them.(City of Madison) The City keeps a list of stores that do. LED bulbs can go in the trash.(City of Madison)
- 20-pound propane tanks: refill or exchange them at a dealer.(Wisconsin DNR) Clean Sweep and the landfill don't take them.(Dane County) A completely empty tank with the valve open can go to a Madison drop-off site.(City of Madison) Use up 1-pound camping cylinders; empty all-steel ones can be scrapped.(Wisconsin DNR)
- Smoke detectors can go in the trash, even ionization models.(EPA)
- Needles and sharps can't legally go in the trash or recycling. Use a hard, screw-top container labeled "sharps" and find a registered collection station.(Wisconsin DNR)
- Medicines: MedDrop boxes, mostly at police stations, take pills, liquids, creams, patches and inhalers, but nothing with a needle.(Safe Communities MedDrop) Don't flush them; with no take-back nearby, mix them with coffee grounds or cat litter, bag them and trash them.(Wisconsin DNR)
- Ammunition: call local law enforcement.(Wisconsin DNR)
Remodel Debris
- Madison collects small amounts of DIY debris (lumber, drywall, cabinets, toilets) by large-item work order, up to about 240 pounds, but not contractor debris, shingles, concrete, brick, rock or dirt.(City of Madison)
- Dane County's construction recycling facility at the landfill takes loads that are at least half recyclable: clean, unpainted wood, metal, cardboard, brick, concrete and stone, at $58 a ton in 2026.(Dane County)(Dane County) Call 608-838-9555 first to make sure it's open.
- Shingles: keep them separate from other tear-off.(Wisconsin DNR) The landfill recycles clean asphalt shingles (just shingles, nails and tar paper) for $65 a ton.(Dane County)(Dane County) Shingles from before 1973 may contain asbestos.(Wisconsin DNR)
- Clean brick, concrete, stone and soil can be used as fill outside floodplains and wetlands. Painted or treated wood can't be burned or used as mulch.(Wisconsin DNR)
- Asbestos must be kept wet, sealed and taken to a licensed site.(Wisconsin DNR) In Dane County that's the landfill, the first Wednesday of each month, with a special waste form, at $82.10 a ton.(Dane County) More in the asbestos guide.
- Reusable building materials can be donated; Madison points to Habitat for Humanity.(City of Madison)
Dumpsters and Pods in Madison
- A dumpster in the street, terrace, sidewalk or alley needs a Traffic Engineering street occupancy permit: $50 for each 30 days, up to 90 days, applied for at least a week ahead with a site plan and insurance certificate.(City of Madison)
- A moving pod on the street needs a $50 parking permit for up to 5 days, in a legal space in front of your home. Pods can't go on the terrace.(City of Madison)
- Both are applied for online; questions go to 608-266-4761.(City of Madison) The City's pages don't mention a permit for a dumpster or pod entirely on your own driveway.(City of Madison)
Suburbs
- Middleton: a residents-only Recycling Center at 4330 Parmenter St., open Saturdays 8 a.m. to noon, plus Wednesday evenings May to September.(City of Middleton) It charges for TVs, microwaves and small cooling appliances; most other electronics and scrap metal are free.(City of Middleton)
- Sun Prairie: bulky items go only by a paid private pickup you arrange.(City of Sun Prairie) The Recycle Center at 1798 S. Bird St. takes electronics and non-refrigerant appliances free with a permit, but no fridges, freezers, air conditioners or dehumidifiers.(City of Sun Prairie)
- Fitchburg: no permanent drop-off; a recycling day twice a year. The fall 2026 one is Saturday, October 24, 8 to 11 a.m., at 5520 Lacy Rd.(City of Fitchburg)
- Verona: the Public Works drop-off takes electronics for a fee.(City of Verona)
- Monona: bulky items, appliances and electronics are picked up only by arrangement with the City's hauler, which bills you.(City of Monona)
Questions
What are the Dane County landfill hours?
Monday through Friday 6:30 a.m. to 3:15 p.m. and Saturday 8 to 10:45 a.m., at 7102 Maahic Way in Madison. It's closed Sundays and major holidays, and open only 6:30 to 10:30 a.m. on Juneteenth, Indigenous Peoples' Day and Veterans Day. It's for Dane County residents and businesses only.
How much does it cost to take a load to the Dane County landfill?
In 2026, a load of trash up to 500 pounds costs $15.03, and $60.10 a ton for heavier loads. Clean shingles are $65 a ton, sorted construction loads $58, and brush $40. Tires are 17 cents a pound, about $4 to $6 each. The landfill takes Visa and Mastercard.
What does Clean Sweep cost?
In 2026, $15 per trip for Dane County households, plus $15 per TV or monitor, $10 per microwave and $35 per refrigerator, freezer, air conditioner or dehumidifier. No appointment is needed unless you're bringing a large load.
How do I get rid of old paint in Madison?
Latex paint isn't hazardous: let it dry solid, with cat litter if needed, and put it in the trash. Liquid latex can also go to Clean Sweep. Oil-based paint, stain, varnish and thinner are hazardous waste and go to Clean Sweep.
Where can I recycle fluorescent bulbs in Dane County?
At the store. Madison and Dane County require any store that sells fluorescent bulbs to take them back, though some charge. Clean Sweep, the landfill and Madison's drop-off sites don't take them.
How do I get rid of a propane tank?
Refill or exchange a 20-pound grill tank at a propane dealer. Clean Sweep and the landfill don't take them. A tank that's completely empty with the valve open can go to a Madison drop-off site. Use up 1-pound camping cylinders; empty all-steel ones can go to scrap metal.
Do I need a permit for a dumpster in Madison?
Only if it sits in the street, terrace, sidewalk or alley. That takes a $50 Traffic Engineering permit for each 30 days, applied for at least a week ahead. A moving pod on the street needs a $50 parking permit, good for up to 5 days. The City's pages don't mention a permit for one on your own driveway.