Residential Services
2026 Street Department Garbage Change
Contact Us
Day of Service: See Map
Bulk Day: By Request
2026 Calendar
Garbage
Starting Monday, June 29th, we will collect the garbage in 95-gallon city-owned automated carts.
Garbage collection is every week. Please put the garbage cart out the night before your collection day; or by 6:00am the morning of pickup.
Only household garbage can be put in your garbage cart. Do not place any recyclables, brush/leaves, construction materials, demolition, electronics or hazardous materials in your cart.
Cart Placement:
The arrows on the lid of the cart should point to the road
Handles and wheels should face away from the road
The garbage cart should be placed within 2 ft. of the road on one side of the driveway
The recycle cart should be placed within 2 ft. of the road on the other side of the driveway
Please keep 6 ft. of clearance between the carts and other objects, especially mailboxes, poles and vehicles
Recycling
Starting Monday, June 29th, we will collect recycling weekly.
Recycling is collected every other week.
Mix it all together: Johns Disposal Service provides single stream recycling. All recyclable material can be mixed together. Johns Disposal’s recycle process system sorts all recyclable material.
Cart Placement:
The arrows on the lid of the cart should point to the road
Handles and wheels should face away from the road
The garbage cart should be placed within 2 ft. of the road on one side of the driveway
The recycle cart should be placed within 2 ft. of the road on the other side of the driveway
Please keep 6 ft. of clearance between the carts and other objects, especially mailboxes, poles and vehicles
Please place the following items in your CITY-OWNED RECYCLE CART:
Expanded Paper Recycling
- Cardboard (empty)
- Catalogs, magazines & phone books
- Cereal & cracker boxes (empty)
- Paper milk and juice cartons or boxes (Carton recycling FAQ or Click here for the Carton Council website)
- Computer & office paper
- Envelopes & junk mail
- Holiday gift wrapping paper (no foils)
- Newspapers
- Paper cups (no plastic lids or straws)
- Paper egg cartons
- Paper grocery bags
- Pizza boxes (no food or grease)
- Shredded paper (place in a clear or transparent plastic bag and tie shut; a full bag should be the size of a basketball)
Plastic Recycling
- All plastic bottles (no motor oils or gasoline)
- Plastic containers/cups #1-7, including #1 clamshell
Recyclable Metal & Glass
- Aerosol cans (empty)
- Aluminum cans & aluminum pie plates
- Glass bottles & jars (clear, blue, brown or green translucent glass)
- Metal pots & pans
- Small metal appliances (toasters, blenders, etc.) – nothing larger than a basketball
- Small metal plumbing fixtures, faucets, valves
- Tin & steel cans
Non-Recyclable Items
- Batteries
- Brake rotors/drums
- Construction Waste
- Deli containers – except #1 plastic
- Electronics
- Frozen food or microwave dinner plates
- Glassware & ceramics
- Metal items heavier than 10 pounds
- Mirrors & windows
- Motor oil & gasoline containers
- Plastic film, wrap & Styrofoam
- Propane tanks
- Recyclable containers containing liquids or food
- Misc.: Carpet, clothing, diapers, fishing line, food, hoses, ropes & shoes
Bulk Items
Starting July 1st, residents may schedule one bulk items collection per month at no charge.
Your community’s program requires residents to call to schedule bulky item collections. Any items that do not fit in your garbage or recycling cart must be called into our office at 262-473-4700; or emailed into office@johnsdisposal.com. Our office hours are Monday – Friday from 8am-4:30pm and Saturday from 8am-noon. Bulk items are scheduled regularly throughout the month.
You may schedule up to one bulk items collection per month at no charge.
NOTICE: Most municipalities have an ordinance requiring that items not be placed at the curb sooner than 24-hours prior to your scheduled pickup. Please check your local code and do not have items out too early. We recommend that no items are placed at the curb prior to scheduling collection.
Bulk items include, but are not limited to:
- Furniture
- Carpeting (cut into 4 foot sections rolled and bundled together)
- Large cardboard boxes (emptied & flattened)
- Appliances, including those which contain freon
- Automotive batteries
- Tires (up to 2 per month / pickup, maximum 8 per year)
- Drain oil (must be sealed in 1-5 gallon containers, clearly marked USED OIL)
- Antifreeze (must be sealed in 1-5 gallon containers, clearly marked ANTIFREEZE)
- Larger items, such as hot tubs and pianos, must be cut up or disassembled with parts weighing no more than 50lbs.
- Paint cans (must be empty and dry OR filled with oil dry / kitty litter and completely dry)
- Construction materials (Must be contained in 32-gallon or smaller containers, weighing no more than 50 lbs, with any boards cut down to 4 ft. or smaller lengths)
- Electronics
*All items must weigh no more than 50 lbs and be easily manageable by one person.
Please do not place the following out for bulk:
- Yard waste
- Hazardous materials
Yard waste collection is not provided by Johns Disposal to residents in South Milwaukee at this time.
The City DPW provides yard waste chipping and drop-off services with some limitations. For more information, click here.
South Milwaukee Dumpster Rental
JOHNS Disposal provides temporary dumpster service to South Milwaukee and the surrounding areas. We offer a wide range of sizes to accommodate your project ranging from 12 yards to 40 yards.
To order a temporary dumpster, please contact the office at 262-473-4700. Or, complete the dumpster request form online. Someone will get back to you promptly to review your order and process your payment.