Trash and recycling pickup in Madison: schedule, holidays and bulk pickup

Last checked Oct. 17, 2026. Facts on this page come from the City of Madison Garbage/Trash Service and Recycling pages, the city’s trash collection guidelines, Madison County Waste Control and the Recycling Alliance of North Alabama.

Madison splits curbside service three ways, and the words matter. Garbage is household waste in the green cart, picked up every Thursday by Madison County Waste Control. Trash is yard debris and large items, picked up weekly at the curb by Republic Services under a city contract. Recycling goes in a blue cart emptied once a month by the Recycling Alliance of North Alabama (RANA).

Who to call

• Garbage (green cart, missed pickup, new service): Madison County Waste Control, 256-532-3718, sanitation@madisoncountyal.gov
• Yard debris and large items: Republic Services, 256-327-4449
• Recycling (blue cart): RANA, 256-801-2278, support@recycling-alliance.com
• City of Madison Public Works: 256-772-8490, 240 Palmer Road, 6:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. weekdays

Garbage: the green cart, every Thursday

The city’s trash page says garbage service is provided by Madison County Sanitation every Thursday. The county’s Waste Control page sets the rules for the cart:

• Put the cart at the curb before 6 a.m. on collection day, arrows pointing toward the road.
• Keep it within 2 feet of the roadside and at least 3 feet from mailboxes, cars, poles and other carts.
• Bag all garbage and put it inside the county cart. Only county carts are serviced.
• No yard waste, building material, scrap metal, paint, chemicals, oil, dirt, rocks, furniture, tires or carpet.
• Trucks do not come back for a cart put out late, blocked or holding non-household items.
• If you move, leave the cart at the house.

The county lists its fee as $13.50 a month for weekly service, and $5 a month for a second cart, which you request on the county’s second cart form. New customers use the new residential service form.

Holiday schedule for the rest of 2026

Madison County Waste Control closes on these holidays and shifts the rest of that week by a day, according to its 2026 holiday schedule. For Madison’s Thursday route:

RANA recycling runs one day late after a holiday on or before your collection day in the same week. In 2026 its delaying holidays are Thanksgiving, Nov. 26, and Christmas, Dec. 25, with New Year’s Day, Jan. 1, 2027, next, according to the RANA schedule page. Martin Luther King Jr. Day does not delay recycling.

For Republic Services’ yard debris routes, the city’s guidelines say holiday changes are posted on the city website and Government TV Channel 42 before the holiday.

Yard debris and large items: Republic Services

Republic Services picks up yard debris and large items once a week. Your street’s day is on the city’s trash and mosquito schedule map, or call Republic at 256-327-4449. The city guidelines say:

• Have everything at the curb by 6 a.m. on your day, clear of drains, mailboxes, signs and low lines.
• Republic takes up to 5 cubic yards a household a week, about a pickup truck bed. Anything over is left for the next week; there is no fine.
• Limbs: no longer than 8 feet, branches trimmed, in a neat pile.
• Leaves, grass and shrub clippings: in plastic bags. The truck uses a claw.
• Cardboard: flattened, empty and bundled.
• Appliances: accepted at the curb. Remove doors or locks from refrigerators and freezers, and have Freon drained and the compressor removed first.
• Furniture and mattresses: accepted. Call Republic about large glass such as doors or mirrors, and long fluorescent bulbs.
• Not collected: paint, oil, batteries, gas cans, TVs, computers, microwaves, tires, clothes, paper, food, glass bottles and construction materials. Debris from a hired lawn service or contractor is theirs to haul.

Recycling: RANA’s blue cart, once a month

The Recycling Alliance of North Alabama, a division of the Solid Waste Disposal Authority of the City of Huntsville, collects a free blue 95-gallon cart from single-family homes across Madison, on both the Madison County and Limestone County sides, according to the city recycling page. Carts are emptied monthly. There is no pickup for apartments or commercial property.

Sign up on the RANA registration page. To learn your week, call 256-801-2278; the RANA calendar color-codes first-, second-, third- and fourth-week routes.

Accepted, loose in the cart (no bags): paper, flattened cardboard, aluminum and steel cans, and No. 1 and No. 2 narrow-neck plastic bottles.

Not accepted: glass, plastic bags and wrap, tubs, foil, scrap metal and anything that held paint, poison or auto products. The city says it has not found a facility in the area that takes glass.

Household hazardous waste

Motor oil and household batteries are no longer collected at the curb. The Household Hazardous Waste facility at 1055 A Cleaner Way in Huntsville takes them with other household chemicals, drive-thru, 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday, according to the city recycling page. Bulky items such as shingles and construction debris go to the Huntsville Landfill at 4100 Leeman Ferry Road, 256-881-8700, the county says.

What this means for you

• Thanksgiving week and Veterans Day week, put the green cart out Friday instead of Thursday.
• Bag your leaves; Republic’s claw truck will not take loose piles.
• Keep glass out of the blue cart.

More guides: who to call at City Hall, parks and trails in Madison and moving to Madison.

Frequently asked questions

What day is garbage pickup in Madison, Alabama?

Household garbage in the City of Madison is picked up every Thursday by Madison County Waste Control. Call 256-532-3718 with questions.

Is Madison garbage pickup delayed on Thanksgiving?

Yes. Madison County Waste Control is closed Thursday, Nov. 26, 2026, and collects Thursday garbage on Friday, Nov. 27.

What is the difference between trash and garbage in Madison?

Garbage is household waste in the green county cart, collected by Madison County. Trash is yard debris and large items, collected at the curb by Republic Services under a city contract.

How do I get a recycling cart in Madison?

Sign up with the Recycling Alliance of North Alabama (RANA) on its website or call 256-801-2278. The blue 95-gallon cart is free for single-family homes and is emptied once a month.

Does Madison recycle glass?

No. The city says it has been unable to find a facility in the area that accepts glass, and RANA takes only paper, cardboard, cans and No. 1 and No. 2 narrow-neck bottles.