SOUTH MILWAUKEE, Wis. — South Milwaukee will no longer handle garbage and recycling pickup in-house. On Tuesday night, the Common Council voted 5–2 to hire John’s Disposal Service to run the city’s collection starting June 30, 2026. The contract runs until the end of 2031.
Instead of paying for the service through property taxes, residents will receive a flat bill — $164.40 a year for trash and $81 a year for recycling. Rates will rise about three percent annually starting in 2028.
According to city documents, South Milwaukee faces a $1 million budget shortfall next year. Officials expect outsourcing to cut costs and make the city eligible for more than $2 million over five years from the Wisconsin Department of Revenue’s Innovation Grant program. The application deadline is March 31. The grant paperwork says garbage collection in 2025 cost $1.65 million; contracting with John’s Disposal is projected to reduce that to $1.19 million in 2026.
The contract proposal from John’s Disposal outlines expanded services for residents. Recycling will move from every other week to weekly collection. Monthly free curbside bulk pickup will be available by appointment, with no extra fee for standard household items. Accepted items include furniture, appliances, electronics, scrap metal, carpet, exercise equipment, outdoor goods, and up to eight small vehicle tires off the rim per year. Residents will continue using city-owned carts until they are replaced with John’s Disposal containers.
The documents also list other benefits, including freeing up city staff time for road maintenance, tree planting and pruning, and lead service line repairs.
Rebecca Lawrence, a resident who regularly attends council meetings, supports the move. “They’re limited on how much they can tax citizens, so to continue providing services, they have to get creative,” she said. “This grant opportunity helps them do that… and the monthly bulk pickup will be great for people who don’t have access to a truck.”
Lawrence said weekly recycling will help residents manage overflow. “I know there are weeks I have to ration my recycling. I can’t fit it all in the bin—and not everyone has a truck for bigger items.”
Longtime resident Andy Hiegel was surprised when he heard the news. “That sounds kind of sneaky to me, that they did it so fast,” he said. “I pay my taxes to get my garbage collected — I don’t need that extra fee. There are so many added fees going around here, and I’m buried in them.”
At Tuesday's meeting, dozens were against the decision. That conversation carried over to social media and among residents in the city.
Hiegel also questioned whether property tax relief would happen and said more time should have been given for public input before the vote.
Commercial garbage pickup will be phased out after December 2026, requiring businesses to hire private haulers. Municipal dumpsters will be serviced at no additional cost if switched to front-load containers. The grant funding is unrestricted, but garbage collection costs cannot rise more than 115 percent over five years to stay eligible for the state grant.
The first trash and recycling bills under the new system will arrive after collection begins June 30, with residents split over whether the changes are worth it.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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