Isle La Plume Yard Waste & Brush Site

2000 Marco Drive
La Crosse, WI 54601
608-789-7508

OPENING FOR THE SEASON ON MARCH 23RD, 2026, WEATHER PERMITTING

You must be a City of La Crosse Resident with a seasonal permit sticker to use the site. 

**We do not accept DIRT, SOD, MULCH, BRICKS, CARPET, or ANY ITEMS not listed below or in our Acceptable Materials List. 

The site opening date is scheduled for March 23rd at 10 AM, and the site will close for the season on November 24, 2026, at the end of day. Once the site closes for the season, yard waste and brush can only be dropped off at the County Landfill.

Yard Waste & Brush Site Hours:

 
Scheduled Site Closures:

 
On occasion, due to weather related issues or staffing shortages, the site will be closed with little to no advanced notice. A sign will be posted at the main gate and if possible, a public service announcement will be sent to the media outlets. The notice will also be added to our website news feed and our Recycling & Street Department Facebook pages.

Permit Sticker Information

The purchase of a seasonal permit sticker is required to utilize the yard waste and brush site for City of La Crosse residents/property owners and contractors. The green scannable stickers will be renewable through the 2028 season. You may purchase a permit online through our application portal below or at the Treasurer's window in the City Hall lobby at 400 La Crosse St. The Treasurer will accept cash, check, credit/debit card, or money orders. There is a service fee for any payments made with credit/debt. Lobby hours are Monday-Thursday, 8:00 AM - 4:00 PM, Friday, 8:00 AM - 12 PM, and closed Friday afternoons, weekends, and holidays.

If payment is mailed or made online, the permit sticker(s) will be mailed to you. To allow time for sticker delivery, the physical or emailed receipt will be accepted as proof of purchase for 2 weeks from the date of payment. You must show the receipt to the Yard Waste attendant to be allowed access.

Residents - $25 per vehicle

Contractors - $1500 (up to 5 vehicles) and will be required to show proof of where materials are hauled from on each visit.

Yard Waste & Brush Site Online Application & Sticker Purchase

• How to Register for an Online Account

• How to Apply Online for a Yard Waste & Brush Site Permit Sticker

Make an appointment for any of the below reasons by calling Refuse & Recycling Office at 608-789-7508. Replacements must be scheduled and picked up at the Isle La Plume Municipal Service Center Office, 2000 Marco Drive.

• Once payment is made, the permit sticker(s) will be mailed, or you can schedule an appointment to pick up at the Municipal Service Center office, 2000 Marco Drive.
• Additional Vehicle Sticker: $25 fee. Please contact the office for assistance.
• Lost Sticker: $25 replacement fee. Please contact the office for assistance.
• Never Received Sticker: Free but must request replacement within 30 days of original purchase. Please contact the office for assistance.
• Damaged Sticker/Sold Vehicle/Windshield Replacement: Free with physical sticker or windshield replacement receipt. Please contact the office for assistance.
• Borrowed/Temporary Vehicles: Must purchase a permit sticker to utilize the site.
• Those without internet/phone/computer access will need to provide a paper application at the Treasurer's window in the City Hall lobby. See below for paper application forms.

Contractors are required to purchase a permit sticker using the link above. Even with the sticker, you must fill out a form for each City of La Crosse address that you are hauling materials from. Contractors may print copies of the form below and bring it to the drop off site or fill one out at the site for every trip and give it to the attendant. Select the correct paper form below.

Paper Application:

• Residential Yard Waste & Brush Site Permit Application
• Contractor Yard Waste & Brush Site Permit Application
• Contractor Yard Waste & Brush Site Resident Contact Form

Other services available FREE for residents: 

• ORGANIC/FOOD WASTE DROP OFF - Wait for an attendant to check you in, then enter at the gate labeled 'Organics and Cooking Oil'. During winter months please call the Recycling Department at 789-7508 to schedule a drop off. See below for details on Organics.
• COOKING OIL DROP OFF-There are drums for residents to drop off cooled cooking oil.  Wait for an attendant to check you in, then enter at the gate labeled 'Organics and Cooking Oil'. During winter months, please call the Recycling Department at 789-7508 to schedule a drop off.
• FINISHED COMPOST, when available, is free for residents to shovel their own.
• WOOD CHIPS, when available from Parks Dept, is free for residents to shovel their own. 

Brush

Stumps, trunks, root balls, and branches & limbs over 8-inches in diameter and over 8-feet in length. No railroad ties or lumber.

What about larger items or disposal during the winter months?

When branches and tree limbs are larger than described or when Isle La Plume is closed, you can take them to the La Crosse County Landfill. The landfill is open from 7:00 AM to 4:00 PM on weekdays during the winter.

Organics/Food Waste

Food waste is defined as fruit & vegetable matter (including cores and rinds), flour & grain items such as bread, rice, and pasta, coffee grounds & filters, and eggshells. It also includes uneaten food/leftovers. See the detailed list here. During spring-fall months, wait for an attendant to check you in, then enter at the gate labeled 'Organics and Cooking Oil' to utilize the purple food waste container. This area is for large amounts of Organics. If you have a small amount mixed in with Yard Waste, use the regular compactors.  If you prefer to use subscription service contract with Harter's Quick Clean-Up. During the winter months, contact our main office at 608-789-7508 to drop off food waste. See bottom of page for subscription service information. 

What is not acceptable food waste?
We cannot accept any fish & meat (including their byproducts), dairy, fats, grease, lards, oils, or liquids. No packaging, bags, wrappers, trays, twine, or lids, etc. are allowed. No plastic or paper compostable packaging is allowed. If these items are mixed in when you come to the drop-off site, your container will not be accepted.

How can I dispose of my food waste during the spring-fall months?
Place it in purple food waste container or the yard waste compactors, the same way you dispose of grass clippings and garden waste. It cannot be bagged. If you want it picked up curbside, you may sign up with Harter’s Quick Clean-Up for subscription service (see bottom of page for more information).

How can I dispose of my food waste during the winter months?
When the yard waste site is closed for the season, residents must check in at our main office and we will direct you accordingly. You must call ahead at 608-789-7508. Office Hours: Monday-Friday, 7:00 AM-3:00 PM

How would you recommend residents haul food waste to your site?
We suggest a bucket with lid that you can empty and take with you. Regardless of whether they are labeled compostable or not, we do not accept any bags, boxes, or containers at our site. You may use anything to haul materials here, but you will need to empty it on-site and dispose of the bag/container separately.

Yard Waste

Yard waste is defined as grass clippings, leaves, weeds, and garden plants. If it does not meet this description, it will not be allowed at the yard waste site. PAPER COMPOSTABLE BAGS CANNOT BE PUT IN THE COMPACTORS. Just like garbage cans and plastic bags, paper compostable bag contents must now be emptied into a compactor and the bag disposed of separately. If you want curbside collection, you may sign up with Harter’s Quick Clean-Up for 'subscription service'.

Pickup Of Yard Waste & Food Waste As A ‘Subscription Service’ Through Harter's Quick Clean-Up

Residents who want their yard and food waste (NOT BRUSH) picked up at the curb or alley should contact the Harter’s Quick Clean-Up, 608-782-2082, to set up a Subscription Service. This means the fees are direct billed by Harter’s to the property owner. Yard waste collection is seasonal and is in a cart designated specifically for Yard Waste and allows for a small amount of food waste too. Current pricing for 2026: The 95-gallon cart will be delivered for a flat fee of $25. Weekly collection is $29/month; bi-weekly collection is $18.50/month; monthly collection is $17.50/month. This service is available seasonally April through November. 

Harter's also provides an Organics cart specifically for food waste and also allows for a small amount of yard debris. This subscription service is $39/month and runs year-round.

The list of accepted items allowed as food waste is attached above in the Food Waste section.