It is time for the annual downtown move out and there are a lot of things for movers and others to consider. Activity is expected to begin this weekend and peak on Tuesday August 14th when most renters have to be out of their apartments.

Residents in the downtown area who have their refuse and recycling collected on Thursdays can put their carts at the curb starting Monday August 13th. Crews from the Streets Division will be able to empty them so residents can use them again and again during the move out.

"Downtown residents always have lots of refuse and recycling this week," recycling coordinator George Dreckmann said. "We want to encourage them to put as much material in their refuse and recycling carts in order to make our collection more efficient. Since we have extra crews working in this area, we will be able to empty the carts so the residents can refill them over and over again during the move out."

The refuse and recycling carts will be emptied every day and residents can continue to fill them up every day from August 13th through August 17th.

In order to make the removal of trash easier for collection crews residents are asked to follow these simple guidelines:
Do NOT put trash in cardboard boxes.
Boxes must be flattened and placed in the green recycling carts or bundled for recycling.
Keep refuse and recycling separate when placed at the curb. Do not pile trash or large items around the refuse or recycling carts.
Do not place trash in recycling carts.
Put all refuse at the curb in the tan refuse carts, or trash bags.
No loose piles of trash/garbage.
Do not pile trash or recyclables on top of furniture or appliances.

Keep larger metal items separate from other material so that it can be recycled.
Most appliances, including microwaves, TV's, and computer monitors require a fee.

METAL THIEVES BEWARE!
It is illegal to take appliances, bikes, bed frames and other scrap metal items placed at the curb for City of Madison collection. This year, the Streets Division and the Madison Police Department will be stepping up efforts to stop metal theft during the move out and the rest of the year.
Once an item is placed at the curb, it is considered City property and cannot be taken from the terrace without permission of the City. The City does not give permission to individuals to remove appliances or scrap metal.
"Scrap metal theft costs the City of Madison $75,000 to $100,000 annually," Dreckmann said. "We are going to do all we can to stop this from occurring. We will have patrols in the area looking for metal thieves. Persons stealing metal form the curb can be fined $414 for stealing metal at the curb."
Appliance theft is also an environment issue as thieves do not bother complying with DNR regulations on Freon and mercury switch removal. This results in air, soil, and possibly groundwater pollution. Last year, there where huge amounts of broken glass from computer monitors ant televisions scattered around downtown as thieves broke shattered picture tubes to recover copper.
Donation Stations
The City of Madison has partnered with University of Wisconsin's We Conserve program, St. Vincent DePaul, and the ReThink student organization drop off donation centers downtown where movers can donate reusable items and food they no longer need. New this year is a free electronics recycling program at UW Lot 51
The donation sites and dates of operation are;
Holy Redeemer Church Parking Lot
120 W. Johnson St. - Just off State St.
Saturday August 11th 11 a.m. until 5 p.m.
Sunday August 12th, 1 p.m. until 5 p.m.
Monday August 13th 11 a.m. until 7 p.m.
U Haul Parking Lot
602 W. Washington AV.
Saturday August 11th 11 a.m. until 5 p.m.
Sunday August 12th, 1 p.m. until 5 p.m.
Monday August 13th 11 a.m. until 7 p.m.
Tuesday August 14th 11 a.m. until 7 p.m. (U Haul location ONLY)
Mills and Spring (North Corner UW Lot 51)
Saturday August 11th 11 a.m. until 5 p.m.
Sunday August 12th, 1 p.m. until 5 p.m.

Monday August 13th 11 a.m. until 7 p.m.

FREE DONATION PICK UP SERVICE
Do you have an item to donate that is too big to carry? No way to get your donations to the sites? Fear not, we are offering free pick up of your donations. For free pick up before August 11th call (608)278-2920. For pick up August 12th through the 14th call (608) 313-4086 or flag down one of our donation trucks driving through the area.

NEW THIS YEAR
Free Computer and Electronics Recycling Drop Off
An e-waste recycling site will be set up in Lot 51 to accept electronics, working or not, including computers, monitors, TVs, phones, small appliances, and game systems, for recycling by the UW-Madison We Conserve program. THIS SERVICE IS ONLY OFFERED AT THE LOT 51 SITE
University of Wisconsin Donate & Take Event
The university of Wisconsin We Conserve program is sponsoring a donate and take event on campus. People on the move can drop off items for reuse and search for materials they need.
Location: UW-Madison Lot 92 (214 N. Brooks St.)
Hours:
Friday, Aug. 10 - Wednesday, Aug. 15, 9 a.m. - 5 p.m.
Thursday, Aug. 16, 9 a.m. - 4 p.m.
Additional information is available at the City of Madison web site
www.cityofmadison.com/streets or by calling 267-2626.

Sell or Give Away Useable Items on the Madison Stuff Exchange
Because so many people are moving into new apartments, the demand for used furniture and other household items will be very high. That makes this a great time to list items you no longer use on the Madison Stuff Exchange.
"Area residents should take advantage of the influx of new residents by listing unwanted household items on the Madison Stuff Exchange," Dreckmann said. "This free web sites is also a great place for new residents to find items for their apartment."
Residents of Madison and Dane County can register to use the site at no charge. Items can be given away or offered for sale. There is a maximum sale price of $99 for any item and businesses may not use the site to sell their products or services. Residents looking for items can also register and post their wanted list on line.

The address of the Madison Stuff Exchange is www.madisonstuffexchange.com.