How to Get Rid of a Refrigerator in Madison, WI
Updated
Short answer
In Madison, put the fridge (doors removed) on a Large Item Work Order: free if the city collects your recycling, $35 if it doesn't. Dane County Clean Sweep takes refrigerators for $35 each; the Dane County Landfill refuses them. Hired removal runs $50 to $400 per appliance nationally.
Options
- City of Madison: work order or drop-off site, metal and appliances in their own pile, doors off. Dorm fridges under 50 pounds are a $15 fee item.
- Dane County Clean Sweep, 7020 Maahic Way: $35, doors removed, food removed, rinsed.
- Fitchburg (Pellitteri, 2025): $66 for a curbside refrigerator or freezer pickup.
- Pellitteri's 2026 HOA and condo sheet: $70, empty of food.
- Sun Prairie Recycle Center: refuses refrigerators, freezers, ACs, water coolers and dehumidifiers.
- Windsor recycling centers: refuse refrigerant appliances, dehumidifiers included.
Why the doors come off
Madison, Clean Sweep and Pellitteri all require it. It is a safety rule for children, and Pellitteri's sheet ties it to local ordinances.
Quick answers
Will the Dane County Landfill take my refrigerator?
No. Freon-containing appliances are not accepted there; take it to Clean Sweep ($35) or use a municipal program.
Rather not haul it yourself?
Tell us what needs to go and where. A local crew sorts the recycling, donation and landfill streams for you and replies with a price first.