Green Tips Signup
Household Hazardous Waste
Yard Waste
Wondering what to do with those mounds of raked leaves and clumps of grass clippings? Think of it as a resource—one that will help keep your flowers blooming and your yard healthy and beautiful, year after year.
Mixing yard and tree waste with your trash is illegal in Minnesota. Rather than paying to dispose of this organicresource, compost it!
Compostable Bag Law
Effective January 1, 2010, residents in the Twin Cities area who bag their yard and organic waste are required to put their waste out for pickup in compostable bags—either paper bags or compostable plastic bags. This affects residents in the following counties: Anoka, Carver, Hennepin, Ramsey, Scott, and Washington.
Yard waste pick-up services no longer take the regular plastic bags and it's illegal to place yard waste in the trash, so be sure to use compostable bags! You can learn all about the compostable bag requirements here.
Reuse Tips
Backyard Composting
Composting is a good way for you to reduce the amount of food thrown away, as many types of food scraps, along with leaves and yard waste trimmings, can be combined in your backyard compost bin to create a valuable soil additive for your lawn and garden. That is recycling at its best! There is a bonus, too, as the finished compost can help improve your soil or be used as a mulch around plants.Food Waste That CAN Be Composted
- Vegetable and fruit scraps, rinds, and peels
- Coffee grounds and filters
- Tea leaves and tea bags
- Egg shells
- Nut shells
- Plant trimmings
- Grass and leaves
Do NOT Compost Fats or Animal Products
- Butter, cheese, or dairy products
- Meats or bones
- Gravies or sauces
- Pet waste
These items should be thrown away with your trash. Cooking oil and grease is accepted from residents at the Carver County Environmental Center and Dakota County Recycling Zone.
To find more tips on backyard composting, visit our Food Waste page and Compost area.
Recycling & Disposal Information
Here are some tips for managing your yard waste.
Grass clippings
Leave on the lawn to eliminate or reduce the need for fertilizers. If you're still using fertilizers, do so sparingly and choose phosphorus-free varieties to keep our rivers and lakes free of algae.
In Your Own Backyard
Compost your garden, yard and food waste. For information on getting started and what to compost, visit the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency web site or your county (see links at right). You can find information on purchasing a compost bin or how to make your own in our Compost area.
Curbside Pick-Up
Contact your waste hauler or county for information on options and material preparations. Your waste hauler may separately collect yard waste for a fee, and then bring it to a commercial compost site. You can also get garden-ready compost at many of these sites.
Compost Sites
Drop off your yard waste at the site nearest you. Contact your waste hauler, city, or county office (see links at right) for drop-off site locations, items accepted and any fees involved. Most yard waste sites are only open seasonally.
Download the Composting Card as a reference for when you're not online.
For more information on how to reduce and properly manage your yardwaste and for local compost site locations, contact your county (see links at right).
Emerald Ash Borer
For information on the Emerald Ash Borer and proper disposal, visit the Minnesota Department of Agriculture or contact your county (see links at right).
