Trash & Recycling in Dakota County, MN (2026)
10 rules for unincorporated Dakota County, Minnesota.
Verified from official government sources
Pickup Rules & Schedules
Dakota County uses open-hauler collection: residents contract directly with a licensed hauler, and every hauler serving the county must be licensed and accept the county's designated recyclables. Under Ordinance 110, no one may collect solid waste in the county without a license (except hauling your own household waste).
Trash and Recycling Collection in Dakota County
Some RestrictionsDakota County Ordinance 110, Sec. 15.01
No person may collect and/or dispose solid waste, including recyclable materials, within Dakota County without first being granted a license to do so by the department as specified in this section. This section shall not apply to persons who collect and transport their own household solid waste. This section shall not apply to persons collecting or hauling strictly demolition waste or specia...
Bin Placement Rules
Where and when you set out carts is set by your city and hauler, but Dakota County Ordinance 110, Sec. 16.06, requires every trash, recycling, and organics container to have a visible, legible, color-coded label - blue for recycling, green for organics, gray or black for trash - showing accepted
Cart Labeling Rules Under County Ordinance 110
Some RestrictionsDakota County Ordinance 110, Sec. 16.06(A)
Ensure each trash, recycling, and organics container has a visible sign or label that is consistent with the Department's solid waste abatement messaging including: a. Indicates which materials are acceptable in designated containers by using the term "Trash" or "Recycling" or "Recycle" or "Organics."...
Bulk Item Disposal
Yard waste, household hazardous waste, electronics, appliances, and tires are banned from Dakota County trash and recycling. Ordinance 110 makes it unlawful to put yard waste in mixed municipal solid waste. Take hazardous waste to The Recycling Zone in Eagan.
Yard Waste, HHW, and Bulky Items - What Cannot Go in the
Some RestrictionsDakota County Ordinance 110, Sec. 3.01(C)
It shall be unlawful and a violation of this ordinance for any person to dispose of yard waste in mixed municipal solid waste. 2. It shall be a violation of this ordinance for any person to place for collection in Dakota County, yard waste, unless it is: (1) placed in paper bags or other biodegradable containers that wil...
Recycling Requirements
All Dakota County residents, businesses, multifamily properties, schools, and governments must recycle a designated list of materials, and every licensed hauler must accept them. The Designated List of Recyclables is set by the County Board and posted online. Recycling supports Minnesota's goal to recycle 75% of waste by 2030.
Mandatory Recycling Under Dakota County Ordinance 110
Some RestrictionsDakota County Ordinance 110, Sec. 2 (Designated List)
County Board of Commissioners and published by the Department on the Dakota County Website that represents the minimum haulers must accept and generators must recycle. Generators, facilities and haulers will have six months to implement any changes after it is published. "DISASTER" means a situation that creates an actual or imminent serious threat to the health and safet...
Mandatory Organics Recycling
Dakota County phases in mandatory food-scrap separation for large commercial generators on a rolling schedule: grocery stores and food distributors by 2022, hospitals and schools by 2023, and restaurants, hotels and event centers by 2024, all under Ordinance 110's organics requirement.
Mandatory Organics Separation for Businesses in Dakota County
Significant RestrictionsDakota County Ordinance No. 110, Sec. 16.04
A. Property owners, managers, and event sponsors of the following large commercial organics generators shall comply with this section: 1. By January 1, 2022, Food wholesalers, distributors and manufacturers; grocery stores. 2. By January 1, 2023, Hospitals; schools, colleges and universities with dining services. 3. By January 1, 2024, Office buildings with dining services; hotels; farmers mark...
Illegal Dumping
Illegal dumping is prohibited by Dakota County Ordinance 110 and Minnesota law. Ordinance 110 bars disposing of solid waste anywhere except a county-licensed facility. Under Minn. Stat. 609.68, unlawfully depositing garbage or litter on public or others' private land is a petty misdemeanor.
Illegal Dumping Prohibited (County Ordinance + Minnesota Law)
Some RestrictionsDakota County Ordinance 110, Sec. 3.01(E)
Unless otherwise provided in this ordinance, no person shall, within Dakota County: Intentionally dispose of any solid waste except at a solid waste facility licensed by the county.
Yard Waste Collection
Dakota County Ordinance No. 110 requires solid waste haulers in the unincorporated county to collect yard waste separately from trash. Yard waste must go out in compostable paper bags, a reusable container the hauler supplies, or loose and uncontainerized, never mixed into the regular trash cart.
Yard Waste Collection Rules in Dakota County, MN
Some RestrictionsDakota County Ordinance No. 110, Sec. 15.02(J)
J. YARD WASTE COLLECTION. Solid waste haulers shall only accept for collection, yard waste that is generated and placed for collection in Dakota County: (1) that has been placed in paper bags or other containers that meet all the specifications in American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) Standard Specific for Compostable Bags (D6400) or (2) that is in a container ...
Dumpster Rules
Dakota County's hauler licensing ordinance caps how long solid waste can sit in a collection vehicle or detachable container, including roll-off dumpsters, at 48 hours, and requires any stored waste to sit under a water-impermeable cover, with exceptions only for weather, breakdowns or accidents.
Dumpster and Roll-Off Storage Rules in Dakota County
Some RestrictionsDakota County Ordinance No. 110, Sec. 15.02(E)
The licensee shall not allow solid waste to remain or be stored in any collection or transportation vehicle, including roll-offs and other detachable containers in excess of forty-eight (48) hours, except in the event of an emergency such as inclement weather, equipment breakdown, or accident. Any storage of waste in containers must be done with a water impermeable cover. ...
Collection Schedule
Licensed haulers serving unincorporated Dakota County may not collect or transport residential solid waste before 6:00 a.m. or after 9:00 p.m., a countywide curfew set in the Solid Waste Management Ordinance's equipment and operations section that applies to every hauler license the county issues.
Trash Collection Hours in Dakota County
Light RestrictionsDakota County Ordinance No. 110, Sec. 15.02(I)
The licensee may not collect and transport solid waste from residential sources before 6:00 a.m. or after 9:00 p.m. J. YARD WASTE COLLECTION. Solid waste haulers shall only accept for collection, yard waste that is generated and placed for collection in Dakota County: (1) that has been placed in paper bags or other containers that meet all the specifications in American...
Recycling Rules
Property owners, managers and event sponsors in Dakota County must provide recycling containers within 10 feet of every trash container or chute, give both equal access, and route recyclables and organics to a licensed recycling or composting facility under Ordinance 110's Section 16.05.
Recycling Container Placement Rules in Dakota County
Some RestrictionsDakota County Ordinance No. 110, Sec. 16.05(A)(3), (5)
3. Ensure all trash collection containers or collection chutes are co-located within 10 feet from a recycling container or recycling chute. Each container or chute must have equal access. 4. Ensure all trash, recyclables, and organics collection containers are clearly labeled or marked as required in 16.06. ...
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