Trash & Recycling in Stearns County, MN (2026)
7 rules for unincorporated Stearns County, Minnesota.
Verified from official government sources
Pickup Rules & Schedules
Stearns County requires all covered solid waste to move through the County's public collection system under Ordinance No. 193. No one may collect or haul waste in the county except through that system, a licensed contract hauler, or the narrow self-hauler exception in Section 3.7.
Stearns County Mandatory Trash Collection Rules
Some RestrictionsStearns County Ordinance No. 193 (Public Solid Waste Service), Section 3.1
3.1 Ordinance Applies to all Covered Solid Waste. All covered solid waste generated or accumulated in the County shall be collected and conveyed to point of disposal by the County through the public collection system, except as expressly exempted in this ordinance. No person shall collect or convey any covered solid waste in the County, except as expressly exempted in or authorized by this ordi...
Recycling Requirements
Under Ordinance No. 193, the county's Solid Waste Director can impose mandatory recycling requirements district by district and must guarantee every county-provided hauling customer the recycling opportunities set out in Minnesota Statutes Section 115A.552.
Stearns County Mandatory Recycling Requirements
Some RestrictionsStearns County Ordinance No. 193 (Public Solid Waste Service), Section 4.1.2
4.1.2 Opportunity to Recycle. The Director may establish mandatory recycling requirements for County provided residential and non-residential service for one or more solid waste districts. The Director shall ensure that county provided service, including that provided by contract haulers, provides the opportunities to recycle contained in Minnesota Statutes, Section 115A.552, subdivision 2; or ...
Illegal Dumping
Stearns County bans unauthorized accumulation or dumping of solid waste under Ordinance No. 193, gives the Solid Waste Director power to order cleanup within 10 days, and backs the order with liens, civil action, and criminal misdemeanor charges.
Stearns County Illegal Dumping Penalties
Significant RestrictionsStearns County Ordinance No. 193 (Public Solid Waste Service), Section 4.4
4.4 Unauthorized Accumulation or Deposit of Solid Waste. The unauthorized accumulation, deposit or handling of solid waste not otherwise covered by Ordinance 171, the Stearns County Solid Waste Ordinance, or successor ordinances, is hereby prohibited. The Director may, by written notification, require the owners or occupants of property to remove any unauthorized accumulation or deposit of soli...
Yard Waste Collection
Stearns County bans burning yard waste inside the shoreland overlay's most sensitive zones. Ordinance 439 Section 10.2.13.F states that burning of yard waste is prohibited within the shore and bluff impact zones or on steep slopes bordering the county's lakes and rivers, protecting water quality and vegetation buffers along the shoreline.
Stearns County Shoreland Yard Waste Burning Ban
Heavy RestrictionsStearns County Ordinance No. 439 (Land Use and Zoning), § 10.2.13.F
F. Burning of yard waste is prohibited within the shore and bluff impact zones or on steep slopes.
Dumpster Rules
Stearns County's Land Use and Zoning Ordinance No. 439 requires any trash enclosure or recycling collection area at a non-residential property to be screened on at least three sides by an opaque fence at least six feet tall, with the open side kept away from the street or a neighbor's front yard.
Stearns County Commercial Trash Enclosure Rules
Some RestrictionsStearns County Land Use and Zoning Ordinance No. 439, Sec. 7.32
Trash enclosures or recycling collection areas, when provided for any property other than one containing residential uses, shall be enclosed on at least three sides by a neutral colored fence or other screening material that is eighty (80) percent opaque on a year around basis to a height of at least six (6) feet. The open side of the enclosure shall not face any street or the front yard of any...
Collection Schedule
Stearns County does not fix weekly pickup days in its ordinance; instead Ordinance No. 193 requires every property in a solid waste district to receive and pay for collection service, with the county choosing direct, municipal-contract, or hauler-based service district by district.
Stearns County Mandatory Trash Service Rule
Some RestrictionsStearns County Ordinance No. 193 (Public Solid Waste Service), Section 6.1
6.1 Service to All Properties. Unless exempted under Section 5 or Section 3.7 of this Ordinance, every property shall receive, and the owner or occupant thereof shall pay a user fee for collection and disposal of covered solid waste and recyclables. The amount of that fee will be determined by the County Board, by resolution. The mechanism for determining fees will be set by the Solid Waste Col...
Recycling Rules
Under the county's Solid Waste Ordinance No. 431, any hauler licensed to collect solid waste in Stearns County must keep source-separated recyclables out of the trash stream and cannot handle them in a way that hurts their reuse or resale value.
Stearns County Recyclables Handling Rules
Some RestrictionsStearns County Ordinance No. 431 (Solid Waste Ordinance), Section 7.9
7.9 Source Separated Recyclables Collection and Transportation. Any person or operation involved in the collection and or transportation of solid waste for hire in Stearns County shall not mix recyclable materials sorted at the source of the recyclables generation with solid waste or handle recyclable materials in any way that reduces the reusability or marketability of the recyclable materials.
All Stearns County ordinances
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