Duluth, MN Trash & Recycling: Bin Placement Rules (2026)

Section 24-18(a) sets the residential container standard: every dwelling or business owner must keep "sufficient portable watertight containers to hold all the solid waste which accumulates on such premises" between collections, and for "residential structures containing four or less dwelling units," those containers are capped at "a maximum size of 32 gallons," must have "handles and a tight and securely-fitted cover," and must be built or lined to be watertight. " A container over 32 gallons, or one loaded past 45 pounds, falls outside the definition of "ordinary collection" entirely, meaning the licensed collector is not obligated to empty it as a routine pickup.

Subsection (b) exempts properties served by "automated loading solid waste collection systems and equipment" from the size cap. Placement matters too: subsection (c) requires containers to sit, "during the hours scheduled for collection," in "a convenient location readily accessible to the collector," and subsection (d) requires the cover kept "tightly covered and securely closed at all times" whenever the container holds putrescible waste, loosening only to be "kept covered when and as necessary" for non-putrescible material. A licensed collector who spots a violation must report it to the solid waste compliance officer and tag the container on-site describing the problem, under subsection (e).