Washington County, MN Trash & Recycling: Collection Schedule (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing law
- Solid Waste Mgmt Ordinance No. 202, § 18 (Designation)
- Designated Facility
- Ramsey/Washington County Recycling & Energy Center
- Applies to
- Haulers, self-haulers, political subdivisions alike
- Civil penalty
- Up to $10,000 per day of violation
- Enforced under
- Minn. Stat. § 115A.86, subd. 6
- Tipping fee
- Paid to R&E Board on every delivery
Summary
Washington County requires every bit of acceptable garbage generated in the county, whether picked up by a licensed hauler or hauled by the resident, to go to the county's Designated Facility, the Ramsey/Washington County Recycling & Energy Center. Under Ordinance No. 202, no one can send that trash to a different landfill or transfer station without county authorization.
All Acceptable Waste Generated within the County must be delivered to the Designated Facility and may not be delivered to any other Solid Waste Facility except as provided in subsections 18.4, 18.7, 18.9, and 18.10, herein. The County may from time to time designate additional Solid Waste Facilities. This provision is binding on all Persons in the County, including without limitation, political subdivisions, Solid Waste Disposal Facilities, Generators, Haulers, and Self-Haulers.
Full Breakdown
Washington County Solid Waste Management Ordinance No. 7). 1. Residents who haul their own trash in a passenger vehicle are exempt from the hauler-licensing requirements of Section 9, but their waste is still subject to Designation and must still be delivered in a nuisance-free manner consistent with the ordinance's intent. Everyone who delivers waste to the Designated Facility must pay a Tipping Fee to the R&E Board, the joint powers board of Ramsey and Washington Counties that sets and can amend that fee. The Facility's operator can reject a load it reasonably believes contains Unacceptable Waste and issue a Certificate of Rejection; anyone who deposits rejected waste there must recover it immediately on the operator's demand.
If the Director of the county's Department of Public Health and Environment interrupts Designation, the county gives haulers, municipalities and self-haulers reasonable notice before and after, and waste may go to an alternate permitted facility only during that window.
Violations & Fines
Washington County enforces Designation under Minnesota Statutes §115A.86, subd. 6, through Section 20 of Ordinance No. 202. Diverting waste away from the Designated Facility can draw both a misdemeanor charge and a civil penalty of up to $10,000 per day of violation, plus the county's attorney fees and court costs; each day the violation continues counts as a separate offense.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I take my own trash to a landfill outside Washington County?
What is the Designated Facility?
What happens if someone violates the waste designation rule?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Washington County
Compare Washington County to another location·View the Minnesota trash & recycling overview
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