Apple Valley, MN Trash & Recycling: Dumpster Rules (2026)

Section 50.02(D) of the Apple Valley Code of Ordinances governs dumpster bags and small dumpsters on private property. Section 50.01 defines a flexible dumpster as a container with a holding capacity not exceeding five cubic yards, used for temporary storage of special pick-up refuse and commonly known as a dumpster bag, soft-side dumpster or waste removal bag, used in lieu of a metal front or rear-load or roll-off dumpster. A compact dumpster is a metal, composite or other hard-side container for refuse disposal that does not exceed five cubic yards.

The placement limits are specific. No unit can sit within the roadway surface of any street, and it must be located behind the street curb. No unit can be placed within or block any portion of a sidewalk, path or trail. No unit can be placed within 15 feet of a water/fire hydrant. On duration, a unit cannot remain on a property more than 14 days from the date it was placed outdoors, and it must be collected by a waste hauler or otherwise removed within one week of being filled to capacity.

Contents are restricted by § 50.02(D)(1). No garbage, recyclables, swill or other liquid waste goes in. Only refuse of a solid physical form is allowed, such as construction or demolition debris, discarded household goods or wares, and cardboard or packaging waste. Under division (D)(6), all refuse must be completely and securely inside the container, with nothing sticking out or above the top of the container sides and nothing outside the container beyond the plane of the street curb line. The property owner or occupant must promptly collect any refuse that falls or is blown out and store it as refuse must be stored.

Section 50.07(B) makes Chapter 50 the controlling rule for flexible and compact dumpsters anywhere in the city, notwithstanding any other Code provision regulating dumpsters. Chapter 50 prints no separate placement standard for larger front-load or roll-off containers, and § 50.02(A) still requires commercial and industrial occupants to keep watertight containers impervious to insects, rodents and vermin for all waste between collections.