Woodbury, MN Trash & Recycling: Illegal Dumping (2026)

Woodbury attacks illegal dumping on two fronts: local nuisance and property-maintenance enforcement, and state criminal law. Locally, the city requires that properties be kept free of refuse and waste, and that all waste material, debris, refuse, recycling, yard waste, or garbage be properly contained. Accumulations of trash, junk, or debris on private property are treated as nuisances under Chapter 15 of the City Code and addressed through the complaint-driven correction-notice process, which can escalate to citation and city abatement if the material is not removed. For dumping on public land, in public waters, in parks, or on someone else's private property, Minnesota Statute 609.68 (Unlawful Deposit of Garbage, Litter, or Like) controls. That statute makes it unlawful to place garbage, rubbish, cigarette filters, debris from fireworks, offal, a dead animal, or other litter in or upon any public highway, public waters or the ice on them, shoreland areas adjacent to rivers or streams, public lands, or, without the owner's consent, private lands or water. A violation is classified as a petty misdemeanor. Because Woodbury has an open hauling system, residents should dispose of waste through their licensed hauler or the Washington County Environmental Center rather than dumping it. Combining the city's nuisance authority with the state littering statute gives Woodbury strong tools against both on-property accumulation and off-property dumping.