Duluth, MN Trash & Recycling: Pickup Rules & Schedules (2026)
Key Facts
- Solid waste minimum
- weekly collection required
- Recycling minimum
- monthly collection required
- Earliest start
- 6:00 a.m. weekdays, 7:00 a.m. Saturday
- Container cap
- 32 gallons, 45 lbs (4 units or fewer)
- Default penalty
- up to $1,000 per day, Sec. 1-7
Summary
In the City of Duluth, licensed haulers run solid waste pickup at least weekly and recycling pickup at least monthly, and they must post a schedule naming the collection day and the exact hours. City code bars any residential collection before 7:00 a.m. on Saturday or before 6:00 a.m. on any other day, protecting sleeping neighborhoods from early truck noise.
(a) It shall be the duty of any licensed collector to collect and remove any of the solid waste and recyclables referred to in this Chapter and to establish and maintain a schedule for regular ordinary collection of such solid waste and recyclables providing for collection on at least a weekly basis for solid waste and a monthly basis for recyclables and to make available a schedule setting forth the days or day of the week and the hours within which such collections will be made. No collections shall be made in a residential district before 7:00 a.m. on Saturday, nor before 6:00 a.m. on any other day;
Full Breakdown
Duluth Legislative Code Chapter 24 puts the collection duty on licensed haulers, not the city. Section 24-20 requires each collector to keep a written schedule showing the day or days of the week and the hours of collection, filed so residents can check when trucks are due. Weekly service is the floor for garbage, and monthly service is the floor for recyclables; a hauler can offer more often but never less. any other day. Section 24-18 caps ordinary residential containers at 32 gallons with a tight lid, holding no more than 45 pounds, for buildings of four units or fewer; automated-loading carts are exempt from that size cap.
Section 24-19 requires a separate, covered container for recyclables, and bans mixing manure, dead animals or other solid waste into it. Owners of four units or fewer must be signed up with a licensed collector under Section 24-17, though two nearby households (within 300 feet, or related by blood) may combine service onto one 32-gallon container with a written agreement filed with the city clerk. Haulers must also report recycling tonnage to the Western Lake Superior Sanitary District (WLSSD) on WLSSD's own forms, and let the solid waste compliance officer inspect customer records on request.
Base collection rates are set by council resolution and filed by each hauler at least 30 days before taking effect; no hauler may charge above the rate structure's ceiling.
Violations & Fines
Duluth has no chapter-specific fine written into Chapter 24, so a violation defaults to the citywide penalty in Section 1-7: a fine of up to $1,000, with each day of continued noncompliance a separate offense. Licensed collectors who spot a container violation must tag it and report it to the solid waste compliance officer, who can investigate and order corrective action or city-ordered removal billed back to the property owner.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Sources & Official References
Other rules in Duluth
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