Washington County, MN Trash & Recycling: Recycling Requirements (2026)

Section 13 of Ordinance No. 2845,' the state standard the county adopts by reference rather than writing its own separate design code. A Recycling Facility owner must also send the county's Department of Public Health and Environment a copy of the annual report it already files with the MPCA, due within 30 calendar days of that MPCA submittal. On the resident side, Section 9's collection rules protect the economics of recycling directly: a licensed Hauler 'shall not impose a greater charge on residents who recycle than on residents who do not recycle,' so a household that separates out recyclables cannot be billed a premium for doing so.

Recycling is also woven into the county's waste-flow system through the Designated Facility, the Ramsey/Washington County Recycling & Energy Center, run by the joint powers R&E Board, which handles both recovery of recyclables and energy recovery from Mixed Municipal Solid Waste generated in the county. Haulers must describe their 'Recycling and other waste abatement activities' as part of their county license application, giving the Department visibility into how much of each hauler's route is actually being recycled rather than landfilled or burned.