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

Division (C) of § 50.03 of the Apple Valley Code of Ordinances, enacted by the Apple Valley City Council, states that in compliance with Dakota County Ordinance No. 110, entitled Solid Waste Management, adopted November 26, 2019 by the Dakota County Board of Commissioners, its requirements apply within the city. Terms such as generator, multi-unit residential building, recyclables, designated list of recyclables, organics and solid waste abatement messaging carry the meanings in the county ordinance.

Multi-unit residential buildings come first. Owners and managers who provide and manage municipal solid waste through a common contract must ensure recycling service is provided to all residents, comply with the venue requirements in division (C)(3), and provide recycling containers with a weekly service capacity of at least 0.1 cubic yards per dwelling unit. They must also ensure that the collection schedule and container capacity are sufficient to contain all the recyclables and organics (if collected) from the building and public spaces and to prevent overflowing containers.

Large event venues with organics face the fuller list. Property owners, managers and event sponsors must, effective January 1, 2021, ensure that recyclables on the designated list are collected for recycling. Containers must cover indoor and outdoor locations, public, private and communal spaces. All trash containers or chutes must be co-located within 10 feet of a recycling container or chute, with equal access. Every trash, recycling and organics container must be labeled with the term trash, recycling, recycle or organics, show images of acceptable materials, be color-coded blue for recycling, green for organics and gray or black for trash, and be visible and legible. Trash must go to a licensed facility, recyclables to a recycling facility, and organics to food recovery or a composting facility or anaerobic digester.

Messaging is mandatory as well. Solid waste abatement messaging must reach each employee, tenant, multi-unit resident, student, volunteer, and housekeeping and custodial contractor, be documented, and occur at least annually, within 30 days of any substantive change to the generator's waste program, and within 30 days of a new hire or new tenant.