Dakota County, MN Trash & Recycling: Yard Waste Collection (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing law
- Ordinance No. 110, Sec. 15.02(J)
- Accepted formats
- Compostable paper bag, separate reusable container, or loose
- Bag standard
- ASTM D6400 compostable bag spec
- Collection hours
- 6:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. residential
- Enforcing agency
- Dakota County Environmental Resources
- Related rule
- Sec. 3.01(C) bars yard waste in trash
Summary
Dakota County Ordinance No. 110 requires solid waste haulers in the unincorporated county to collect yard waste separately from trash. Yard waste must go out in compostable paper bags, a reusable container the hauler supplies, or loose and uncontainerized, never mixed into the regular trash cart.
J. YARD WASTE COLLECTION. Solid waste haulers shall only accept for collection, yard waste that is
generated and placed for collection in Dakota County: (1) that has been placed in paper bags or other
containers that meet all the specifications in American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) Standard
Specific for Compostable Bags (D6400) or (2) that is in a container that is not collected with the yard waste;
or (3) that is not containerized.
K. PROHIBITED WASTES. Solid waste haulers shall not accept for collection in Dakota County any mixed
municipal solid waste that contains yard waste, Christmas trees, dry cell batteries (as prohibited by Minn.
Stat. �115A.9155), wastes containing mercury (as prohibited by Minn. Stat. �115A.932), motor vehicle
fluids and filters (as prohibited in Minn. Stat. �115A.916), cathode ray tubes or any additional materials
prohibited under Section 3.01 A and B.
Full Breakdown
02(J) of Ordinance No. 110, Solid Waste Management, spells out exactly how licensed haulers may accept yard waste generated in Dakota County: it must be bagged in paper or another container meeting ASTM Standard Specification for Compostable Bags D6400, placed in a separate container that is not collected together with regular trash, or simply left loose and uncontainerized for pickup. Haulers who fail to follow this format are not permitted to take the material as yard waste. 02(J) is the companion rule that binds the hauler's side of the same transaction, defining what a compliant collection actually looks like at the curb.
01(A)/(B) prohibited list. 141 to mean garden wastes, leaves, lawn cuttings, weeds, shrub and tree waste, and prunings generated at residential, commercial, or public properties. under subsection (I). Because unincorporated Dakota County contracts collection through licensed private haulers rather than a county fleet, residents who bag yard waste incorrectly, mixed with trash or in a non-compostable bag, risk having the hauler simply decline to pick it up until it is repackaged to spec.
Violations & Fines
A hauler that accepts yard waste outside these formats, or takes a mixed load containing yard waste, is out of compliance with its county license under Ordinance No. 110 and can face license suspension, revocation, or civil penalties enforced by Dakota County Environmental Resources, the department charged with administering the solid waste ordinance. Residents whose yard waste is set out loose in plastic trash bags, or mixed directly into the trash cart, should expect the hauler to leave it uncollected rather than risk violating Section 15.02(J)/(K); repeat improper set-outs are handled between the resident and their contracted hauler, since collection itself is a private service operating under the county license.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I put yard waste in a regular plastic trash bag?
Can I mix yard waste with my regular trash?
Who enforces the yard waste collection format in Dakota County?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Dakota County
Compare Dakota County to another location·View the Minnesota trash & recycling overview
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