Garbage and recycling

These groups can contract with any licensed hauler

• Apartment buildings with five or more units
• Businesses or other organizations
  • Schools
  • Places of worship
  • Non-profits
  • Etc.

Whether you use the City's service or another licensed hauler, you must follow these guidelines:

• Garbage and recycling collection is required. If recycling is not available at your apartment or workplace, contact us.
• The collection site must be kept clean.
• The recycling collection area must be as easy to access and use as the garbage area.
• Dumpsters or carts must have capacity to hold all the garbage and recycling produced.
• There must be enough space to store all waste containers for the property. Containers cannot be visible from the front of the property.
• You must have a written recycling plan, and you must give written recycling information to tenants (residential or commercial) every year.

See commercial recycling ordinance

See multiunit recycling ordinance

Organics recycling (compostables)

Any property, residential or commercial, can start an organics recycling program. Some businesses are required to have an organics diversion program.

When you're required to have organics recycling

Hennepin County requires businesses to have organics recycling if either of the following is true:

• You generate 1 ton or more of garbage each week
• You contract for 8 cubic yards or more of garbage each week

For more information, visit Hennepin County's Organics Recycling for Businesses and Organizations

The City of Minneapolis does not require businesses to have organics recycling programs.

Starting organics recycling

Contact your hauler and ask if they provide the service

For a list of haulers that offer organics recycling, visit the Hennepin County’s Organics Recycling web page

If organics recycling isn't available through your hauler, we may be able to provide it.

1. Call Solid Waste & Recycling
2. A foreman will visit the property
3. You're welcome to meet with the foreman, but if you're not available, we can inspect the site without you. 
4. If we can provide organics service: we’ll give you an application. Once you return it to us, we'll deliver your carts within 10 business days. Your service will start as soon as you get your carts.

Using the City's service

You can use our collection service if:

• You're near a collection route (our staff will visit the property to check)
• All the building's waste will fit in carts
• There's enough room to store the carts
• You're able to have carts at the collection point by 6 a.m. on your collection day
• You have a City of Minneapolis utility (water) bill that we can add your service fees to

For more information or to set up a visit to your property, contact us.

Help from Hennepin County

Hennepin County offers free support and grants to help apartment buildings, businesses and other organizations reduce waste and strengthen recycling or organics recycling (composting) programs.

See Hennepin County business recycling

Hennepin County's Green Disposal Guide is a searchable online tool for residents living in large buildings to determine how to dispose of items.

Hennepin County Green Disposal Guide