Verified disposal rules for Minneapolis residents — Minnesota's largest city (~425,000 people across 22 ZIPs). The City of Minneapolis runs its own curbside collection (Solid Waste & Recycling), and full-service HHW lives at Hennepin County's two facilities. ClearPath sources rules from minneapolismn.gov + hennepin.us + MPCA, with citations on every answer.
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Minneapolis runs single-stream recycling: paper, cardboard, metal cans, glass bottles, and rigid plastics #1, #2, #5 all go in the same blue cart. Plastic bags do NOT go in the cart — return them to a grocery-store drop bin instead. The city publishes a Green Week / Blue Week calendar so you know which cart goes out each week.
Minneapolis was the first major Midwest city to offer curbside organics. Sign up free at minneapolismn.gov; the city delivers a green cart that gets collected weekly. Accepts food scraps (including meat + dairy + bones), paper food packaging, BPI-certified compostables, and yard waste. About 50% of Minneapolis households now participate.
Mattresses, couches, dressers, refrigerators (Freon recovery included), and other oversize items are collected through scheduled bulk pickup. City of Minneapolis garbage customers get one free pickup per year. Schedule online at minneapolismn.gov or 612-673-2917. Items must be at the alley/curb by 6 a.m. on collection day.
Minneapolis is in Hennepin County, so HHW (paint, motor oil, antifreeze, pesticides, fluorescent bulbs, lithium-ion batteries, propane tanks) goes to Hennepin County's permanent HHW facilities: Brooklyn Park Transfer Station (8100 Jefferson Highway) or Bloomington (1400 W 96th St). Free for residents — bring photo ID.
The Minneapolis South & Hennepin County Transfer Station (2850 20th Ave S) accepts most items the curbside program doesn't — block foam, electronics, scrap metal, mattresses (fee applies), and bulky yard debris. Free for residents on most items; nominal fees on mattresses, tires, and appliances.
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Check an item in Minneapolis →Most disposal rules in Minneapolis are set at the county level by Hennepin County. The Minneapolis city policies above layer on top of that — for the full rule text, HHW facility list, and county-wide programs, see:
Hennepin County disposal guide →Recycling runs every other week on either a Green Week or Blue Week schedule, depending on your address. Look up your specific day at minneapolismn.gov/resident-services/garbage-recycling/ or call 612-673-2917. Garbage runs every week regardless.
Easiest: schedule a bulk pickup via minneapolismn.gov — your annual free pickup covers a mattress, or pay $30 if you've used your free one. Otherwise: South & Hennepin Transfer Station (2850 20th Ave S) accepts mattresses for a small fee. Goodwill and Salvation Army only take usable, stain-free mattresses.
Yes, clean and dry pizza boxes go in the blue recycling cart. Greasy or food-stained boxes belong in the green organics cart (if you have one) or trash. Single-stream sorting at the MRF can handle limited soiling on cardboard but heavy grease contaminates the load.
Free at Hennepin County HHW (Brooklyn Park or Bloomington locations) — accepts both latex and oil-based. Free at PaintCare drop-off sites at most local paint retailers (Hirshfield's, Sherwin-Williams, Home Depot) — paintcare.org/find-a-drop-off-site lists MN locations.
Yes — free curbside Christmas tree pickup runs the first two full weeks of January for City of Minneapolis garbage customers. Remove all decorations, lights, stand, and tree skirt. Trees with flocking (sprayed snow) cannot be composted; they go in trash. Trees after the pickup window can be dropped at Hennepin County compost sites year-round.
Free for all City of Minneapolis garbage customers. Sign up at minneapolismn.gov/resident-services/garbage-recycling/organics/ — the city delivers a green cart in 1-2 weeks. Weekly pickup, accepts food scraps (including meat + dairy + bones), paper food containers, BPI-certified compostables, and yard waste.
