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  • Business recycling
  • Drop-off facilities
  • Organics recycling for residents

Hennepin County > Recycling and hazardous waste > Residential recycling

Residential recycling

Recycling is an easy and convenient way to reduce your trash and protect the environment. Cities and property managers are required to offer residents the opportunity to recycle.

What you can recycle

See the recycling guide (PDF) for what you can and cannot recycle in Hennepin County.

For the most accurate information about pick-up days and accepted materials in your community, start by contacting your city recycling coordinator or waste hauler. 

Order residential recycling labels and guides

Free resources, including container labels and recycling guides, are available to Hennepin County residents to improve recycling in your home and to distribute to friends and neighbors. 

See what's available and order free resources.

Helpful resources

  • Green Disposal Guide
    Find options for materials you can't recycle at home
  • Organics recycling
    Learn how to collect food waste and other materials for composting

Environment and Energy

environment@hennepin.us

Phone: 612-348-3777

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Recycle smart - know what goes in your recycling cart

Support recycling by recycling the right stuff

We often get questions about what happens to recycling and whether items really get recycled. 

Here in the Twin Cities, you can be assured the recycling you put in your cart is getting recycled as long as the materials are accepted in your program and prepared properly. Minnesota state law requires this. 

There continues to be a demand for our recycled materials by manufacturers who make them into new products, and recyclers continue to invest in new technology to make recycling more advanced and efficient.

Although you might want to recycle everything, the best thing you can do to support recycling is to only recycle the items accepted in your program and keep stuff that isn’t recycled out. 

Know what goes in your recycling cart

Brush up on the basics to make sure you're recycling the right stuff. See our recycling guide (PDF) for the list of what's accepted. These items can be sorted properly at recycling facilities and made into new products.

Take these steps to help ensure your plastic items get recycled:

  • Empty and rinse your containers – they don’t have to be perfectly clean, but they should be free of most food or other residue.
  • Leave caps and lids on the bottle or container – they can be recycled if left on the bottle!
  • Keep recyclable plastic items in their original shape, don't crush them – this helps ensure they get sorted correctly at the recycling facility.

Keep these items out of your recycling cart

Plastic bags

Plastic bags and wrap get tangled in the equipment at recycling sorting facilities and workers spend hours each day removing them. Plastic bags and wrap can be recycled if brought back to a retail drop-off location.

Bags of recycling

Recycling in bags don’t get properly sorted at the recycling facility, and recyclers can’t tell what’s in the bag. Make sure to place your recycling loose in your recycling cart.

Large plastic items

Large plastic items like laundry baskets, storage bins, lawn furniture, and plastic toys, and other large plastic items can't be recycled. There are not good markets for recycling these items, and they are difficult to sort at recycling facilities. Purchase high-quality items, use them for as long as possible, and donate items that are in good shape when you're ready to get rid of them.

Random metal items

Random metal items such as pots and pans, pipes, hangers, and tools can damage equipment and harm workers at recycling facilities. All metal can be recycled, just not in your recycling cart at home. Take random metal items to a scrap metal recycler; find locations on the Green Disposal Guide.

Propane tanks

Cylinders and tanks contain a compressed gas that makes them explosive and potential fire hazards. It is illegal to put propane tanks, helium tanks, and other pressurized cylinders in your household recycling or trash. Properly dispose of all pressurized cylinders; find options on the Green Disposal Guide.

Single-use plastic utensils and straws

Plastic utensils and straws are too small and difficult to sort at recycling facilities, and there aren’t stable recycling markets for them. Avoid them by choosing reusable options or refusing them when you can.

Paper plates, cups, and takeout containers

Paper cups, plates, takeout containers can’t be recycled because they are often lined with plastic or contaminated with food. Avoid them by choosing reusable cups, mugs and plates.

Electronics and batteries

Electronics and batteries can’t be sorted properly at recycling facilities, and certain batteries can cause fires at facilities. But batteries and electronics should be recycled at drop-offs. Learn options for batteries and electronics on the Green Disposal Guide.

Cords and string lights

Keep “tanglers” like cords, hoses and string lights out of your recycling bin. As the name suggests, these items get tangled in the equipment at recycling facilities. You can recycle cords and string lights at Hennepin County drop-off facilities. Learn more on the Green Disposal Guide.

Needles and sharps

Needles and sharps should be managed and disposed of safely to prevent injury and disease transmission from needle-sticks. They should never be placed in your recycling cart. Learn about disposal options on the Green Disposal Guide.

City recycling contacts

Your city recycling coordinator is your point person for information about recycling, trash disposal and special clean ups in your city.

City recycling coordinators

List last review and updated January 2022

City Phone number
Bloomington 952-563-4659
Brooklyn Center 763-493-8006
Brooklyn Park 763-493-8006
Champlin 763-421-8100
Chanhassen 952-227-1133
Corcoran 763-420-2288
Crystal 763-493-8006
Dayton 763-421-1791
Deephaven 952-946-5277
Eden Prairie 952-949-8330
Edina 952-826-0463
Excelsior 952-474-5233
Golden Valley 763-593-8030
Greenfield 763-477-6464
Greenwood 952-474-6633
Hanover 763-972-3335
Hopkins 952-939-1382
Independence 763-479-0527
Long Lake 952-473-6961
Loretto 763-479-4305
Maple Grove 763-494-6361
Maple Plain 763-479-3335
Medina 763-473-4643
Medicine Lake 763-542-9701
Minneapolis 612-673-2917
Minnetonka 952-988-8400
Minnetonka Beach 952-941-5174
Minnetrista 952-446-1660
Mound 952-472-0603
New Hope 763-493-8006
Orono 952-249-4600
Osseo 763-425-2624
Plymouth 763-509-5906
Richfield 612-861-9188
Robbinsdale 763-531-1211
Rockford 763-477-6565
Rogers 763-428-2253
St. Anthony 763-784-8349
St. Bonifacius 952-446-1061
St. Louis Park 952-924-2562
Shorewood 952-960-7900
Spring Park 952-471-9051
Tonka Bay 952-474-7994
Wayzata 952-404-5363
Woodland 952-474-4755
For apartment, condo and townhouse residents

Property owners are required to provide residents with the opportunity to recycle.

Contact your building manager or association to find out where recycling bins are located and what type of sorting system is used at your property.

Contact your city recycling coordinator if this service is not available.

Learn about the assistance and resources available from Hennepin County.

Get involved and stay informed

Volunteer to promote recycling

Show your commitment to the environment by becoming a Community Recycling Ambassador!

Community Recycling Ambassadors are trained on waste prevention, recycling and composting, and effective communication skills through a six-week course.

Once training is complete, participants commit to volunteering 30 hours putting their skills to work on projects and activities that minimize waste and provide waste reduction, recycling and composting education. Community Recycling Ambassadors have the flexibility to pursue and create waste-reduction focused volunteer opportunities that interest them and serve their communities’ unique needs.

Learn about the Community Recycling Ambassador program.

Live a lower waste lifestyle with the Zero Waste Challenge

Get help living a lower waste lifestyle by joining a Zero Waste Challenge program. These programs will help you learn more about preventing waste, recycling, and composting, connect you with resources to help you reach your goals, and provide support and motivation along the way.

There are three opportunities to get involved:

  • Zero Waste Challenge: Personalized, six-month program where you get waste coaching and access to other educational opportunities
  • Plastic-Free Challenge: online, month-long challenge
  • Stop Food Waste Challenge: online, month-long challenge

Learn more about the Zero Waste Challenge programs.

Engage and educate others

A wide variety of free environmental education resources, project support, and funding are available to organizations working with residents and youth in Hennepin County. Explore the county's environmental education programs and resources.

Become a thoughtful consumer

Waste less and live better by only buying what you need, buying high-quality items that are designed to last, and considering alternatives to buying new such as shopping used, borrowing, or swapping. Visit Choose to Reuse to learn tips for being a thoughtful consumer and get resources for shopping used, borrowing, or swapping.

Repair broken items at a Fix-It Clinic

Get free help repairing your broken household items and learning valuable repair skills. See the schedule of upcoming Fix-it Clinics.

Reuse and recycle building materials

Reduce the impact of your next home improvement project by salvaging, reusing, and recycling building materials and incorporating used materials. Learn about grants for deconstruction and building material reuse retailers.

Reduce waste and improve recycling at businesses and schools

Encourage the place where you work and your favorite businesses to reduce waste and improve recycling. Learn about available grants, signage, and technical assistance.

Reduce waste and educate the next generation by working with schools to reduce waste and improve recycling. Grants and technical assistance are available.

Stay informed

Connect with us on social media:

  • Hennepin Environment on Facebook
  • @hennepinenviro on Twitter
  • Hennepin Environment on Instagram

To receive information about environmental news, programs and events in Hennepin County, sign up for the Green Notes newsletter.

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