Disposal Guides
Unsure of how to dispose of an item? View the Green Disposal Guide.
The basics of organics recycling
Starting July 1st, 2025, residents received access to organics curbside collection as part of Hennepin County's zero-waste initiative. Organics comprise 25-35% of household waste, and diverting them to composting helps reduce landfill waste, lower greenhouse gas emissions, and improve soil quality. All cities were required to make organic recycling available to households with curbside service. This requirement is part of Hennepin County's recycling ordinance updates, which were finalized in November 2018. While participation in the organics program is voluntary, residents in communities offering the service are required by state law to pay for it, just as they do for curbside recycling. The goal is to reduce waste and promote composting, which has significant environmental benefits. We encourage residents to use this service to keep our community sustainable.
Request an Organics Recycling Collection Container
Once you receive your curbside organics collection container, you can start organics recycling! Use BPI-certified compostable bags to collect items in a kitchen bin before transferring them to your outdoor organics collection container. These bags are available at most grocery, hardware, and retail stores. Important: Yard waste cannot be placed into organics recycling.
What happens to my organics?
Video credit: BizRecyclingMN
The importance of composting the right things
Organics recycling is the best way to reduce the amount of waste put in our trash bins - helping to move us closer to our zero waste and climate action goals. You can help ensure the success and sustainability of organics recycling programs by putting the right materials in the organics bin. Important: Yard waste cannot be placed into organics recycling.
Compost sites need to receive organics with low levels of contamination, or materials that cannot be composted, so they can produce clean, nutrient-rich compost that people want to purchase and use. Compost that contains plastic, glass, and other contaminants is very difficult to sell and can only be used for low-end, low-value purposes.
Detailed organics recycling list
Food
A note about food: If you’re unsure where to start with organics recycling, focus on collecting food. Spoiled food and food scraps are the most common material in the trash and the most nutrient-rich material in the composting process, making them the most important material to collect for organics recycling.
Accepted
All food, including:
- Bread and cereal
- Cheese, yogurt, and other dairy products and non-dairy alternatives
- Dough, pastries, and pies
- Eggs and eggshells
- Fruits and vegetables including peels, pits, shells, and rinds (remove produce stickers)
- Leftovers
- Meat, fish, bones, and shellfish, including scales and shells
- Nuts and shells
- Pasta, grains, beans, and rice
- Pet food
Not accepted
- Black Walnut shells (these shells contain a toxin called juglone that is deadly to many plants)
- Chewing gum
- Grease, oil, or other liquids (small amounts are okay)
Paper products and packaging
Accepted
- BPI certified compostable products including cups, plates, bowls, containers, parchment, and wax paper (must have the BPI logo or say BPI certified on the product or its container)
- Food-soiled pizza boxes (from delivery, may be unbagged)
- Napkins and food-soiled paper towels
- Paper bags soiled with food or grease (if they are not soiled, put them in the recycling)
- Paper egg cartons (remove sticker labels, may be unbagged)
- Paper towel and toilet paper rolls (while these are accepted for organics recycling, putting them in the recycling is preferred)
Not accepted
- Asian takeout food pails (unless BPI certified)
- Butcher paper, parchment paper, wax paper, and muffin cups (unless BPI certified)
- Cartons, including milk cartons, juice boxes, and soup, broth, and wine cartons (these are accepted for recycling)
- Coated paper, such as the backing for stickers and labels and pull tabs from restaurants and bars
- Fast food wrappers, such as fry bags and burger or sandwich wrappers (unless BPI certified)
- Ice cream containers
- Microwave popcorn bags
- Paper printed with foil or other metallic elements, like glitter
- Paper products, including to-go coffee and drink cups, boats, bowls, and plates, without BPI certification
- Paper products, like paper towels and napkins, used with chemical-based cleaners
- Products labeled “biodegradable” or PLA (polylactic acid) that are not BPI certified
- Refrigerated and frozen food boxes
- Receipts
- Shredded paper
- Waxed cardboard produce boxes
- Wrapping paper, gift wrap, packing paper, and tissue paper
Other household items
Accepted
- BPI certified compostable products including cups, plates, bowls, containers, utensils, straws, bags, bamboo products, bagasse products, and single-use coffee pods (must have the BPI logo or say BPI certified on the product or its container)
- Coffee grounds and filters
- Cotton swabs with paper stems
- Houseplants and flowers
- Paper tea bags (remove staples)
- Tea leaves
- Wooden items such as wood chopsticks, popsicle sticks, and toothpicks
Not accepted
- Animal waste or litter
- Ash from fireplaces, barbecues, or fire pits
- Charcoal
- Cigarettes
- Cleaning and personal care wipes
- Cotton balls and swabs used with products like acetone, make-up, and paint
- Dental floss
- Diapers
- Dryer lint and dryer sheets
- Floor sweepings
- Incontinence products
- Latex products, including gloves and balloons
- Lumber and sawdust
- Medicines
- Menstrual products
- Plastic bags or containers that are not BPI certified
- Plastic, metal mesh, and synthetic tea bags
- Recyclable materials (glass bottles and jars; paper and cardboard; plastic bottles, jugs, cups, and containers; cartons; metal cans)
- Rocks, soil, and dirt
- Rubber and rubber bands
- Tape of any kind
- Vacuum cleaner bags and contents
- Wax and waxed products including wax paper (unless BPI certified), candle wax, car wax, and waxed bones
- Yard waste
Detailed Recycling Guide
Material type: Plastic
Preparation tips: Empty, rinse, and replace cap. Do not crush.
A note on plastic types: Did you know there are seven types of plastics? This is what the number 1 - 7 printed on a plastic item tells you. Although the triangle looks like a recycling symbol, it only tells you what type of plastic an item is, not if or how you can recycle it. Plastic bottles, jugs, and containers with numbers 1, 2, and 5 are generally accepted in your recycling at home.
Accepted
#1, 2, and 5 containers, bottles, and jugs such as:
- Clear berry and produce containers
- Clear plastic egg cartons
- Dishwashing and laundry detergent bottles and jugs
- Ketchup and salad dressing bottles
- Margarine, cottage cheese, cream cheese, and other tubs and lids
- Milk and juice jugs
- Soda, juice, and water bottles
- Yogurt, pudding, and fruit cups
Not accepted
- #3, #4, #6, #7 plastic
- Black containers and bottles
- Bulky rigid plastics (such as kiddie pools, laundry baskets, and window blinds)
- Chip bags, granola bars and candy wrappers
- Clear, rigid packaging from toys, electronics, and other products
- Foam blocks
- Foam egg cartons
- Garden hoses
- Keurig or Nestle cups
- Loose plastic bottle caps
- Meal prep packaging
- Mesh plastic bags
- Microwaveable food trays
- Motor oil bottles and other containers that held hazardous products
- Plastic bags, film, and wrap
- Plastic gloves
- Plastic straws
- Pouches (like for snack foods, purees, or granola)
- Pumps and sprayer tops from bottles
- Random small plastic items such as contact lens cases and floss containers
- Sauce or condiment cups
- Small prescription pill bottles
- Styrofoam™ and foam cartons
- Toys
- Tyvek envelopes
- Utensils (forks, knives, spoons)
Material type: Paper
Preparation tips: Empty and flatten boxes. Must be dry.
Accepted
- Cardboard
- Cardboard cans (such as oatmeal containers)
- Cardboard tubes from toilet paper, tissue, and paper towels (only the inner cardboard tube is recyclable, not the paper on the roll)
- Cereal and cracker boxes
- Clean pizza delivery boxes
- Freezer boxes
- Magazines, catalogs, newspapers, and inserts
- Mail, office, and school papers
- Phone books and other soft cover books
- Refrigerator boxes
- Shoe boxes, gift boxes and electronic boxes
- Toothpaste, medication, and other toiletry boxes
- Unlined Kraft paper (such as paper used for shipping padding and paper grocery bags, flatten for best results)
Not accepted
- Cardboard cans with metal lids
- Greeting cards that are shiny, or contain aluminum foil or plastic
- Hardcover books
- Lined Kraft bags
- Napkins or paper towels
- Paper berry cartons
- Paper cups, plates, and bowls
- Paper egg cartons
- Paper soiled with food
- Shipping envelopes padded with bubble-wrap
- Shredded paper
- Tissue paper
- Waxed cardboard
- Wrapping paper
Material type: Glass
Preparation tips: Empty and rinse.
A note on caps: Replace metals caps that can be screwed on. Any caps that are plastic or made of a mix of materials should go in the trash. Smaller metal caps (i.e., bottle caps) that cannot be replaced can be collected in a steel can (like a soup can) that is squeezed shut before it's put in the recycling. Otherwise, metal bottle caps can be thrown in the trash.
Accepted
- Food and beverage bottles and jars
- Mason jars
Not accepted
- Ceramics
- Drinking glasses
- Glass bakeware
- Glass dishes
- Light bulbs
- Mirrors
- Vases
- Window glass
Material type: Cartons
Preparation tips: Empty and rinse. Do not flatten. Remove and throw away caps and straws.
Accepted
- Juice boxes
- Milk and juice cartons, including half gallon, quart, and individual sizes
- Refrigerated and shelf-stable cartons such as soup, broth and wine cartons
Not accepted
- Ice cream cartons
- Plastic-lined paper takeout cartons
Material type: Metal
Preparation tips: Empty, rinse, and remove lid. Do not crush metal cans and containers. Place loose metal lids inside can and pinch opening of can closed, if possible, to keep lids inside. For aluminum foil, remove all food and roll into a ball at least as large as a softball.
Accepted
- Decorative popcorn and cookie tins
- Food and beverage cans
- Aluminum foil (must be clean and balled)
- Aluminum trays, tins, or pie tins (must be clean)
Not accepted
- Aerosols containing either hazardous or non-hazardous materials (such as shaving cream, hairspray, and paint)
- Batteries
- Containers that held hazardous products such as paint thinner
- Holiday and string lights
- Loose metal caps
- Paint cans
- Pressurized cylinders like propane and helium tanks
- Scrap metal, such as pots and pans, hangers, shelves, nails, auto parts, pipes, and poles
- Wire
Hennepin County Drop-Off Facilities
Hennepin County operates drop-off facilities in Bloomington and Brooklyn Park for household hazardous waste and problem materials. Check first to see if they accept your item on the Green Disposal Guide.
Hours and additional information
Hennepin County Hazardous Waste Drop-Off Events
Hennepin County organizes collection events throughout the year to give residents more convenient local disposal options for their household hazardous wastes. Please note: the county will not be accepting electronics at the collection events; household hazardous waste will be accepted only.
Hauler Curbside Pick Up
For large items and major appliances contact your hauler to schedule pick up. Fees vary.
- ACE: 763-427-3110
- Republic Services: 320-252-9608
Recycling Drop Off Event
Once per year in May the City coordinate a recycling drop-off event. View the Recycling Drop-Off Event for further details.
Curbside Appliances Collection Event
Once per year in May the City coordinate a curbside appliance collection event for a fee. View the Curbside Appliance Collection Event for further details.
Hennepin County Drop-Off Facilities
Hennepin County operates drop-off facilities in Bloomington and Brooklyn Park for large items and major appliances. Check first to see if they accept your item on the Green Disposal Guide.
Hours and additional information
Also check out the Hennepin County Landfill and Transfer Station Website for more information on bulky items and how to properly dispose your item.
Hauler Curbside Pick Up
For large items and major appliances contact your hauler to schedule pick up. Fees vary.
- ACE: 763-427-3110
- Republic Services: 320-252-9608
Recycling Drop Off Event
Once per year in May the City coordinate a recycling drop off event. View the Recycling Drop Off Event for further details.
Hennepin County Drop-Off Facilities
Hennepin County operates drop-off facilities in Bloomington and Brooklyn Park for various electronics. Check first to see if they accept your item on the Green Disposal Guide.