Residential Curbside Recycling

Recycling at home is easy once you know what goes in your recycling bin. Most recycling companies have moved to a single-sort system that makes it easier than ever. Items such as paper, plastic, tin, aluminum, and cartons can all be placed in the same bin with single-sort. 

Do Put These in Your Recycling Cart

Paper

  • Newspaper and inserts
  • Magazines and catalogs
  • Mail and office papers

Cardboard

  • Corrugated cardboard
  • Paperboard (e.g., cracker boxes)

Cartons

  • Milk and juice cartons
  • Soup, broth, and wine cartons
  • Juice boxes

 Metal Cans

  • Aluminum, tin, and steel cans

Glass Bottles & Jars


Plastic Bottles, Containers & Jugs

  • Containers numbered 1, 2 or 5
  • Soda, juice and water bottles
  • Milk and juice jugs
  • Margarine, cottage cheese, cream cheese and other tubs and lids
  • Laundry detergent bottles and jugs
  • Clear berry and produce containers

Items Not to Include in Your Cart

Many items can be recycled but not in your household cart, such as plastic bags and batteries. Plastic bags wrap around the automated sorting machines causing damage and ultimately end up in the trash. Empty recycling into your cart without the bag. Take plastic bags to retailers such as grocery stores for recycling. Food shelves are also happy to accept clean plastic bags for bagging groceries for the food shelf recipients. Items that need special recycling:

Do Not put these items in your recycling cart

  • Batteries
  • Black plastic
  • Ceramic dishware
  • Clothing and textiles
  • Food
  • Household hazardous waste/hazardous waste
  • Paper plates, cups, and napkins
  • Diapers
  • Pharmaceuticals and medicines/medical waste
  • Plastic bags and film
  • Metal cylinders (e.g., propane tanks)
  • Scrap metal (e.g., metal pots and pans)
    • Scrap metal is allowed in carts and dumpsters only if delivered to the Tennis Sanitation recycling facility.
  • Shredded paper
  • Styrofoam™
  • Tanglers (e.g., chains, extension cords, hoses, string lights)
  • Trash
  • Yard waste and Christmas trees
  • All items banned from being placed in the trash or recycling in state or local law – including:
    • Electronics
    • Major Appliances
    • Sharps (e.g., lancets, needles, syringes)
    • Tires

To know exactly what your hauler accepts for recycling, please contact your hauler. For more information on recycling and disposing of items visit Dakota County's Recycling Guide.