FZW.3Ensure all residents and businesses have access to recycle

Importance of recycling

More than one-half of the waste that leaves Minneapolitan households is recyclable material. Recycling supports approximately 78,000 jobs in Minnesota.

 Read about Recycling in Minnesota

Indicators

Indicators help us track our progress towards our goals. The indicator for this strategy is:

• Percent enrollment in the City’s recycling program

Current recycling requirements

Our Solid Waste & Recycling (SW&R) division collects garbage, recycling, and organics. They collect from residential buildings with four or fewer units (4-plex or smaller). There is no extra fee for recycling or organics recycling for SW&R customers.

Other building types must have recycling based on various City, County and State laws.

• Multi-unit buildings recycling laws:
  •  Read about City laws here
  •  Read about County laws here
  •  Read about State laws here
• Commercial building recycling laws:
  •  Read about City laws here
• Business recycling laws:
  •  Read about County laws here
  •  Read about State laws here

Hennepin County offers free technical help and grants to apartment buildings and businesses. Grants are available to add or improve recycling or organics recycling (composting) programs.

What’s happening now

• We launched a recycling educational campaign in fall 2025. The goal of the campaign is to encourage you to recycle more and recycle better.
• We’re supporting community groups to complete their own Innovative Waste Reduction projects. Funding for these grants is from the Climate Legacy Initiative.
• We’re having apartment building managers verify their building has recycling. If they do not currently offer recycling, they must add the service. It is a City, County and State law.
  •  Read about recycling at apartment buildings here
• We attend community events to educate residents about recycling and organics recycling. We also promote Hennepin County grants and resources.
• We partnered with Hennepin County to host one of their 2025 household hazardous waste (HHW) drop-off events at a City property. We promoted all drop-off events in and near the city.
  •  Read about the HHW drop-off events here

Request accessible format

If you need help with this information, please email climate tracker support or call 311 or 612-673-3000.

Please tell us what format you need. It will help us if you say what assistive technology you use.