What Can't Go in the Trash in Minneapolis and St. Paul

As of November 2026, Minnesota law keeps major appliances and old tube TVs and monitors out of the trash: they must be recycled. Paint, chemicals, motor oil, propane and rechargeable batteries go to a county household hazardous waste site, free for residents. Mattresses, tires and electronics have their own drop-offs or pickups, some with a fee. Minneapolis and St. Paul also limit how many large items the city picks up.

What does Minnesota law ban from the trash?

Major appliances (refrigerators, freezers, washers, dryers, stoves, dishwashers, water heaters, air conditioners) can't go in mixed trash or a landfill. They have to be recycled, which includes removing refrigerants and certain parts first (Minn. Stat. 115A.9561).
TVs and monitors with picture tubes (the old, deep kind) can't go in mixed trash (Minn. Stat. 115A.9565). Newer flat TVs and computers should go to electronics recycling too (MPCA).
Rechargeable batteries start fires in trucks and carts. Minneapolis bans them from every cart; take them to a county drop-off (MPCA battery recycling).

Where does each item go?

Appliances	Hennepin County drop-offs: $15 each, delivered whole. Minneapolis and St. Paul city pickup: set out with large items (see below).
TVs, monitors, laptops	Hennepin County drop-offs: $10 each. Ramsey County Environmental Center takes electronics.
Mattresses and box springs	Hennepin: $25 each at the Brooklyn Park drop-off. St. Paul: free scheduled pickup through Second Chance Recycling. Minneapolis: set out on recycling week, tagged.
Tires	Hennepin County drop-offs: $5 each. Not accepted in St. Paul bulky pickup or Minneapolis garbage.
Paint, chemicals, motor oil, propane	County household hazardous waste sites, free for residents (below). Not in any cart.
Construction debris	Not taken by Minneapolis or St. Paul city collection. Needs a separate hauler or disposal site.

Fees and rules as of November 2026. Check the county page before you load the car.

Hennepin County drop-offs (Minneapolis and the west and north suburbs)

Two facilities, Bloomington (1400 W 96th St) and Brooklyn Park (8100 Jefferson Hwy), open Tuesday to Saturday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. They take household hazardous waste, appliances, electronics, tires and recycling, but not garbage. They're for households: in general, the county does not accept waste from businesses (Hennepin County drop-offs).

Ramsey County Environmental Center (St. Paul and nearby)

1700 Kent St, Roseville. Takes household hazardous waste, electronics, small appliances, scrap metal and recycling. Free for residents of the seven metro counties, including Hennepin and Anoka (Ramsey County Environmental Center).

Anoka County household hazardous waste

3230 101st Ave NE, Blaine. Free for residents of the seven metro counties. Takes paint, motor oil, batteries, fluorescent bulbs, pesticides, propane tanks and sharps, but not electronics, appliances or tires. Businesses and rental properties aren't accepted (Anoka County).

How much will the city pick up?

Minneapolis: up to two large items a week with city garbage service. Tag each one "For Solid Waste" and set it out by 6 a.m. Items with recyclable parts, like appliances and electronics, go out on recycling week, with refrigerator and freezer doors removed. Couches six feet or longer and taken-apart furniture aren't collected (City of Minneapolis).
St. Paul: 12 bulky items per garbage cart per calendar year, then $30 per item plus tax. No scheduling since July 1, 2026: set items out by 6 a.m. on your collection day, labeled "bulky." Mattresses, box springs and metal bed frames go free through Second Chance Recycling and don't count toward the 12 (City of Saint Paul).

What about a whole house?

Two items a week, or 12 a year, works for a move. It doesn't work for a whole house. That's where a cleanout comes in: I sort, donate and recycle what I can, and haul the rest, so you're not making weekly trips. See the cleanouts I do.

What can't go in the trash when you clear out a Twin Cities house