We contract with various companies to recycle or process waste and recyclables.

• Residential garbage is brought to the Hennepin Energy Recovery Center, a waste-to-energy facility in downtown Minneapolis.
• Recycling is brought to a material recovery facility (MRF) within City limits.
• Organics and yard waste are collected separately. They are both brought to a transfer station within City limits where they are loaded into semi-trucks to be brought to a commercial composting facility just in the Twin Cities metro area.
• Large metal items and appliances are broken down by City staff before selling the metal to scrap metal vendors. 
• Mattresses are disassembled for recycling by a contractor in Minneapolis.
• Electronics are dissembled for recycling by a contractor in Wisconsin. 
• Building materials brought to the South Transfer Station are either sorted for recycling or brought to a landfill outside City limits.
• Tires brought to the South Transfer Station are recycled by a contractor in the Twin Cities metro area.

Collection services are provided by:

• City of Minneapolis Solid Waste & Recycling staff
• Minneapolis Refuse Inc. (MRI), a consortium of private garbage haulers

City and MRI each collect from approximately half of the city. All education and outreach is done through Solid Waste & Recycling.

Customers are charged for the service on their City of Minneapolis utility bill each month. 

See billing for more information

Recent Solid Waste & Recycling studies and reports include:

• February 2023 - 2022 Waste Characterization & Capture Rate Study
  • 2022 Waste Characterization & Capture Rate Study (Foth)
  • 2022 Final Sort Report (MSW Consultants)
  • Presentation to Public Works & Infrastructure Committee 2/16/23
  • 2022 SW&R Capture Rate Voluntary Supplemental Survey Results
• July 2021 - SWR - 2021 Organics Recycling Sort summary
• January 2021 - SW&R 2020 COVID-19 Waste Behavior Survey Results
• October 2019 - SW&R 2019 Multi-unit Recycling Study
• August 2019 - SW&R 2019 Organics Recycling Sort Results
• April 2019 - SW&R 2018 Recycling Contamination Study
• January 2019 - SW&R 2018 Resident survey results
• January 2018 - Litter Solutions - Staff presentation to the Transportation & Public Works Committee
• January 2018 - SW&R 2018 Organics Recycling outreach and education PPT for USCC  - Staff presentation at the United States Composting Council Conference
• December 2017 - Zero Waste Plan Adopted

In 2023, a total of 130,366 tons of material was collected by Solid Waste & Recycling; a 0.65% increase from 2022. This includes all garbage, recycling, organics, excess garbage and building materials brought to the South Transfer Station, waste from cleanups, and litter containers. 

2023 breakdown of waste

• Waste to Energy: 61.69%
• Recycled: 18.18%
• Composted: 17.14%
• Landfilled: 2.99%

Total diversion for 2023 was 35.32%. (Waste-to-energy is not included.)

Garbage, recycling, organics, landfill statistics for past 5 years

For additional information

• Contact our office
• Fill out a request for public data

• 2020: 50% of customers have signed up for organics recycling program
• 2018: Litter Be Gone, a citywide litter cleanup program, implemented
• 2017-2018: Clean City Classroom program piloted
• 2017: Zero Waste Plan adopted
• 2016: Began collecting from residential parks
• 2015-2016: Organics recycling program rolled-out citywide
• 2014-2015: Added organics recycling drop-offs while citywide organics program was being developed
• 2012-2013: Transitioned from multi-sort recycling to one-sort recycling program
• 2012: Citywide mattress recycling collection began