Dakota County residents and businesses recycle nearly 50 percent of materials, but there are many new opportunities to do even better.
Learn how to recycle
What goes in the cart
The list below is your guide to what types of materials are collected by recycling haulers in Dakota County.
YES—put these in your recycling cart
- Paper (mail, office and school papers, magazines, catalogs, newspapers)
- Phone books and paperback books
- Boxes (cardboard, cereal, cracker, shoe, toothpaste, medication, toiletry and other boxes)
- Metal cans
- Glass bottles and jars
- Plastic bottles and jugs (soda, milk, water, shampoo, laundry soap, etc.)
- Plastic tubs and containers (yogurt, pudding and fruit cups, margarine and cottage cheese tubs)
- Cartons (juice boxes, milk, soup and broth cartons
Maybe
Not all recycling haulers accept these items. Check the 
Hauler Items Accepted list.
- Paper egg cartons
- Frozen food boxes
- Paper towel and toilet paper rolls
- Pizza boxes from delivery
- Plastic produce and deli containers
- Aerosol cans
- Scrap metal and aluminum foil
NO – leave these items out of your cart
- Plastic bags (retail and garbage bags)
- Styrofoam™ cups, plates and packaging
- Garden hoses and chains
- Batteries
- Paper soiled with food
- Paper plates and cups
- Paper napkins or towels
- Gift wrap
- Plastic wrap
- Drinking glasses, dishes, and vases
- Window glass or mirrors
- Motor oil bottles and other containers that held hazardous products
- Empty paint cans
Tips for recycling at home
- Recycle in every room of your home.
- Place recyclable materials in a paper bag or loose in your recycling cart. Do not use plastic bags.
- Empty out bottles, jars and containers — no need to wash them.
- Leave staples in papers and plastic in window envelopes.
- Leave labels on cans and caps on containers.
- Ask your hauler about a larger recycling cart, a second cart or weekly recycling collection.