The 2024 season for Minneapolis Solid Waste & Recycling collection of leaves, brush and other yard trimmings starts the week of April 8. Minneapolis Solid Waste & Recycling customers can set properly prepared yard waste at their alleys or curbs next to their garbage carts by 6 a.m. on their garbage day.

Customers can set yard waste out in a reusable container, compostable bags (paper or certified compostable plastic – look for the BPI logo), or bundled with string or twine.

Other requirements

• Reusable containers must be 32-38 gallons in size and 26-32 inches high with sturdy handles. Reusable containers are lifted and emptied by hand; they must be easily managed. Yard waste is not allowed in City-provided containers.
• Each container, bag or bundle must weigh less than 40 pounds.
• Bundled brush and branches must be less than 3 inches in diameter and cut to less than 3 feet long.

Bags marked “biodegradable” or “degradable” don’t meet the State law requirement and are not accepted.

Solid Waste & Recycling crews can’t pick up dirt, soil, sod, stumps, trees, or branches wider than 3 inches in diameter or longer than 3 feet.

Raking leaves into the street is against the law and bad for our lakes, creeks and river.

For questions about leaf and brush pickup, customers can check the City website or call Solid Waste & Recycling at 612-673-2917 Monday-Friday.

Protecting pollinators

Bees often nest in broken stems of plants, and butterflies overwinter in leaf piles. The City encourages gardeners and landscapers to leave yard waste untouched until daytime temperatures are consistently above 50 degrees (mid-April or early May) to protect pollinators.