Recycling, Waste Reduction and Sustainability

City Operations

The City of Lakeville continues to make advances in waste reduction in its daily operations and recycling rates have increased at City facilities due to:

  • Proper recycling bin placement and signage, and staff education
  • Collection of organic waste at City Hall, the Heritage Center and Ames Arena
  • Implementation of portable kits for meetings that contain reusable plates and silverware
  • Using compostable plates and utensils at facilities and during large events such as the Earth Day celebration and waffle breakfast events at the Fire Department and the Heritage Center

Recycling Opportunities

Organics Drop-off
Reduce your household trash volume by up to 1/3!
Through a partnership with Dakota County, the City of Lakeville opened the Organics Drop-off site located at the City’s Water Treatment Facility (intersection of 185th Street and Dodd Boulevard). This site accepts organic material that would otherwise be sent to the landfill and turns it into a rich soil amendment through composting. Dakota County residents can sign up for this free service online. Only food scraps are accepted - no yard waste.

Fact Sheet

General Recycling Questions
Do you have questions regarding which household items can be recycled? The City works in partnership with Dakota Valley Recycling to help residents get all their recycling questions answered. Contact them for more information via their website, by visiting the Recycling Guide webpage or by phone at 952-895-4559.

Waste Haulers
Licensed waste haulers provide recycling and compost collection on the same day as your trash collection. Haulers deliver bins to new customers.

Pumpkin Composting
Did you know that in 2019, area residents brought in 28,900 pounds of pumpkins that would have otherwise been brought to the landfill and turned it into a rich soil amendment? Each year, the City partners with Dakota Valley Recycling to offer free pumpkin recycling. The weekend following Halloween, residents are welcome to bring used pumpkins to the Lakeville Police Department.

Holiday Light Recycling
In 2019, area residents recycled 3,233 pounds of holiday lights using the City of Lakeville’s lights recycling drop-off locations. Every year, the City runs this free collection service from mid-November to the end of January to recycle lights that would otherwise go in the trash. Drop boxes are located at City Hall and all four Lakeville Liquors locations.

Dakota County Multifamily Recycling Program
Dakota Valley Recycling and Dakota County invite multifamily properties in Lakeville to apply for FREE recycling resources. Properties are eligible to receive recycling bins, labels, tote bags, education and more on a first-come, first-served basis, through the Dakota County Multifamily Recycling Program. The program is open to apartments, condominiums, townhomes and independent senior living. To be eligible, multifamily buildings must be located in Dakota County and have two or more units. For more information, managers and residents can contact Dakota County at multifamilyrecycling@co.dakota.mn.us or 952-891-7557.

Reduce & Reuse

Even better than recycling, the best way to reduce waste is to not create it in the first place. Get the most out of your stuff by making it last longer and buying pre-owned items.

Dakota County Reduce & Reuse Map
Find local repair, rental and donation options near you. Use filters to search for options ranging from clothing drop-off sites to shoe repair. Download the interactive map.

Sustainability

The City of Lakeville achieved Step 1 as a Green Step City in 2017, has achieved Step 2 in 2020 and is close to meeting requirements for Step 3. Visit our Sustainable Lakeville webpage for more information.