General Information

Each dwelling unit is billed for garbage and recycling, and requires a recycling cart with a yellow lid. The containers are the property of the City of North Mankato and remain with the property, please do not take them with you when you move.

Valet service is available for a monthly charge of $10.00 per cart. Carts must be outside and visible. The collection agency will pull the carts to the street, empty and return. To sign up please call City Hall at 625-4141.

Recyclables are collected every other week on the same day as garbage and should be set out before 4:00 a.m. on the day of pickup. If your items are missed, please call West Central Sanitation at 1-800-246-7630.

Carts must be placed 3 feet from any obstacle including the other cart. (This includes buildings, trees, vehicles, etc.) Recycling materials must be placed inside the recycling cart. You may mark your cart, with your address so if it blows away, it can be returned. Please refer to the map and calendar for the Recycle Pickup Schedule. The schedule may be found at the bottom of this page. 

Note: Some rental units have dumpster service and not curbside garbage or recycling pickup.

New Residents: If a different sized cart for garbage or recycling is desired, please call City Hall.

If you move: Carts are the property of the City of North Mankato and must be left with the property.

Effective October 31, 2022: In partnership with the City of North Mankato, West Central Sanitation has adjusted trash and recycling collection service days to control costs.

Service days have adjusted to a 3-day pick up on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday, and pick up times begin at 4:00 a.m. Please have your carts to the curb the night before your collection day. Recycling remains an every-other-week service.

Recycling Items Collected:

• Newspapers & Newspaper Inserts
• Magazines & Catalogs
• All Junk Mail & Envelopes
• Cardboard (Flatten the boxes)
• Office & School Papers
• Phone Books
• Cereal & Cracker-Type Boxes
• Aluminum & Tin Cans
• Glass Bottles & Jars
• Plastic Bottles #1 thru #7
• Milk Cartons, Juice Boxes & Other Paper Cartons
• Recycling is a single sort system, which means all items may be co-mingled and DO NOT need to be separated.

Items Not Collected for Recycling:

• No Trash
• No Food Tainted Items (Used Paper Plates, Towels or Napkins)
• No Yard Waste
• No Styrofoam
• No Propane Tanks
• No Batteries
• No Light Bulbs or Mirrors
• No Hazardous Waste Containers (Motor Oil, Paint Cans, Antifreeze)

Recycling Center:

Forget to put out your recycling container? The Riverbend Recycling Center is located at 600 Webster Avenue and is open Monday through Sunday from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., with 24-hour drop-off available. For more information, please call the Riverbend Recycling Center at 507-625-8632.

The Center accepts at no charge:

• Newspaper
• Cans
• Plastic
• Glass
• Office paper
• Magazines
• Phone books
• Cardboard

The Center accepts for a small charge:

• Car batteries
• Electronics (TV's, computers, etc.)
• Appliances
• Fluorescent light bulbs (North Mankato residents only may take their used bulbs to Recycling Center. Be prepared to show ID.)

The following types of glass are NOT recyclable:

• Mirrors
• Windows
• Light bulbs
• Ceramics
• Dinnerware
• Glassware
• Clay pots
• Crystal
• China, etc.

Brush/Compost

The compost and brush site is located behind the Riverbend Recycling Center at 600 Webster Ave. The site is available to North Mankato residents only. Brush and yard clippings may be brought to this site. Wood chips and compost are available there free of charge.

The Brush and Compost Site at 600 Webster Ave. is now open to North Mankato residents. The site is open Monday through Sunday from 8:30 a.m. to dusk. Residents who wish to remove wood from the site will be required to sign a waiver and obtain a no-cost permit before entering the site. Waivers and no-cost permits are available at City Hall (1001 Belgrade Ave.).

The Brush and Compost Site is only available to North Mankato residents with proof of residency, contractors (even those working in North Mankato) will not be permitted to access the site. These restrictions are in response to North Mankato's Emerald Ash Borer infestation and ash tree removals, to accommodate these additional materials in the limited capacity of the site.

Curbside Garbage and Recycling Schedule

• Tuesday:
  • Valley (Lower) North Mankato: From Hwy 169 to east side of Sherman St., and south of Butterworth St. to north side of Garfield Ave.
• Wednesday:
  • Valley (Lower) North Mankato: From south side of Garfield Ave. to Hwy 169 and west side of Sherman St. to Lake St.
  • Hilltop (Upper) North Mankato: South of Hwy 14 and east side of Lookout Dr. and Commerce Ln. and south of Pleasant View Dr. and Dream Dr.
• Friday:
  • Hilltop (Upper) North Mankato: West of Lookout Dr. and Commerce Ln. and north of Pleasant View Dr. and Dream Dr. and north of Hwy 14.

Garbage is picked up weekly. Recycling is picked up every other week. Please refer to the map and calendar for the Recycling Pickup Schedule.

Holiday Collection Schedule

When a holiday falls on a business day, each subsequent collection day will be delayed one day. For example - If New Year's Day is on a Tuesday, your collection day moves to the next day, Wednesday through Saturday. NOTE: while Monday is not a collection day (Wednesday through Saturday).

The contractor is not required to collect garbage or recyclables on the following holidays:

• New Year's Day
• Memorial Day
• 4th of July
• Labor Day
• Thanksgiving Day
• Christmas Day

Household Hazardous Waste Information

If you have old paint, cleaners, furniture strippers or other hazardous products in your home that need to be disposed of, they should be taken to the Regional Household Hazardous Waste Center located at 651 Summit Avenue, Mankato (just off of Third Avenue). The Hazardous Waste Center is for ANY resident of Blue Earth, Nicollet, LeSueur, and Sibley, Counties. Proof of residency must be shown upon arrival.

The Household Hazardous Waste Center is open April through October, Tuesdays from Noon to 6:00 p.m., Wednesdays & Thursdays from noon to 4:00 p.m., and the 2nd Saturday of each month from 8:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Residents may drop off waste during open hours without an appointment.

Products should be in their original containers, if possible, with labels attached. Examples of items accepted include paints, stains, household cleaners, automotive products, batteries, and yard/garden chemicals. There is no fee for this service. For more information and a complete list of what is accepted, please call The Regional Household Hazardous Waste Center for more information and a complete list of what is accepted, visit our website at www.blueearthcountymn.gov/373/Household-Hazardous-Waste-HHW-Facility/HHW or call Property & Environmental Resources at 507-304-4251.

If you need a product: The site has a product exchange for people who want free paint, household cleaners or other items.

Click here to download a coupon for any size TV or large appliance to the GreenTech Recycling Center (205 W. Spring St.) in Mankato.


Items Collected:

• Bug sprays
• Oven & window cleaners
• Brake fluid
• Fuel oil & motor oil
• Paint & paint thinner
• Herbicides
• Button batteries
• Weed killer
• Aerosol cans that aren't empty
• Any household item that has "corrosive, caustic, reactive, flammable, toxic or poisonous" warnings on them.

Items Not Collected:

• Empty paint cans
• Empty aerosol cans
• Any product that is not labeled
• Explosives
• Medical Waste
• Radioactive materials