Dakota County Newsletter - Spring/Summer 2025 - Recyling plastic the right way

It can be hard to know which types of plastics can be recycled. The reality is that many plastic items cannot be recycled. This is why Dakota County adopted a standardized list of recyclable materials that all haulers accept in the county. The items on our list, including plastics, are accepted by all Twin Cities recycling facilities and recycled.

Avoid recycling items you are not sure about. If you put these plastic items into your home recycling, they get recycled:

• Containers numbered 1, 2 or 5

• Soda, juice and water bottles

• Milk and juice jugs

• Margarine, cottage cheese, cream cheese and other tubs and lids

• Laundry detergent bottles and jugs

• Clear berry and produce containers Put recyclables loose in your home recycling. Containers, bottles and jars should be empty and dry. It doesn’t need to be perfect — just free of liquids and most residue.

Recycled plastics are sorted, shredded and melted into pellets and then sold to companies to make into a range of products. A Minnesota-based company recycles jugs and detergent bottles into long-lasting decking, fence and landscaping materials. Plastics from beverage bottles and produce containers are recycled in the Midwest to create new bottles.

In 2023, Dakota County residents and businesses recycled 9.7 million pounds of plastic.

Special recycling

Some plastics are only recyclable through special recycling.

Stretchy film plastic like plastic bags, newspaper sleeves, bubble wrap and cereal box liners cannot go into your home recycling. They can get tangled in recycling equipment and cause harm to employees who need to dig them out. Drop off clean, dry plastic bags and wrap for special recycling at local retail stores like Cub Foods, Hy-Vee, Kohl’s, Walmart, Target and Lunds & Bylerly’s. Bags are recycled into plastic lumber for patios and decks.

Dakota County works with a specialty recycler to offer farmers and garden centers a way to recycle agricultural film plastic such as silage bags, bunker covers and greenhouse film. More than 233,000 pounds of agricultural film plastic have been collected since 2015. Collected material is turned into food packaging, reusable bags, trash can liners and more.

We also offer seasonal collection of plastic wrap used to protect boats during winter storage. More than 53,000 pounds of plastic boat wrap have been collected since 2016. Collected boat wrap is recycled and made into new products such as construction-grade plastic film. This year's collection is April 1–June 30 at Lighthouse Motorsports and Marine in Rosemount.

The best way to stop waste is to not create it in the first place. For what can’t be reduced, make sure to recycle right.

For more information on what can be recycled in Dakota County, visit www.dakotacounty.us, search recycling guide.