Yard Waste

Acceptable items

  • Leaves
  • Grass clippings and weeds
  • Plants and flowers
  • Sticks and branches (3’x3’ bundles or smaller)
  • Mulch (less than 1/4 cart or 1/2 yard waste bag)

Unacceptable items

  • Dirt
  • Whole trees and stumps
  • Food waste
  • Animal excrement
  • Trash

Fast facts

Fall into good yard waste habits

  • Five trash bags of leaves is equivalent to one pound of phosphorus, which can create up to 1,000 pound of algae.
  • Clippings left on your lawn provide up to 50% of the nitrogen your lawn needs, so you don't have to apply as much fertilizer.
  • Sweep up clippings, leaves and weeds from curbs and driveways. When washed into waterways, yard waste provide nitrogen and nutrients that can lead to algae bloom and green water.
  • Stormwater runoff drains directly into our neighboring waterways.

  1. Start or change service

    Contact the city to set up service and order your carts. Charges for garbage and yard waste collection services appear on monthly utility bills. For questions about charges, fee amounts or temporary discontinuation of services, contact the Finance Department.

    Email City of Northfield Utility Billing
    507-645-3015

  1. Cart sizes available

    Northfield residents have a choice for the size of the cart that best suit their disposal needs.

    Cart options 20 gallon 35 gallon 64 gallon 96 gallon
    Image 20 gallon or 35 gallon cart 20 gallon or 35 gallon cart 64 gallon cart 96 gallon cart
    Width 19'' 19'' 24'' 26''
    Depth 22.7'' 23.75'' 27'' 34.5''
    Height 32.5'' 37.5'' 41.5'' 46''
    Service available Garbage Garbage Garbage, recycling, yard waste Garbage, recycling, yard waste

Curbside yard waste service

Choose between a 64 gallon or 96 gallon container. You may also place up to 10 additional compostable bags for excess yard waste next to your bin.

Seasonal service runs from spring to fall, weather permitting. Spring yard waste service begins Monday, April 13, 2020.

Spring curbside pickup days

You can participate in spring curbside pickup even if you’re not enrolled in yard waste service! Purchase yard waste stickers at Family Fare ($3) and attach to compostable yard bags for curbside pickup on the same day as your garbage pickup April to May.

Fall curbside pickup days

You can participate in fall curbside pickup even if you’re not enrolled in yard waste service! Purchase yard waste stickers at Family Fare ($3) and attach to compostable yard bags for curbside pickup on the same day as your garbage pickup October 1 to November 15.

On-call service

Please contact DSI at least one day before your regular service day to schedule a one-time pick up.

Dick's Sanitation, Inc. (DSI)
952-469-2239

  1. Christmas trees

    DSI collects Christmas trees during the first two full weeks of January. They collect only one tree per household. Place the tree on the curb.

Billing rate

  1. $90.00 seasonal service May to November. Service will be billed $7.50 per month from January to December. If residents signs up in May, their first bill will include January to April billing. The fee is the same regardless of cart size (64 gallon or 96 gallon).

Time of pickup

Place your cart out on your curb before 7 a.m. on Mondays. Do not wait for the truck to pass by.

  1. Placement of carts

    Place your carts (garbage, recycling and yard waste) on opposite sides of your driveway on the curb. Do no place carts in the street, or near mailboxes, trees, basketball hoops or other obstacles.

  1. Missed pickup

    The garbage, recycling and yard waste services are contracted through Dick's Sanitation, Inc. (DSI). Please contact them for a missed pickup and general service questions.

    Dick's Sanitation, Inc. (DSI)
    952-469-2239

  1. Holiday schedule for pickup

    DSI observes the following holidays:

    • New Year's Day
    • Memorial Day
    • Independence Day
    • Labor Day
    • Thanksgiving Day
    • Christmas Day

    Service will be delayed one day starting on the holiday of that week.

    View DSI holiday schedule

Yard waste drop-off facility

Northfield residents may take all yard waste, including brush, branches and shrubbery to the City of Northfield compost site during scheduled hours. Limb size must be less than six inches in circumference. Finished compost is also available for pickup at the site.

  1. Address

    Northfield Compost Site
    1801 Armstrong Road
    Northfield, MN 55057

    Hours

    Open April 14 - November 15, 2020
    Monday, closed
    Tuesday - Friday, 2 p.m. - 7 p.m. (or sunset)
    Saturday, 8 a.m. - 5 p.m. (or sunset)
    Sunday, noon - 5 p.m. (or sunset)
    Holidays, closed

    If sunset occurs before the closing time, the site will close due to darkness. The compost site does not have lights.

Rice County Landfill

The Rice County solid waste landfill site also accepts yard waste.

Rice County Landfill
3800 East 145th Street
Dundas, MN 55019
507-332-6833