Junk removal costs in Minneapolis

Here's a Minneapolis rule that surprises people: don't take the couch apart. If you have City garbage service, crews will take up to two large items a week with your garbage. But if a piece of furniture is broken down, the crew may tag it as building materials, and the City doesn't pick those up. If your dumpsters or carts come from a private hauler, you don't have City service, and Hennepin County's Green Disposal Guide covers what to do.

Which week matters too. A wood table or an upholstered couch under six feet goes out on garbage day. Appliances, electronics, mattresses and metal items wait for your recycling week, and so do hide-a-beds and recliners. Fridges and freezers go out with the doors off. Keep a mattress covered from rain and snow, too. A waterlogged or frozen one is too heavy to be collected for recycling. Whatever the week, everything has to be out by 6 a.m. with a note on it that says "For Solid Waste." Skip the note, and the crew may leave it.

Two items a week is slow for a real cleanout, so City garbage customers can also get up to six cleanup vouchers a year for the South Transfer Station. You have to request one before you go. Each voucher covers up to 2,000 pounds of household garbage and construction and demolition debris, plus two large recyclable items like appliances or mattresses.