Sanitation

Garbage Bag Handout: Garbage bag handout is held once per year - the first full week of June.  If you missed the bag handout, you must get your bags from the Utility Billing Office inside City Hall. Call 218-681-4145 and they will look up your account and have the bags ready. Hours are Monday - Friday  8:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.

Garbage pickup is twice per week. Please have your garbage out by 7:00 a.m. on your garbage days. If your garbage is not put out in the morning and is missed, the truck & crew will not come back to your location.

  • Monday & Thursday - West of River
  • Tuesday & Friday - East of River

Garbage Routes Map

Only black bags with “TRF” printed on them, or the green bags issued in 2020, will be picked up by the Sanitation Department and bags must be tied. This means no un-bagged garbage will be picked up. (The ONLY exception is broken glass, which should be boxed separately.) Any questions regarding household or yard waste pickup - read below. You may also call the Public Works Department at 681-8506.

Garbage Guidelines: 

  • Put all empty corrugated cardboard boxes out separately – no need for sticker. Please break them down.
  • Place garbage bags within 3 feet of berm or alley edge.
  • All bags must be tied.
  • Keep garbage area clear of snow in winter months 
  • Put your garbage out the morning of pick up
  • Personal garbage cans, containers, etc. are not allowed. 
  • 4 non city garbage bags will be picked up if there is 1 orange sticker attached and visible to one of the bags. 
  • Make sure garbage is 4 feet away from any parked cars or other obstructions.

The following items will not be picked up: 

  • Concrete, dirt, rocks, bricks
  • Paint
  • Construction Debris - windows, shingles, old carpet, wood
  • Motor Oil/Auto Parts
  • Fluorescent bulbs/ballasts
  • Car/truck batteries
  • Other household hazardous items
  • Boxes filled with dirt/debris, sod
  • Any item that does not have an orange sticker on it

The above items would need to be disposed of at Les's Sanitation. 

Car & light truck tires are accepted with an orange sticker attached to each one. 

Put all large items – couches, appliances out with sticker on each piece.

Bulky Items

Bulky items are picked up the day of normal service. Each bulky item requires 1 orange sticker.  

Appliances are picked up on Wednesdays. Put your appliance out during your normal garbage pick up day, and your address will be written down. The truck will then return on Wednesday to pick it up. Freon from appliances is recovered by the City, so please don’t tamper with the compressor lines.

All large items, (i.e., chairs, mattresses, appliances, TV's, light truck or car tires, etc.) must have an authorized ORANGE sticker attached to each item to be picked up. Stickers are issued during bag handout, based on the rate schedule.

Extra stickers can be purchased at the Utility Billing Office inside City Hall at a cost of $5.00 plus tax each.

Boxes

Empty boxes are picked up at no additional cost. Filled Boxes will be classified as “bulky items” and a sticker is required. Boxes must be able to be handled by two employees. Four smaller boxes will require only one sticker. 

Construction Debris & Carpet

The City does not pick up construction debris. This includes roofing, siding, drywall, old carpeting etc. Construction debris is the contractor’s/homeowners responsibility. Call Les's Sanitation at 218-681-7312. Les's Sanitation does rent out dumpsters for construction projects. 

Dumpster Rentals

To rent a dumpster for household cleaning (NOT for construction debris or carpet) call the Public Works Department at 681-8506. The dumpster rental charges are added to your utility bill. If you have a delinquent or past due utility bill, you must pre-pay for the dumpster.  

  • 3-yard container - $40.00 per dump
  • 6-yard container - $81.00 per dump

Dumpsters are available for a maximum of two weeks for customer convenience. A minimum of two weeks is required without a dumpster between each two-week period with a rented dumpster. One minimum dump fee will be charged for each two-week period or the actual number of dumps, whichever is greater.

If you have construction debris and need a dumpster, call Les's Sanitation at 218-681-7312.

Grass & Yard Waste

Grass Clippings: Residents are encouraged to mulch their grass clippings. There is a disposal site for grass clippings only, located at the Public Works Maintenance Facility at 1121 Atlantic Ave N – this is for UNBAGGED grass clippings only. See map.

Leaf Vaccum: Leaves are picked up with the leaf vacuum in the spring and fall. The leaf vacuum will run for 4 weeks in the fall and 2 weeks in the spring & pickup is according to ward. (See news & annoucements for more information).

Branch Pickup: Residents may place bundled branches (tied in a way that the bunch can be easily picked up by an employee) maximum 5-foot lengths at their garbage pickup site. Customers may also bring branches directly to the disposal site at the Public Works Building at 1121 Atlantic Ave N and place them in the clearly marked site. This service is for trees & branches removed from city limits only, and is not for the use of contractors hired for the removal of trees. Any questions please call the Public Works Dept at 681-8506.

Bag Hand-Out

Garbage Bag handout for ALL TRF Homeowners & renters is held once a year during the first full week of June. Please make every effort to pick your bags up during handout week.

Bags are given to the person responsible for payment of the utility bill.

During all other times, the bags are distributed through the Utilities Billing Office inside City Hall. Call 218-681-4145.

Monthly Sanitation & Street Services Collection Fees (2/1/2024)

Bags StickersMonthly Amount
502

**$15.50

753

   $24.00

1004

   $26.25

1506

   $32.50

2008

   $38.00

25010

   $45.00

30012

   $50.50

**Income restrictions apply

Options for Additional Bags:

If all bags are used before June:

  • Elect to move up to the next level. Bags will be pro-rated until the next bag distribution date.
  • Purchase at $1.50 plus tax each.

Anyone wanting to increase their number of bags must reach out to the Utility Billing Office at 681-4145.

Residential customers who drop their utility services for several winter months will be pro-rated on the number of bags they will receive (i.e. 6 months=50 bags; 9 months=75 bags).

Apartments: All multi family dwellings with 4 or more units will be provided with a dumpster and are no longer required to use City issued garbage bags. Multi-family building owners will be charged the level 1 rate ($23.00) for each unit in their building in addition to a dumpster fee ($13.50). Tenants will not be charged directly for sanitation services.

Staff Contacts

Name Title Phone
Travis Giffen Public Works Director 218-689-4292