Floods, tornadoes, and even large building fires can generate large volumes of unexpected solid waste. To manage, sort, and dispose of this waste, a variety of temporary and permanent disposal facilities may be required.
Although the alternate disposal options for some items will differ from those normally available to you, the MPCA has determined that these temporary options will provide the flexibility and expediency needed to address this issue.
Debris disposal
Waste categories for community pickup and disposal
If you have significant amounts of waste materials, you can help the collection efforts by separating your flood-damaged materials for community pickup and disposal as specified in the table below. Owners of damaged vehicles should personally arrange for their disposal.
| Category | Disposal option |
|---|---|
| Demolition debris, building materials, and concrete | Demolition landfill |
| Municipal waste, such as food, paper, clothing, household furniture, household waste, trash and asbestos waste. | Sanitary landfill |
| Hazardous waste (commercial or household) | Household hazardous waste collection facility |
| Tree and brush waste | Compost facility |
| Appliances (white goods) and electronics, including washers, dryers, dishwashers, furnaces, microwave ovens, water heaters, televisions and computers | Appliance and electronics recycling/disposal site |
| Oil-soaked absorbent pads and other special wastes | Local designated collection |
Temporary waste categories for residential items
The table below lists common household items and their waste categories. These categories may become less restrictive if a major flood, tornado, or other natural disaster occurs. If that happens, additional guidance will be issued.
| Item | Solid waste category |
|---|---|
| Air conditioners, clothes dryers, washing machines, freezers, furnaces, microwave ovens, stoves, refrigerators | Appliances |
| Appliances, portable (e.g., toasters, hotplates, heaters) | Municipal waste |
| Books, magazines , and cardboard (not recyclable) | Municipal waste |
| Carpeting (if removed and placed separately for disposal) | Municipal waste |
| Clothing, food, furniture, treated lumber, powdered detergent | Municipal waste |
| Concrete, non-asbestos insulation, sheetrock, wallboard, window glass, carpeting (if remaining in demolished building) | Demolition waste |
| Household pesticides, paints, stains, etc. | Household hazardous waste |
| Stereos, radios | Municipal waste |
| Televisions, computers | Appliances or Electronics |
Disposal facilities and transfer stations
Some counties may have established special procedures and/or temporary storage sites to accommodate the large volumes of damaged materials generated by a natural disaster. So, contact your local emergency operations center (EOC) or solid waste office for disposal facility locations if you plan to haul the flood-damaged materials yourself.
For specific information
Contact your local EOC or your county’s solid waste office. If you don't know the phone number for your local contact, call the MPCA office nearest to you:
- Brainerd: 218-828-2492
- Detroit Lakes: 218-847-1519
- Duluth: 218-723-4660
- Mankato: 507-389-5977
- Marshall: 507-537-7146
- Rochester: 507-285-7343
- St. Paul: 651-296-6300
- All offices can be reached toll-free at 1-800-657-3864