Labeling Requirements
All recycling, trash and organics containers are required to be labeled. Waste haulers are responsible for labeling carts and containers they provide. Dakota County adopted standardized label requirements to maintain consistency across the county. Labeling requirements are outlined in County Ordinance 110 Solid Waste Management.
Order free labels
Creating your own labels
Organizations may create their own labels. All labels must be approved by the county prior to use. Send approval requests to solidwastecompliance@co.dakota.mn.us.
Minimum requirements for labels
1. Label Title: Recycle or Recycling
Label Subtitles (optional):
- Paper and Cardboard
- Cartons
- Cans
- Glass
- Plastics
2. Label color: Blue (prefer dark blue), such as for the border and label title area
3. Label Images: Labels must include:
- Recycling symbol (prefer dark blue or white)
- Images that indicate recycling items collected (prefer on a white background so images are easily visible)
Labels on containers that collect recyclables separately (e.g., cardboard only, aluminum cans only) only need images of the material collected.
1. Label title: Trash
2. Label Color: Gray or black, such as for the border and label title area
3. Images: Trash labels do not need to have images.
1. Label title: Organics
Subtitle (optional): Food Scraps
2. Label color: Green, such as for the border and label title area
3. Images that indicate organics items collected (prefer on a white background so images are easily visible).