The city picks up garbage containers on a weekly cycle.   
Containers must be on the curb and ready for pickup by 6 am on your designated collection day.
Containers must be placed where they are accessible to the truck.  
Please ensure your container is at least 3 feet away from all objects, including mailboxes and your recycling container.
Containers must be brought back up to your home within 24 hours of the pick-up.
All garbage must be contained so the lid will close.

If you have any questions about garbage pickup, dumpster rentals or scheduling pick-ups, drop-offs, please call 218-332-5454

Garbage and Recycling Route Map

Dates When My Garbage or Recycling Schedule Will Change

2024 Residential Refuse Rates

2024 Commercial Refuse Rates

Dumpster and Roll-Off Rentals

Dumpsters and roll-offs are available for city residents to rent. The signatures of the property owner is necessary to authorize the delivery and billing.   Tenants must have the property owner sign for the dumpster rental.  

Please give us at least one day notice for this delivery. Deliveries are available Monday-Friday.
Please call 218-332-5454 to arrange delivery and obtain signatures.

Items Accepted in Dumpsters and Roll-Offs

Rental Rates

 Dumpsters-all sizes $18.00 per month minimum

 Special Pickup

Dumpster $46.00 per pick up
Rolloff $140.00 per pick up
*Containers used to dispose of dirt will be charged a pick fee of 2 times the standard rate

Disposal Fee

Demolition Debris $34/cubic yard (effective Jan 1, 2023)
Municipal Solid Waste based on container size or tonnage @ $130.40/ton
Minimal Disposal Fee    $15.00

Sanitizing Fee

Solid Waste Management Tax:

 The City of Fergus Falls strongly encourages our residents to recycle to reduce the amount of material going into our landfill and to reduce our refuse rates

• Each household is provided with 95 gallon recycling cart
• This is a single sort container.   There is no need to separate items.  Just empty, rinse and toss your recyclables into the bin.
• All recycled items go into the same container.   Please do NOT bag your items!
  
• These containers will be picked up every other week on the same day as your refuse collection
• The City has divided the routes into RED and BLUE routes            
  
• Fergus Falls residents are currently being charged $7.00 per month for recycling services.

Items accepted in the recycling bins:

Metal cans with lids                       Aluminum cans                         Glass jars   
Paperboard                                  Coffee containers                      Plastic containers #1-#7
Paper bags                                   Books                                      Clean pizza boxes
Office paper                                 Paper towel holders                  Toilet paper holders
Magazines                                    Clean aluminum foil                  Clean pie plates
Newspaper                                   Catalogs                                  Newspaper inserts
Phone books                                 Junk mail                                Envelopes
Corrugated cardboard *
*Cardboard must be cut down into smaller pieces and not stuffed into the containers.

Styrofoam (even though some containers say #6), is not accepted in the recycling bins.  Please dispose of Styrofoam in your garbage can.

If you want additional clarification, please call 218-332-5454

Learn more about Otter Tail County's Solid Waste, Recycling Services, Food Waste Drop Off Sites and Household Hazardous Waste departments.

 Recycling Route Map (Marked by Blue and Red Routes)

Dates When My Garbage or Recycling Schedule Will Change

Contact/Find Us

The Landfill is located at 2010 S Oak Street. You can reach the office by phone at 218-332-5860.

Each Fergus Falls resident/address may dispose of one free load annually at the landfill. Please download the flyer for details and the form needed when you make your drop off.  

Hours

Monday-Friday 8 am-5 pm
Saturdays 8 am-12:00 noon
Sundays Closed

The gate closes 30 minutes before posted closing time.

All products must be through the gate 1/2 hour prior to closing time.

After Hours Lawn Waste/Brush Site

After hours lawn waste/brush disposal site hours:  Monday-Friday 4:30 pm-8:00 pm. Saturdays 11:30 am-8:00 pm and Sundays 8:00 am-8:00 pm.  The after hours disposal is closed from December until April.

Fall Leaf Pick-Up is Wednesday, November 6th. Please have your leaves in bags (preferably compostable ones) and on the curb by 6 a.m.

What Items Are Accepted At the Landfill?

Compost                                                  
Trees/Brush
Garbage                                                   
Demolition debris
White goods (appliances)                        
Soft goods (furniture)
TV's/Monitors/Computer Scrap              
Small electronics
Tires (car/pickup, semi, tractor)              
Batteries
Fluorescent lights                                    
Ballasts
Treated lumber                           

Landfill Fee Schedule

Leaves, Brush and Compost

Loading times are Monday through Friday from 1:00-3:00 pm. 
Loading wait times may vary.

Fall Leaf Pick-Up is Wednesday, November 6th. Please have your leaves in bags (preferably compostable ones) and on the curb by 6 a.m.

The City of Fergus Falls allows composting in residential areas.   If you don’t want to compost on your own property, you can still bring your yard material to the Fergus Falls Landfill on South Oak Street.           

Please do not put your material into your refuse can.
Learn more about yard waste disposal

 Compost Containers

 Our ordinance requires compost piles be contained with a compost container. Piles without containers can become unsightly and may not be able to generate enough heat to safely decompose organic material. Many local garden centers or hardware stores have compost containers, or you can make your own.   Containers should be at least 3' x 3' x 3' to generate sufficient heat for composting.

Woven Wire Containers
These containers made of woven wire or snow fence are popular because they are inexpensive, simple to build, and easy to move and store. Steel posts can be used for corner supports.

Turning Containers
These containers make turning the compost easier because they give you something to turn the compost into. And, with a multi-bin composter, you can start new compost while the first batch is still cooking.

The size of your property (with a residential structure) dictates the space you can have for compost containers.

 * Lots less than 5,000 sq. ft. can have up to a total of 245 cubic feet of compost containers.
* Lots between 5,000 and 10,000 sq. ft. can have up to a total of 405 cubic feet of containers.
* Lots of more than 10,000 sq. ft. can have up to a total of 500 cubic feet of containers.

Where is a good place to put your compost container? In your backyard!! Partial shading is ideal. This will keep your compost from drying out too quickly. Avoid placing the container under the edge of a roof, where rainwater may run off and over-water the pile. City Ordinance requires containers be placed at least one foot from any property line, not within a front or side yard setback and 20 feet from any habitable building other than your own home.

Ingredients

Successful composting combines the materials below, in the right proportions, to give microorganisms such as bacteria and fungi an environment in which to thrive. Microorganisms are essential to the composting process and are naturally found on "greens" and "browns".

Greens(wet material)-- Organic material like fruit and vegetable waste and garden plants. Greens are high in nitrogen, and provide the building blocks for the protein that microorganisms need to reproduce.

Browns (dry material) -- Organic material like leaves, straw, woody plants and woodchips. Browns are high in carbon and  provide the carbon source for microorganisms.

Water -- The material in the compost container should be like a damp sponge - wet to the touch, so that you get just a drop or so of water when you squeeze a handful of compost. If the compost gets too wet, air will not get to the organisms.  Without enough water, the organisms will not thrive.

Oxygen -- Those little microorganisms need to breathe too! Without enough oxygen your pile may begin to smell badly.

Build your pile in alternating layers of greens and browns in order to build in air-flow. Loose browns materials give the pile texture and help create air-flow between layers of kitchen waste.

Other ingredients… the good and the bad

 * Okay to add -- rice, grains from home brewing, coffee grounds, crushed eggshells, fruit remains, tea bags, vegetable scraps.   Vegetable and fruit scraps are high in nitrogen and moisture and tend to become compacted, so air cannot get to the microorganisms. Pay special attention if you are composting fruit and vegetables. Grass clippings are considered "Greens" in the spring when they have more nitrogen, and "Browns" the rest of the season.

Do NOT add – meat, bones, fats and oils, grease, dairy products, diseased plant material, pet feces, plastic or synthetic fibers. City of Fergus Falls ordinance prohibits these materials in home composting containers.

If you don’t want to compost on your own property, you can still bring your yard material to the Fergus Falls Landfill on South Oak Street. Please do not put your material into your refuse can.

 Learn more about Otter Tail County's Food Waste/Organics Recycling Programs

The City of Fergus Falls recognizes twelve holidays.   When these dates fall on the day of garbage and recycling pickups, your pickup date will change.

Residential pickup days are Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday.
Holidays that fall on a Saturday are recognized on Friday.
Holidays that fall on a Sunday are recognized on Monday.

If a holiday falls on a Monday, your pickup is moved to Tuesday.
Tuesday pickup would then take place on Wednesday.

If a holiday falls on a Tuesday, your pickup is moved to Wednesday.

If a holiday falls on a Thursday, your pickup is moved to Wednesday.

If a holiday falls on a Friday, your pickup is moved to Thursday.
Thursday pickup would then take place on Wednesday.

2024 Garbage and Recycling Schedule