Our fuel component fee helps offset the fluctuating costs of fuel required to keep our trucks running across the Lakes Area. This fee shifts based on regional fuel prices, allowing us to keep our base service rates stable and fair.

Yes, you can call our office to make a payment over the phone, but please note there is an extra processing fee of $5.49. To make the exact same payment with no additional charge, we recommend using our website portal to pay online for free. Please note, you are unable to set up autopay through our online portal. Please contact our office to do so! Also refer to our Payments page for more info.

Yes. If you will be gone for at least two consecutive collection days and pre-arrange it with our office ahead of time, we will credit your account for those weeks. This excludes customers on our yearly discount and seasonal subscription programs.

Yes. If you are away from the Lakes Area for at least two months out of the calendar year, you can switch to our seasonal rate. While the monthly rate is slightly higher, you are only charged for the specific months you are actively here using the service.

Our commercial routes start early around 3:00 AM to service businesses before lots fill up with cars. Our residential drivers begin their routes at 5:30 AM. Because pickup times vary throughout the year as seasonal residents come and go, we highly recommend putting your containers out the night before. If you have additional services such as recycling, please note it will be collected by a separate truck which could be earlier or later than your garbage service. 

If you realize you missed the collection truck, call our office immediately. We will check in with our driver to see if they are still working in your immediate neighborhood and can double back. If we are unfortunately no longer in your area, we may be able to collect it in the coming days for a return trip fee. Alternatively, we can arrange to take the extra trash the following week for no additional charge.

Our drivers do their best to ensure the cart is emptied after each collection. On rare occasion, objects may get stuck or wedged in the cart preventing the remainder of the trash from being emptied. To avoid this, ensure items are not packed into the cart and try to avoid placing light objects at the bottom of the cart. 

If items are left outside your cart, it is likely we are unable to collect it in our standard trucks and would need to send out a separate vehicle to collect the item (appliances, electronics, etc.). Our team would typically reach out to determine how you would like to proceed. However, if you have not been contacted, please reach out to our office!

Please place your wheeled carts within 3 feet of the curb or roadside with the lid opening facing the street. Keep them clear of obstructions like vehicles, mailboxes, trees, or utility poles so our automated truck arms can safely reach them. If you have a second cart, additional garbage or recycling, ensure they are spaced at least 3ft apart.

Trash has a way of attracting all the animals! A few first steps we would recommend:

1. Wash your containers - try to eliminate any odors to would entice those unwanted pests.
2. Ensure your trash fits in the cart and the lid can close - think about sizing up or adding a container
3. Spray a little bleach in the cart before setting out at night - strong cleaner scent often deters critters
4. Temporarily use a rachet strap - our drivers can handle for a short period of time
5. Upgrade to our bear cart - additional monthly fee, but our best solution for those with consistent critters

When you choose to recycle with our team, you can be assured that your recycling is delivered to the proper recycling facilities often called Material Recovery Facilities (MRFs) where the product is sorted and prepared for market. We ask our customers to do there best to ensure the items they place in the recycling cart are recyclable products (refer to our recycling guide), and we train our recycling drivers to look for and remove non-recyclable items to ensure that the items accepted by the MRF. 

Residential recycling costs are structured in accordance with Minnesota Statute 115A. If you choose not to participate in recycling, the state requires the entire amount of your solid waste collection service to be fully taxed, which actually increases your overall monthly bill.

No. Styrofoam packaging, grocery bags, plastic wraps, plastic flower pots, and landscape edging are not accepted in our curbside recycling program. Bags and edging tangle in the sorting machinery, and Styrofoam cannot be processed.

Please call our office in advance to make arrangements and get pricing for items such as mattresses, couches, chairs, refrigerators, washers, dryers, printers, computers, and monitors. These items cannot be taken by your weekly collection vehicle and require us to dispatch a specialized truck to your property.

Motor Oil: Do not put oil in your trash. Both Crow Wing and Cass County maintain specialized drop sites for used motor oil.

Construction Debris: Materials like cement, tile, heavy wood, and sheetrock cannot go into your regular garbage cart. We unfortunately do not offer heavy construction material removal. Contact a local roll-off service to arrange a temporary roll-off container for your project.

Clean-outs: If your project is on the lighter side such as a garage clean-out or house moving, we can provide temporary containers up to 8yds for household materials. We cannot accept household hazardous waste (oil, paint, aerosols, etc.), electronics, or tires in these containers. large furniture and appliance can be taken for an additional charge but must not be placed inside the container.