Organics can be taken to a Ramsey County Food Scraps Drop-off site. The closest one is at City Hall! The drop off sites accept all food scraps. Yard waste is not accepted (it must be taken to a yard waste drop off site). You can store food waste in a sealed container or in a compostable bag (provided at the drop off site) in your kitchen. Food scraps must be bagged in a compostable bag to be placed in the collection receptacle. The County accepts a wide range of food scraps because these go to an industrial composing facility. Compostable plates, cups, utensils, etc. marked with the Biodegradable Products Institute logo (BPI) are also accepted at the food scraps drop off site for industrial composting.

• Bones.
• Candy.
• Coffee grounds and paper filters.
• Corn cobs.
• Dairy products.
• Egg shells.
• Fish and shellfish.
• Fruits and fruit peels.
• Grains.
• Grease.
• Herbs and spices.
• Hot and cold cereals.
• Meat and seafood.
• Moldy or expired food.
• Nut shells.
• Pastries and pies.
• Popcorn kernels.
• Soup.
• Sauces.
• Vegetables.

Falcon Heights allows backyard composting at all single-family dwellings within the city. Backyard compost can be a great way for gardeners to enrich their soil and recycle food scraps. In backyard compost, it is recommended to place ONLY food waste of plant origin, soft yard waste, and leaves. Food waste of animal origin should not go in backyard compost. You can purchase a backyard compost bin through the County’s annual sale on May 5^th, 2025, and learn more at the County website.

The vast majority of paper and cardboard products can be recycled or composted! At Ramsey County Food Scraps Drop-off sites, you can also take your paper towels, tissues, pizza boxes, napkins, food-stained paper bags and paper egg cartons (remove any sticker labels), as well as compostable products like cups, plates, and utensils marked with the Biodegradable Products Institute (BPI) logo.

Paper/cardboard products that can be placed in your Tennis Sanitation curbside recycling are as follows: Small paper items like paper sticky notes and all-paper teabag wrappers should be placed in an envelope so they do not get lost.

• Newspaper and inserts (Remove plastic newspaper bags)
• Junk mail
• Paperback books and phone books
• Magazines and catalogs
• Mail and office papers
• Corrugated cardboard (Remove packing material)
• Paperboard (e.g., cracker boxes, cereal boxes)
• Shredded paper (placed in a sealed paper bag)
• Brown paper shopping bags
• Pizza boxes and frozen food boxes (please clean food particles from box)

Stickers, labels, adhesives, and plastic or foil lined paper cups are not recyclable or compostable. Paper plates and bowls without the BPI logo that are food soiled should not be composted at Ramsey County Food Scraps Drop-off Sites and cannot be recycled. Gift wrap, paper napkins, and corks are not recyclable through Tennis. Paper napkins can be composted through Ramsey County.

Glass jars and bottles are recyclable. Remove lids from jars and bottles. Metal lids larger than 3 inches can be placed in the recycling bin, and smaller lids should be trapped in a soup can (or other aluminum can) before also being recycled. Small plastic lids made of #1, #2, or #5 plastic like hot sauce lids should be placed in a larger recyclable plastic container and then recycled. Small items get lost in the sorting machine. Pyrex, glass cookware, and window glass are NOT recyclable. Avoid breaking glass.

Plastic can be sorted into curbside recycling, plastic film recycling (at City Hall or certain grocery stores), and trash. It is important to sort plastics carefully, as there are many different types. Tennis accepts hard plastic #1, #2, and #5. You can find the number inside the little arrow triangle on the item. Examples of curbside recyclable plastics include:

• Milk jugs (caps on)
• Clear plastic egg cartons
• Clear plastic vegetable and fruit containers (such as berry containers)
• Laundry detergent bottles (caps on)
• Shampoo bottles (caps on)
• Water bottles
• Clear clamshells
• Tubs with plastic lids (such as sour cream, margarine)
• Beverage Containers (No Styrofoam)
• Clear Clamshell Packaging
• Drained Oil Bottles (lids on)
• Large Plastic Items (children’s toys, more examples on Tennis website)
• Yogurt Containers (remove foil/plastic lids)
• Flower and Shrub Pots
• Landscape Edging

Certain plastic films (#2 and #4 films) that are stretchy, clean, and dry are accepted at many grocery stores and Falcon Heights City Hall. You must remove all food residue, receipts, and large labels if possible before dropping off these items. Accepted products at these specific locations include:

• Pallet wrap & stretch film
• Case overwrap
• Product wrap
• Garbage bags/liners
• Toilet paper/paper towel/water bottle wrapping
• Salt bags
• Ice bags
• Non-paper bubble mailers & other plastic mailers
• Grocery/retail bags
• Ziploc & other re-sealable food storage bags
• Bread bags
• Cereal/pasta bags
• Dry cleaning bags
• Newspaper sleeves
• Produce bags
• Carpet overwrap
• Furniture foam wrap
• Heat sheets
• Mattress bags
• Wood pellet bags
• Bubble wrap
• Soft flexible foam

Black plastic takeout containers, ice cream containers, #6 deli containers, Styrofoam, plastic straws, plastic utensils, plastic six pack rings, and foil lined chip bags and granola bar wrappers are not recyclable. Masks, gloves, and other PPE are not accepted. Hoses, holiday lights, and cords are not recyclable because they get tangled in the sorting machinery and damage it. Large plastic items like children’s toys are sometimes accepted by Tennis. When in doubt, throw it out! It is better to throw things away than risk contaminating other recyclables.

The Environmental Center is open Tuesday-Friday 11-6 and Saturday 9-4. It accepts:

• Automotive products such as gas, brake fluid, used oil, and vehicle batteries
• Batteries
• Cleaning products
• Cords and string lights
• Electronics: cameras, cell phones, computers, TVs, gaming consoles, and all associated chargers, adapters, memory cards, keyboards, scanners, and DVRs.
  • Note: appliances such as microwaves, car parts, A/C units, refrigerators, dehumidifiers, power tools, solar panels, and VHS tapes/cassettes/CDs are not accepted at the Environmental Center.
• Home maintenance products such as paint, solvents, adhesives, sealants, wood stains, aerosol cans, etc. Pool chemicals and liquid cooking oil also accepted.
• Lawn and garden chemicals such as rodent poisons, pesticides, and insecticides.
• Mercury thermometers (exchange for a free digital thermometer) and other items containing mercury
• Scrap metal (aluminum and steel) such as deck chairs, gutters, pots and pans, cans, fencing, bed frames, pipes and rebar, plumbing fixtures, hitches and steel automotive parts, and wire hangars.
• Sharps (needles, empty syringes, lancets) in a labeled container
• Propane tanks and gas cylinders
• Vaping devices
• Unwanted medicine
• Lead fishing tackle (free exchange for lead-free fishing tackle!)

From appliances to zinc batteries, if you're not sure where to take it, check out Ramsey County's Ramsey Recycles page or the A to Z Recycling & Disposal Guide.

You can also call 651-633-EASY (3279) for questions on how to dispose of anything. This hotline is answered 24/7.

Electronics recycling

Household hazardous waste

Unwanted medicine