The Great North Metro Trash War
Liberty, Lids, and Curb Appeal: Why the fight over garbage collection is the North Metro’s “Secret Civil War.”
🚜 The Garbage Report
CONTEXT SUMMARYIndividual freedom vs. Civic infrastructure.
1 trash truck = 1,000 cars in road wear.
Petitions, protests, and council reversals.
How “Trash Day” affects your property value.
The Bartender’s Insight: Minnesotans don’t mind you telling them how to drive, but tell them which truck picks up their eggshells and you’ve got a revolution on your hands.
Pull up a chair. I was just talking to a guy who’s so mad he’s vibrating.
He isn’t mad about the $195 million Hwy 65 project. He isn’t mad about the $51 million Rum River Dam. He’s mad about the color of the bin at the end of his driveway.
In Coon Rapids and Anoka, we have what I call the “Secret Civil War.” It’s the battle over Organized Trash Collection. If you haven’t lived here through a transition year, you might think I’m joking. But I’ve seen neighbors stop speaking to each other over which hauling company has the “right” to pick up their recycling.
When I’m wearing my Realtor hat—whether I’m representing you as a Seller’s Representative Specialist (SRS) or an Accredited Buyer’s Representative (ABR)—the trash situation is a real factor. It affects road maintenance (and therefore taxes), it affects curb appeal, and it affects the “vibe” of a neighborhood.
So, let’s pour a glass of the gritty stuff and talk about the weirdest, most passionate fight in the North Metro.
The “Liberty” Argument: My Bin, My Choice
Minnesotans have a deep-seated independent streak. We like to choose our own doctors, our own mechanics, and our own trash haulers.
For decades, Anoka and Coon Rapids operated on an “Open Market” system. You want Walters? You call Walters. You want Ace? You call Ace. On any given Tuesday, you might have five different trash trucks from five different companies driving down the same cul-de-sac.
The “Freedom” Factor:
The argument against “Organized Collection” (where the city picks one company for everyone) is simple: Competition drives service. If your hauler misses a pickup or breaks your lid, you fire them and hire the other guy. People in Anoka fought tooth and nail to keep this right, often citing that a city-mandated hauler is a form of “creeping socialism.”
🗞️ The Star Tribune Conflict
The fight got so heated that it made the front page of the Star Tribune. In Anoka, the city council actually voted to organize, then faced such a massive backlash (petitions, protests, and potential lawsuits) that they had to reconsider. It’s a classic case of “Personal Freedom” vs. “Civic Efficiency.”
The Asphalt Eater: 40,000lb Trucks
Now, let’s talk about the city’s side of the bar.
From an urban planning perspective, five trash trucks on one street is a disaster.
The Math:
A fully loaded trash truck weighs about 40,000 pounds. According to MnDOT studies, one pass of a trash truck causes as much wear and tear on a residential street as 1,000 to 1,200 passenger cars.
If you have five haulers in a neighborhood, that’s like 5,000 extra cars driving down your quiet cul-de-sac every single week. This accelerates the “Pavement Lifecycle” from 25 years down to 15.
The Property Value Link:
When the roads crumble faster, the city has to fix them more often. How do they pay for it? Special Assessments. If you live in a city with “Open Market” trash, you are likely paying more in assessments over the long term to keep your street from looking like a lunar landscape.
Curb Appeal: The Tuesday Morning Eyesore
As a Realtor, I’m obsessed with curb appeal.
In a neighborhood with “Organized Collection,” trash day is… well, one day. Everyone puts out the same colored bin at the same time, the one truck comes by, and by noon, the bins are gone. It’s clean. It’s uniform.
The “Rolling Parade” of Bins
In an “Open Market” neighborhood, every day can be trash day. You have Walters on Monday, Ace on Tuesday, Republic on Wednesday… there is almost always a trash bin or a recycling crate sitting at the end of someone’s driveway. For a potential buyer driving through a neighborhood, this can make an area feel cluttered and “unmanaged.”
I’ve had buyers ask me, “Is there an HOA here?” when they see perfectly uniform bins. They equate that uniformity with Property Pride. It’s a psychological trick, but it works.
Where the Battle Lines are Drawn
You want to hear the latest in the “Trash Wars”? These are the spots where the neighborhood activists meet to plot their next petition.
- Alloy Brewing Company (Coon Rapids):
The unofficial headquarters for the “Don’t Tell Me What to Do” crowd. If there’s a city council vote coming up, you’ll find the organizers here, leaning over a pint of Irresponsible, making sure their neighbors are ready to testify. - Kendall’s Ace Hardware:
The neutral ground. Everyone needs a new trash bin lid eventually, regardless of which company picks it up. It’s where the “Old School” Anoka and Coon Rapids folks talk shop. - Shortstop Bar & Grill:
The “Post-Meeting” spot. After a three-hour city council session about waste management, the council members and the citizens usually end up here to cool down.
Last Call
Garbage collection sounds like the most boring topic in the world—until it’s your garbage and your money.
The “Secret Civil War” in the North Metro is really a fight about Identity. Are we a collection of independent homeowners who value choice above all else? Or are we a unified community that values infrastructure and efficiency?
As your Realtor, I don’t care which company picks up your trash—I just care that your roads are smooth and your curb appeal is high. But as your bartender, I’m happy to listen to you vent about the lid on your new green bin for as long as you need.
If you’re looking to move into a neighborhood and want to know what the “Trash Vibe” is (and what the special assessments look like), give me a call. I’ve got the data, I’ve got the council minutes, and I’ve got a stool waiting for you.
Cheers to a clean neighborhood.
Jacob Zwack
Realtor | The Minnesota Real Estate Team
The Agent Referral Network.
Serving the North Metro. RENE, C2EX, SRS, ABR designated.
“I handle the grit so you can enjoy the view.”
Jacob Zwack is a licensed Realtor with The Minnesota Real Estate Team. All information presented is for educational and entertainment purposes. Waste management policies, city council decisions, and tax assessments are subject to change. Always verify current municipal services and special assessments with the city clerk’s office before purchasing a property.
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