Arvada's Trash & Recycling: The Rules That Matter

Every city handles trash & recycling a little differently. In Arvada, Colorado, there are 9 distinct rules that residents and property owners should be aware of. Some are stricter than what neighboring cities enforce, and others are more relaxed. Here is what you need to know.

Yard Waste Collection

Arvada defines yard waste narrowly under City Code § 90-1 as grass, shrubbery cuttings, clippings and dry leaf rakings free of dirt and rocks, explicitly excluding large branches and bulky material. The city does not run weekly curbside yard-waste pickup; it instead funds periodic "Yard Waste Events" through the mandatory City Program fee billed to nearly every residential property under § 90-35.

Key details: Governing section: City Code § 90-1, § 90-35(c). Yard waste excludes: Large branches, bulky or noncombustible material. Collection method: Periodic Yard Waste Events, not weekly curbside. Funding: Mandatory City Program fee, most residences. Max fine: $2,650.00 under § 1-5.

Putting out yard waste containing branches, dirt or other excluded material, or setting debris out for a City Program event before the posted date, violates §§ 90-1 and 90-31 and is enforceable as a general Code violation under § 1-5: adults face a fine up to $2,650.00, up to 364 days in jail, or both, with each day of a continuing violation counted as a separate offense.

The rules around yard waste collection in Arvada lean permissive, but that does not mean anything goes.

Recycling Requirements

Every hauler licensed to collect solid waste from Arvada residential customers must also offer curbside recycling to those same customers: City Code § 90-57(a) bars a trash-only service, and § 90-57(d)(1) requires recycling pickup at least twice a month, on the same day as trash collection.

Key details: Governing section: Arvada City Code § 90-57. Mandate: No trash-only residential service allowed. Minimum frequency: Twice monthly, same day as trash. Exemption: Multi-family buildings of 8+ units. Enforcement: License suspension/revocation, § 90-56.

A licensed hauler that offers residential trash pickup without matching curbside recycling, or that falls below the twice-monthly, same-day schedule required by § 90-57, violates the chapter and risks license suspension or revocation under § 90-56 in addition to the Code's general penalty of up to $2,650.00, up to 364 days in jail, or both, under § 1-5.

Collection Schedule

Arvada runs a mandatory residential collection program: under § 90-33, the city's designated hauler must provide waste and recycling service to every resident not specifically excluded, containers are supplied by the city or its provider, and residents place carts in the street or alley on the schedule the city sets.

Key details: Governing section: Arvada City Code § 90-33. Service scope: All residents unless excluded under § 90-36. Containers supplied by: City or its designated provider. Placement point: Street or alley on city schedule. Mandatory fee: Billed via utility account, § 90-35(a).

Setting out only waste that did not accumulate from regular residential use of the property where it is left, or ignoring the city-established collection schedule, is unlawful under § 90-33(e) and is treated as a nuisance under § 90-31. Violations carry the Code's general penalty, § 1-5: up to $2,650.00, up to 364 days in jail, or both, per offense, with continuing noncompliance counted daily.

Bulk Item Disposal

Bulky items like furniture and appliances are not part of Arvada's routine cart service: § 90-33(d) requires residents to arrange bulky-item removal directly with the city's collection provider, another licensed hauler, or handle it themselves, and § 90-31(b) makes leaving bulky waste on a street or private lot unlawful unless that arrangement has been made.

Key details: Governing sections: §§ 90-31(b), 90-33(d). Bulky item examples: Furniture, appliances, lawnmowers (§ 90-1). Removal method: Private arrangement with licensed hauler. City events: Bulky Item Events funded via § 90-35(c). Unarranged pickup: No obligation on city or hauler.

Setting a couch, appliance or other bulky item at the curb without a hauler arrangement or outside a scheduled Bulky Item Event violates §§ 90-31(b) and 90-33(d) and is treated as a nuisance under Chapter 90, enforceable under the Code's general penalty, § 1-5: up to $2,650.00 in fines, up to 364 days in jail, or both, with each day the item remains a separate offense.

Recycling Rules

Arvada controls what actually counts as recyclable: under § 90-58, the city manager sets and periodically updates the official list of designated recyclable items after consulting licensed haulers and regional processors, and haulers must tell customers at least once a year what belongs in the recycling cart and how to prepare it.

Key details: Governing section: Arvada City Code § 90-58. Who sets the list: City manager, after hauler/processor input. List location: On file, city clerk's office. Customer notice: At least annually, from each hauler. Enforcement: License suspension/revocation, § 90-56.

A hauler that drops a designated recyclable from service without the city manager's formal removal notice, or that fails to give customers the required annual notice of accepted materials and preparation rules, violates § 90-58 and risks license discipline under § 90-56, including suspension or revocation, in addition to the Code's general penalty of up to $2,650.00 or 364 days in jail under § 1-5.

Dumpster Rules

Arvada's Land Development Code keeps trash dumpsters off single-family and duplex lots and requires every nonresidential, mixed-use, or multifamily site to set its compactor or dumpster enclosure at least 20 feet from homes and streets. Section 5-1-6-5 also caps the screening wall at six to eight feet and bars chain-link gates with metal cladding.

Key details: Setback from homes: At least 20 feet from single-family/duplex/townhome lots. Max distance to entrance: No more than 200 feet from served entrance. Enclosure height: Screen or wall between six and eight feet. Prohibited: Dumpsters on single-family/duplex lots outside permits. Gate material: Chain-link gates with metal cladding prohibited.

Placing a dumpster on a single-family or duplex lot outside a permitted construction project, or operating an unscreened or undersized enclosure, violates LDC Section 5-1-6-5 and Section 10-1-2-1. Enforcement follows Section 10-1-2-2: a misdemeanor conviction after notice or a stop-work order carries a fine up to $2,650 or up to 180 days in jail under Section 1-5, and every day the enclosure stays out of compliance counts as its own offense.

Pickup Rules & Schedules

Arvada requires every property owner, lessee or tenant to remove all waste, trash, rubbish and refuse from the premises at regular intervals and to store it between pickups in covered containers built to prevent the waste from escaping, under City Code § 90-3(a). Waste enclosures serving non-residential uses must also be screened or fully enclosed.

Key details: Governing section: Arvada City Code § 90-3. Core duty: Regular removal plus covered containers. Non-residential enclosures: Screened or 6-ft fencing required. Grandfather date: Enclosures predating Aug. 12, 1980 exempt. Max penalty: $2,650.00 fine or 364 days jail.

Failing to arrange regular removal, leaving waste in uncovered or leaking containers, operating an unscreened non-residential trash enclosure, or dumping in another person's container without permission violates § 90-3 and is punishable under the Code's general penalty, § 1-5: up to a $2,650.00 fine, up to 364 days in jail, or both for adults, with continuing violations charged separately for each day they persist.

Illegal Dumping

Arvada makes it a prohibited nuisance to dump, throw, or place rubbish, trash, debris, or grass clippings anywhere in the city, public or private, and separately bans burying waste under dirt or sand to hide it, with violations punishable by fine or jail under Section 38-125.

Key details: Prohibited conduct: Dumping trash, debris, grass clippings. Also banned: Burying waste under dirt/sand to hide it. Classification: Declared a nuisance. Abatement notice: 24 hours written notice (§38-124). Maximum penalty: $2,650 fine and/or 364 days jail.

Dumping or burying waste in violation of Section 38-141 is punished under Section 38-125, the nuisances article's penalty section: a fine, imprisonment, or both, for each offense, up to the citywide general limits in Section 1-5 of $2,650.00 and 364 days. The city manager can also issue a 24-hour abatement notice under Section 38-124, and an owner who ignores it is separately billed for the city's cleanup costs.

This is one of the stricter rules in Arvada's municipal code. If you are unsure whether your situation complies, it is worth checking with the city before proceeding.

Bin Placement Rules

Arvada limits when trash and recycling carts can sit at the curb: City Code § 90-31(c) requires containers to stay off the street, curb, sidewalk and other public ways except on the scheduled collection day, and even then only for a 12-hour window before and 12 hours after the set collection time.

Key details: Governing section: Arvada City Code § 90-31(c). Curbside window: 12 hours before/after scheduled collection. Off-limits areas: Street, curb, sidewalk, public ways. Bulky items: Need hauler arrangement, § 90-31(b). Uncontained waste: Declared a public nuisance.

Leaving a waste or recycling cart at the curb outside the 12-hour before/after window, or setting out uncontained waste without a bulky-item arrangement, is a nuisance and a violation of § 90-31, punishable under the general penalty in § 1-5: an adult fine of up to $2,650.00, up to 364 days in jail, or both, with every additional day of noncompliance treated as a separate offense.

The Bottom Line

Arvada's trash & recycling rules are a mixed bag. Some areas are strict, others are relaxed, and the details matter. The best approach is to check the specific rule that applies to your situation rather than assuming Arvada is broadly strict or permissive.

All of the above reflects Arvada's municipal code as of our last review. If you need specifics on fines, exemptions, or filing requirements, the detailed ordinance pages linked above have the full breakdown.