Trash & Recycling in Aurora, CO (2026)
7 verified trash & recycling rules for Aurora, Colorado, sourced directly from the municipal code and official government pages.
Verified from official government sources
Pickup Rules & Schedules
Aurora, Colorado requires weekly garbage and debris removal by a city-registered hauler, with containers set at the curb no earlier than 5 p.m. the day before collection and pulled back within 12 hours after pickup.
Aurora Trash Pickup Rules
Some RestrictionsAurora City Code § 114-29(a), (c)
(a) Frequency of removal. All garbage, rubbish and debris shall be removed from each ownership at least once a week and at more frequent intervals if found necessary. ... (c) It shall be unlawful for any person to deposit any garbage, rubbish and debris container on the right-of-way abutting any public street or within any front yard ... prior to 5:00 p.m. on the calendar day before the collect...
Bin Placement Rules
Aurora requires garbage, rubbish and debris containers to stay behind the front building line and within 12 inches of the principal building, with set-out limited to the day before collection.
Aurora, CO Trash Cart Placement Rules
Some RestrictionsAurora City Code § 114-27(a)
All trash containers shall be kept behind the front line of the principal building and within 12 inches of the principal building. If trash containers are screened, the screening shall be placed behind the front line of the principal building. The storage area shall be kept free of loose garbage, rubbish or debris. Trash containers/dumpsters in commercial districts shall be screened by a dumpst...
Recycling Requirements
Recyclables set out for Aurora's curbside program belong to the city or its hauler. Aurora City Code makes it a misdemeanor for anyone else to take them from the curb, a bin, or a collection vehicle without permission.
Aurora, CO Curbside Recycling Scavenging Ban
Some RestrictionsAurora City Code § 114-42
(a) It shall be unlawful for any person, other than the City or the City's designee, to remove, take or collect, without permission of the owner or generator, any recyclable materials which have been set out for the purposes of curbside recycling. (b) It shall be unlawful for any person to remove from any container, box, collection vehicle, depot or other receptacle any recyclable materials wit...
Illegal Dumping
Dumping garbage, rubbish or debris on public or private property anywhere in Aurora, Colorado is unlawful, and violators face the city's general penalty of up to $2,650 in fines or 364 days in jail.
Aurora, CO Illegal Dumping Penalties
Significant RestrictionsAurora City Code § 114-30(a)
The dumping, placing of accumulation, within the limits of the City, of garbage, rubbish or debris on public or private property and upon the area from the street line in front and on the side of and to the center of the alley behind such private property by any person, whether in possession of the property or not, shall be unlawful. (b) It shall be unlawful for any person to dispose of garbag...
Dumpster Rules
Commercial dumpster enclosures in Aurora, Colorado must sit at least 12 feet from neighboring properties and be screened on three sides by a six-foot masonry wall or opaque fence under the city's Unified Development Ordinance.
Aurora Dumpster Placement & Screening
Some RestrictionsAurora Unified Development Ordinance § 146-4.7.8.B.2.b (Trash Facilities)
All trash dumpsters and recycling bins placed on an existing or developing site must be enclosed and set back at least 12 feet from adjacent properties with residential or commercial uses. The enclosure shall be large enough to accommodate both a dumpster and a recycling bin and shall be completely screened from view of public streets and adjacent properties using one of the techniques listed i...
Collection Schedule
Aurora, Colorado requires weekly garbage removal from every property by a City-registered trash hauler, with strict rules on when carts can go out and must come in.
Aurora Colorado Trash Collection Rules
Some RestrictionsAurora City Code § 114-29
All garbage, rubbish and debris shall be removed from each ownership at least once a week and at more frequent intervals if found necessary. ... It shall be unlawful for any person to deposit any garbage, rubbish and debris container on the right-of-way abutting any public street ... prior to 5:00 p.m. on the calendar day before the collection of garbage, rubbish and debris ... or to leave the ...
Recycling Rules
Aurora, Colorado makes it unlawful to take recyclables set out for curbside pickup without the owner's permission, protecting the city's recycling stream from scavengers.
Aurora, CO Curbside Recycling Theft Ban
Some RestrictionsAurora City Code § 114-42
It shall be unlawful for any person, other than the City or the City's designee, to remove, take or collect, without permission of the owner or generator, any recyclable materials which have been set out for the purposes of curbside recycling. (b) It shall be unlawful for any person to remove from any container, box, collection vehicle, depot or other receptacle any recyclable materials withou...
Looking for Arapahoe County county-wide rules?
County ordinances apply to unincorporated areas and may supplement Aurora city rules.
Trash & Recycling in Arapahoe County →