Trash & Recycling in Boulder, CO (2026)
11 verified trash & recycling rules for Boulder, Colorado, sourced directly from the municipal code and official government pages.
Verified from official government sources
Pickup Rules & Schedules
Boulder requires every property owner to keep an active contract with a licensed hauler sized to the property's regular trash, recycling, and compost volume. Properties with one or more rental dwelling units must contract for trash collection at least every two weeks. Section 6-3-3(b) sets the baseline; a designated downtown zone gets daily hauler checks under Section 6-3-9.
Boulder's Trash Hauler Contract and Pickup Rule
Some RestrictionsBoulder Revised Code (B.R.C.) 1981 § 6-3-3(b)
(b)No owner of any property shall fail to maintain in effect a current and valid contract with one or more haulers providing for the removal of accumulated trash, recyclables and compostables from the property, which contract shall provide for sufficient trash, recyclables and compostable materials hauling to accommodate the regular accumulation of trash, recyclables and compostables from the p...
Bin Placement Rules
Boulder limits when residents can put trash and recycling containers at the curb. A standard cart cannot go out before 5 a.m. on collection day, while a bear-resistant or recycling-only container can go out at 8 p.m. the night before. Every container must come back in by 9 p.m. on collection day under Section 6-3-5(a)(9).
Boulder's Trash and Recycling Cart Set-Out Times
Some RestrictionsBoulder Revised Code (B.R.C.) 1981 § 6-3-5(a)(9)
(9)Place a trash, recycling, or composting container, that is not a bear-resistant container or a recycling container containing only recycling materials in a front yard setback or in the public right-of-way, excepting public alleys, any earlier than 5:00 a.m. on the day on which such materials are scheduled to be collected or place a bear-resistant container or a recycling container containing...
Bulk Item Disposal
Boulder Municipal Code section 6-12-4(b) limits free branch pickup to three bundles per collection, each no larger than three feet by six feet and tied with twine or compostable material, plus three bags of leaves. Subsection (f) lets haulers set special pricing for large or unusual items, so bulkier loads cost extra beyond the base service.
Boulder Sets Bundle Limits for Branch Pickup
Some RestrictionsBoulder Municipal Code § 6-12-4(b)(4), (f)
(4)Three bundles of branches no larger than three feet by six feet, tied by twine or compostable materials.... (f)Nothing in this section shall be construed as prohibiting any hauler from establishing rules regarding safety. Haulers may also set special pricing for large or unusual items.
Recycling Requirements
Boulder requires every property owner or manager to set up on-site recycling and compost collection areas at least as convenient as their trash containers. Owners must train tenants annually, brief new tenants within thirty days, and keep three years of hauling records available for city inspection. Section 6-3-13 applies chapter-wide starting one year after the ordinance's 2015 adoption.
Boulder's Property Recycling Collection Rule
Some RestrictionsBoulder Revised Code (B.R.C.) 1981 § 6-3-13
(a)For all services that meet the requirements of this section, the property owner or property manager must establish on-site collection areas for recyclable and compostable materials that are convenient to occupants and tenants. The recycling and compost collection containers shall be placed in a location or locations within reasonable and convenient proximity to all buildings and other uses o...
Mandatory Organics Recycling
Boulder requires every business to separate recyclable and compostable material out of the trash. Any business that gives employees or customers a trash container must give them a recycling and compost container too, sized and placed at least as conveniently as the trash bin. Section 6-3-14 sets the mandate, backed by annual staff training and bilingual signage.
Boulder Business Organics Separation Mandate
Some RestrictionsBoulder Revised Code (B.R.C.) 1981 § 6-3-14(a)
(a)All business owners must separate recyclable and compostable material from the trash and wherever business owners provide trash containers to employees or customers, they must also provide recyclables and compostables containers for employees and customers' use. Containers must be at least as conveniently located as trash and be of adequate size and number to prevent recyclables and composta...
Valet Trash Rules
Boulder requires an operational fire permit before any building can use valet trash and recycling collection, under Fire Code § 304.1.1.1 as adopted at BRC 10-8-2(b)(12). The service is only allowed 'where approved,' and buildings that use it must follow Appendix O's added standards: self-closing container lids, automatic sprinklers, self-closing unit doors, and a written fire evacuation and emergency guide for residents.
Boulder Valet Trash Collection Permit Rules
Significant RestrictionsBRC § 10-8-2(b)(11)-(12), (60); Fire Code §§ 304.1.1, 304.1.1.1, Appendix O
(11)304.1.1 Valet trash is repealed and reenacted to read: Valet trash collection shall be permitted only where approved. The owner and valet trash collection service provider shall comply with Appendix O as adopted and amended.(12)304.1.1.1 Permits Required is added to read: Permits required. An operational permit shall be obtained from the fire code official in accordance with Section 105.5.5...
Illegal Dumping
Boulder bans dumping trash, refuse, garbage, or rubble anywhere except a container designated for it, under B.R.C. § 5-4-13, Littering. The rule covers streets, yards, and city parks alike, and a related section separately bars adding trash to someone else's posted receptacle, so both open dumping and receptacle abuse are chargeable offenses.
Boulder Illegal Dumping and Littering Ban
Some RestrictionsBoulder Revised Code (B.R.C. 1981) § 5-4-13
(a)No person shall deposit, leave, dump, or cause to be deposited, left, or dumped any trash, refuse, garbage, or rubble on any public or private property other than within those containers specifically designated for the deposit of such materials. ... (d)No person shall deposit, leave, dump, or cause to be deposited, left, or dumped any trash, refuse, garbage, or rubble in any designated conta...
Yard Waste Collection
Boulder Revised Code Section 6-12-4 forces every licensed trash hauler to include yard waste in each residential pickup. Haulers must collect three bags of leaves and three bundles of branches, tied and no larger than three feet by six feet, no less often than every other week, alongside unlimited recyclables and a minimum thirty-two gallons of compostables.
Boulder Yard Waste and Brush Pickup Rules
Some RestrictionsBoulder Revised Code § 6-12-4(b)
(b)Each hauler that provides residential trash collection shall provide for the collection of the following no less frequently than every other week:(1)Unlimited recyclables;(2)A minimum of thirty-two gallons of compostables;(3)Three paper or compostable bags of leaves; and(4)Three bundles of branches no larger than three feet by six feet, tied by twine or compostable materials.
Dumpster Rules
Boulder bans placing trash dumpsters, storage trailers, or construction trailers in the public right-of-way unless the placement is approved as part of a right-of-way permit, per B.R.C. § 8-5-11(f)(3). Contractors get a permit under § 8-5-3, pay a placement fee under § 4-20-6, and must show that keeping the dumpster off the right-of-way is not feasible; permits run a maximum of thirty days.
Boulder Dumpster Placement in Right-of-Way
Some RestrictionsBoulder Revised Code § 8-5-11(f)(3)
Trash dumpsters, materials, storage trailers or construction trailers shall not be placed in the right-of-way unless approved with the right-of-way permit.
Collection Schedule
Boulder Municipal Code section 6-12-4(b) requires every hauler providing residential trash service to also collect recyclables, compostables, leaf bags, and branch bundles no less often than every other week. The base unit of service caps trash at thirty-two gallons, with any additional volume billed at a prorated rate under Subsection (d).
Boulder Requires Biweekly Trash and Recycling Pickup
Some RestrictionsBoulder Municipal Code § 6-12-4(b)
(b)Each hauler that provides residential trash collection shall provide for the collection of the following no less frequently than every other week:(1)Unlimited recyclables;(2)A minimum of thirty-two gallons of compostables;(3)Three paper or compostable bags of leaves; and(4)Three bundles of branches no larger than three feet by six feet, tied by twine or compostable materials.
Recycling Rules
Boulder Municipal Code section 6-12-6 bars anyone but the property owner's designated hauler from taking recyclables or compostables already set out for collection, and presumes owners have designated their hauler to deliver single-stream recycling to the Boulder County Recycling Center. Haulers serving shared buildings must supply recycling containers at no extra charge under Section 6-12-5.
Boulder Sets Rules for Recyclables Collection
Some RestrictionsBoulder Municipal Code § 6-12-6(a), (c)
(a)No person other than the person placing the recyclables or compostables for collection or that person's designated hauler shall take physical possession of any recyclables or compostables separated from trash, set out in the vicinity of the curb or alleys, and plainly marked for recyclables or compostables collection....(c)It shall be presumed that each property owner, property manager, resi...
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