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Trash & Recycling in Grand Junction, CO (2026)

5 verified trash & recycling rules for Grand Junction, Colorado, sourced directly from the municipal code and official government pages.

Verified from official government sources

Pickup Rules & Schedules

In the City of Grand Junction, weekly residential pickup is capped at the volume of the customer's own container under Municipal Code § 8.28.140, with extra accumulations collected only on request and possibly for an added charge. Haulers must run watertight, tightly covered collection vehicles so refuse cannot blow, drop or spill in transit.

Grand Junction Trash Collection Practices

Some Restrictions

Grand Junction Municipal Code § 8.28.140

§ 8.28.140. Collection practices. ... Residential.The City shall collect from its customers a designated volume of refuse not to exceed the volume of the container during the collection period for a specified charge. Extra accumulations or nonrefuse items may be collected upon request. The City shall have the authority to refuse to collect extra accumulation of refuse and/or nonrefuse items, or...

Bin Placement Rules

In the City of Grand Junction, refuse and recycling carts must stay on the owner's or tenant's own premises and off the public right-of-way except on collection day. Municipal Code Chapter 8.28 sets the placement rule: containers sit at ground level, within two feet of the traveled roadway, clear of sidewalks, and at least three feet from any obstruction.

Grand Junction Trash Cart Placement Rules

Some Restrictions

Grand Junction Municipal Code §§ 8.28.120, 8.28.130(b)

§ 8.28.120. Refuse containers – Collection point. Containers shall be kept on the owner’s or tenant’s premises and off the City right-of-way except on the days of pickup. ... (b) Refuse containers shall: (1) Be placed for collection at the ground level of the right-of-way designated by the City Manager. (2) Be accessible from the curb of the street or side of the alley from which collection is ...

Illegal Dumping

In the City of Grand Junction, GJMC § 8.12.010 makes it unlawful to cast, throw, place, sweep or deposit refuse anywhere it can be carried onto a street, sidewalk, alley, sewer or parkway by wind or water, or to dump trash into someone else's collection container so it looks like theirs. Grand Junction Police and Community Development code enforcement handle complaints.

Grand Junction Illegal Dumping Law

Some Restrictions

Grand Junction Municipal Code § 8.12.010

It shall be unlawful for any person to cast, throw, place, sweep or deposit anywhere within the City any refuse in such a manner that it may be carried or deposited by the elements upon any street, sidewalk, alley, sewer, parkway, or other public or private place; nor shall any person place or deposit his refuse in the container of another in a manner so it will be collected as though it had be...

Dumpster Rules

In the City of Grand Junction, dumpsters and refuse containers serving new multi-unit, commercial, and industrial uses must sit inside a solid, opaque enclosure at least six feet tall, built of brick, masonry, stucco, or wood. The rule applies citywide except in the I-1 and I-2 industrial districts, per GJMC § 21.04.040(e)(3)(ii).

Grand Junction Commercial Dumpster Enclosure Rules

Some Restrictions

Grand Junction Municipal Code § 21.04.040(e)(3)(ii)(B)-(C)

(B) Additional Standards for Residential Zone Districts. ... ... b. Dumpsters and refuse containers for new multi-unit dwellings, commercial and industrial uses shall be enclosed in a solid, opaque enclosure constructed of brick, masonry, stucco, or wood at least six feet tall. (C) Additional Standards for Nonresidential Zone Districts. ... ... 2. Dumpsters and refuse containers for new uses in...

Recycling Rules

In the City of Grand Junction, recycling containers serviced by the City must meet specifications the City Manager sets under Municipal Code § 8.28.090, and every hauling truck, including refuse and recycling trucks, needs a City license under § 8.28.050. Operating an unlicensed collection vehicle on Grand Junction streets is a misdemeanor.

Grand Junction Recycling Container Rules

Some Restrictions

Grand Junction Municipal Code §§ 8.28.050, 8.28.090

Such license shall be issued upon payment of a license fee as established by resolution of the City Council and on file in the City Clerk’s office for each refuse/recycling motor vehicle or truck which operates in or on the City rights-of-way. ... Any person operating in the City without such license shall be guilty of a misdemeanor. ... ... § 8.28.090. Refuse containers – Nature and size of co...

Looking for Mesa County county-wide rules?

County ordinances apply to unincorporated areas and may supplement Grand Junction city rules.

Trash & Recycling in Mesa County