Denver, CO Landscaping Rules: Composting (2026)
Key Facts
- Eligible properties
- single-family homes, small multiunits
- Compost material covers
- yard waste, food scraps, accepted paper
- Container/placement rules
- set by transportation dept. regulation
- Wrong-bin fine
- up to $999 per violation
- Enforcing agency
- Dept. of Transportation and Infrastructure
Summary
Denver folds compost material into its curbside trash service for single-family homes and small residential buildings: yard waste, food scraps and accepted paper get collected under a city service plan, with container type and pickup set by the transportation department.
Collections of trash, recyclable material, and compost material shall be made in accordance with the plan of the manager of transportation and infrastructure from categories of eligible properties designated by regulations promulgated under authority of this article.(b)Collections shall be affected only from those premises where trash, recyclable material, and compost material are prepared and stored in accordance with the regulations promulgated under authority of this article.(c)It shall be the duty of any person from whose premises trash, recyclable material, and compost material collections are not designated to be made pursuant to the regulations promulgated under the authority hereof to prepare and store all such materials in a sanitary manner and to be responsible for the frequent private collection and removal of such materials.(d)An association shall not prohibit an owner or occupant of eligible property from using the public right-of-way for collection of trash, recyclable material, or compost material in accordance with the regulations promulgated under authority of this article. (Code 1950, § 352.5; Ord. No. 39-20, § 75, 2-3-20; Ord. No. 685-22, § 2, 6-27-22)
Sec. 48-42.5. - Volume-based trash pricing service fee for collections.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 147 Update 3).
Full Breakdown
Denver's Solid Waste code (DRMC ch. 48) treats compost collection as part of the core trash service rather than a separate backyard-bin regime. Sec. 48-42(a) directs the manager of transportation and infrastructure to collect trash, recyclable material and compost material together under a service plan covering "eligible properties," a term defined in Sec. 48-41(6) to include any single-family residence. Sec. 48-41(5) defines "compost material" as yard rubbish, household garbage, municipal facility kitchen garbage, and paper products the manager finds acceptable. Container type, storage location and seasonal handling are set administratively under Sec. 48-45, and depositing the wrong material in a city compost-designated container is a separately punishable offense.
Violations & Fines
Putting trash in a city container marked for compost or recyclable material is unlawful under Sec. 48-44.5(e); fines run up to $999 per violation under Sec. 48-47(d), separate from the underlying trash service charge.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can a single-family Denver home get curbside compost pickup?
What happens if I put trash in Denver's compost bin?
What counts as compost material in Denver's code?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Denver
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