Trash & Recycling in Colorado (2026)

Ordinance No. 17 requires every unincorporated Adams County trash hauler to run leak-proof, tarped vehicles labeled…

A construction roll-off or temporary dumpster in unincorporated Arapahoe County cannot sit in the public right-of-way…

Arvada requires every property owner, lessee or tenant to remove all waste, trash, rubbish and refuse from the premises…

Aurora, Colorado requires weekly garbage and debris removal by a city-registered hauler, with containers set at the…

Boulder requires every property owner to keep an active contract with a licensed hauler sized to the property's regular…

Boulder County uses private licensed haulers, not county trucks. Ordinance 2019-3 requires all haulers to be licensed…

The Town of Castle Rock does not provide trash or recycling collection. Residents in an HOA may receive service through…

Colorado Springs City Code Sec. 6.4.104 requires every household to place waste in an approved waste container before…

Denver's manager of transportation and infrastructure sets binding rules for trash, recycling, and compost collection…

El Paso County requires rural mobile home park owners to arrange and maintain scheduled trash pickup for residents…

Every owner and occupant in Fort Collins whose property produces refuse must arrange collection service sufficient to…

Greeley residents may set trash, garbage or refuse containers out on the public right-of-way for only one 24-hour…

Lakewood caps curbside trash and recycling placement at 48 consecutive hours per week and requires weekly removal…

Littleton City Code Section 7-2-4(A) through (C) requires garbage, refuse and rubbish to go into a trash container…

Longmont sets exact curbside spacing, weight limits, and a 4 p.m.-to-8 p.m. window for putting out and pulling in…

Loveland Municipal Code § 7.16.160 keeps garbage and recycling trucks out of residential-zoned districts between 7:00…

In Pueblo, collecting or hauling trash, litter, or garbage on residential streets is banned before 6:00 a.m. or after…

Mesa County's Rubbish, Refuse and Garbage Rule does not set a fixed pickup day, but it does require garbage to be…

In unincorporated Adams County, waste containers may be set in the front-yard area or at the street only for 24 hours…

Unincorporated Arapahoe County limits a residential trash cart to the front setback for no more than 24 hours around…

Arvada limits when trash and recycling carts can sit at the curb: City Code § 90-31(c) requires containers to stay off…

Aurora requires garbage, rubbish and debris containers to stay behind the front building line and within 12 inches of…

Boulder limits when residents can put trash and recycling containers at the curb. A standard cart cannot go out before…

Uncontained trash, junk, and garbage on unincorporated land can be a nuisance violation under Land Use Code Article 14…

Garbage containers in Castle Rock may be placed next to a public roadway or alley for pickup for no more than 24 hours…

Centennial requires garbage carts to stay covered and out of view from the street, except when set at the curb for…

Colorado Springs City Code Sec. 6.4.104(F) confines trash and recycling carts to the rear or side yard, or inside a…

Denver's code doesn't print set-out clock times: it requires trash containers to sit wherever the manager of…

El Paso County requires refuse collection areas, including trash bins, on developed sites in the unincorporated county…

Fort Collins requires refuse and recycling containers to stay screened from view except on collection day, and even…

Fountain requires developed sites to enclose trash and refuse collection areas in a six-foot solid, opaque fence or…

Lakewood, Colorado requires garbage, trash and recycling containers to be stored within 10 feet of the building or in a…

The county sets no rule on where you keep trash cans, but the Rubbish Ordinance prohibits accumulated trash, junk, or…

Littleton City Code Section 7-2-4(E) bars placing trash or recycling containers where they impair or obstruct…

Longmont bars residents from setting solid waste and recycling containers at the curb before 4:00 p.m. the day before…

Loveland requires owners and occupants to secure and screen refuse and recycling containers from street view, placing…

Manitou Springs limits when residential waste and recycling bins can sit at the curb: no earlier than 6:00 a.m., and…

Mesa County's Rubbish, Refuse and Garbage Rule makes every occupant of a dwelling responsible for keeping garbage cans…

Thornton residents must set carts directly at the curb or alley next to their driveway, never on a sidewalk, and only…

Westminster caps outdoor household trash cart storage at eight containers and bars keeping them in a front yard or any…

Bulky items like furniture and appliances are not part of Arvada's routine cart service: § 90-33(d) requires residents…

Boulder Municipal Code section 6-12-4(b) limits free branch pickup to three bundles per collection, each no larger than…

Castle Rock has no Town bulk-item pickup; residents use their private hauler or a junk-removal service. The Douglas…

Large items like mattresses, appliances, furniture, electronics, and tires are accepted at the Larimer County Landfill…

Longmont residential customers can schedule bulky item pickup for $60 covering two items plus $15 per additional item…

Pueblo runs a paid clean-up program for items commonly dumped illegally: residents can drop off large or bulky items…

Large or unusual items that Thornton's automated trucks can't handle go through a special collection request rather…

HB22-1355 created the Colorado Producer Responsibility Program under CRS 25-17-701 requiring producers of packaging and…

Since 2023, Longmont requires multifamily and commercial properties to contract for dedicated recycling collection…

Adams County requires every licensed Solid Waste Hauler serving unincorporated residents, multi-family buildings and…

Every hauler licensed to collect solid waste from Arvada residential customers must also offer curbside recycling to…

Recyclables set out for Aurora's curbside program belong to the city or its hauler. Aurora City Code makes it a…

Boulder requires every property owner or manager to set up on-site recycling and compost collection areas at least as…

Under the Waste Hauler Ordinance (2019-3), haulers must provide curbside single-stream recycling in many regions and…

Castle Rock does not mandate curbside recycling or run its own program. Residents recycle through their private hauler…

Colorado Springs offers voluntary curbside recycling through its recycling program, but residential recycling is not…

Denver requires recyclable material collection, alongside trash and compost, at every eligible property under the…

Fort Collins requires every licensed solid waste collector to give residential customers free curbside recycling under…

Larimer County does not mandate household recycling in unincorporated areas but operates a free Recycling Center at the…

Littleton City Code Section 7-2-4(D) requires trash and recycling containers to be kept so materials do not scatter…

Every hauler collecting solid waste or recyclables inside Loveland city limits needs a city collection license, and…

Manitou Springs bans putting anything other than approved waste or recyclable material into a residential collection…

Thornton's curbside recycling service is optional and delivered through city-supplied green containers under City Code…

Every licensed solid waste collector in Westminster must offer curbside recycling to residential customers who want it…

Greeley runs no city recycling program: curbside recycling is an optional subscription add-on sold by state-licensed…

Denver requires multi-family buildings with eight or more units and most non-residential properties to give tenants…

Fort Collins food stores that throw out more than 96 gallons of food scraps a week must subscribe to a licensed…

Boulder requires every business to separate recyclable and compostable material out of the trash. Any business that…

Food-related businesses in Longmont, restaurants, grocers, caterers, food trucks and similar operations, must contract…

Fort Collins prohibits valet trash collection citywide under its 2024 International Fire Code amendments. Multifamily…

Boulder requires an operational fire permit before any building can use valet trash and recycling collection, under…

Loveland adopted IFC Appendix O to govern door-to-door valet trash and recycling collection in apartment buildings…

Arvada makes it a prohibited nuisance to dump, throw, or place rubbish, trash, debris, or grass clippings anywhere in…

Centennial makes it unlawful to dump construction materials, debris, landscape waste, snow or ice on public property…

Depositing dirt, debris or construction waste onto a Fort Collins street or right-of-way is a straight-up misdemeanor…

Fountain's litter ordinance, Sections 9.24.080 through 9.24.120 of the Municipal Code, defines littering to include…

Dumping trash, refuse, or any object whatsoever into a ditch or canal within Loveland city limits is flatly unlawful…

Dumping trash, litter, or garbage anywhere in Pueblo other than a licensed disposal or recycling facility is a Class 1…

Thornton bans dumping solid waste, hazardous waste, or infectious waste anywhere but a proper collection container…

Dumping garbage, rubbish or debris on public or private property anywhere in Aurora, Colorado is unlawful, and…

Depositing trash on any public or private property in Colorado is illegal littering under CRS 18-4-511, carrying a…

Boulder bans dumping trash, refuse, garbage, or rubble anywhere except a container designated for it, under B.R.C. §…

Dumping trash on public or private land is illegal statewide under Colorado's littering law (C.R.S. 18-4-511), a class…

It is illegal in Castle Rock to intentionally or accidentally dump anything down a storm drain. Construction and…

City Code § 9.6.202 makes it unlawful to litter, dump, drop, throw or deposit trash, waste, debris or 'any foreign…

Denver bans dumping trash anywhere except lawfully designated disposal premises and enforces it with escalating…

Depositing trash, debris, or waste on public or private property is littering under Colorado law (C.R.S. 18-4-511)…

Greeley makes it unlawful to throw, scatter, deposit or bury refuse or litter on any public or private property, with…

It is unlawful to place, deposit or dump garbage, trash, debris, construction waste, chemicals or similar materials on…

Littleton City Code Section 7-1-3(E) makes it unlawful to throw or deposit garbage, trash, rubbish, junk or hazardous…

Longmont bans dumping bottles, cans, litter, dead animals, excrement, garbage, or any other offensive matter on any…

Dumping, placing or accumulating garbage, junk, litter, refuse, rubbish or debris on private property, in a spring…

Mesa County Ordinance No. 15 requires all rubbish to go to an approved disposal site and specifically bans using county…

Weld County's littering ordinance makes it unlawful to deposit, throw or leave any litter on public or private property…

Depositing, throwing or leaving litter on any public or private property, or in City waters, is unlawful in Westminster…

Boulder Revised Code Section 6-12-4 forces every licensed trash hauler to include yard waste in each residential…

Colorado Springs City Code defines yard rubbish, branches, grass, weed and leaf clippings, separately from household…

Denver defines yard rubbish as tree branches, twigs, grass, shrub clippings, weeds and leaves, and collects it as…

Fort Collins requires every licensed solid waste collector to give residential customers curbside yard trimmings pickup…

Longmont runs a waste diversion center where city residents drop off tree limbs and recyclables for free, while…

Thornton has no separate curbside yard-waste pickup; tree trimmings, hedge clippings, and similar plant debris go out…

Composting yard waste in Westminster is only lawful inside an approved holding unit under Section 8-1-4(B): no bigger…

Adams County does not run its own yard waste collection program. Under Ordinance No. 17, licensed Solid Waste Haulers…

Arvada defines yard waste narrowly under City Code § 90-1 as grass, shrubbery cuttings, clippings and dry leaf rakings…

Manitou Springs' Wildlife Protection chapter defines yard waste as grass clippings, lawn rakings, leaves, garden…

Greeley has no municipal yard-waste pickup: brush and yard trimmings collection is an optional add-on through a…

Commercial and multi-family dumpsters in unincorporated Arapahoe County must follow the setback, screening, and…

Arvada's Land Development Code keeps trash dumpsters off single-family and duplex lots and requires every…

Commercial dumpster enclosures in Aurora, Colorado must sit at least 12 feet from neighboring properties and be…

Boulder bans placing trash dumpsters, storage trailers, or construction trailers in the public right-of-way unless the…

Centennial bans dumpsters on public property without a right-of-way permit and limits residential dumpsters to seven…

Colorado Springs City Code Sec. 6.4.104(F) lets dumpsters sit in the front or side yard only when the rear yard is too…

Denver's zoning code makes multi-unit and commercial developments tuck dumpsters behind the building's street-facing…

New commercial and multifamily development in unincorporated El Paso County must screen dumpsters and other refuse…

Fort Collins requires new commercial buildings, expanding commercial buildings, and buildings with a change of use to…

Placing a dumpster or roll-off container in a Fountain, Colorado public right-of-way requires a permit from the public…

Lakewood requires a no-charge public right-of-way permit before placing a temporary roll-off dumpster in the street…

Littleton requires every outdoor dumpster, trash receptacle, recycling receptacle and grease collection container on…

Longmont's solid waste code defines dumpsters and roll-off bins as regulated "containers" and requires customers to…

Loveland requires every commercial dumpster to sit on a concrete pad inside a minimum six-foot-high, fully opaque…

A roll-off dumpster, storage pod or similar object placed in a Manitou Springs public right-of-way needs a temporary…

Commercial and multi-family dumpsters in unincorporated Mesa County cannot sit wherever is convenient. Section 8.05.A.2…

A one- or two-family home in Westminster cannot keep a trash dumpster or roll-off of one cubic yard or larger without…

Every single-family and multifamily dwelling in Longmont must subscribe to and pay for the city's routine curbside…

Fort Collins enrolls every eligible residential unit in its own residential waste collection program under Section…

Loveland, Colorado assesses every residential and multifamily utility customer a solid waste management services fee…

Manitou Springs requires every property to use the city's single approved residential waste and recyclables hauler…

Every solid waste hauler licensed to work in unincorporated Adams County must collect trash and offer curbside…

Arvada runs a mandatory residential collection program: under § 90-33, the city's designated hauler must provide waste…

Aurora, Colorado requires weekly garbage removal from every property by a City-registered trash hauler, with strict…

Boulder Municipal Code section 6-12-4(b) requires every hauler providing residential trash service to also collect…

Colorado Springs City Code Sec. 6.4.103 makes every property owner responsible for removing waste and yard rubbish…

The city collects trash, recycling, and compost from eligible properties under a plan set by the manager of…

Every Lakewood property owner must remove garbage, trash and refuse at least once a week, or more often if containers…

When the City is not providing trash collection under Section 7-2-1, Littleton City Code Section 7-2-3(B) requires the…

Mesa County doesn't run municipal trash collection in the unincorporated county, but Ordinance No. 15 sets the outer…

Pueblo has no municipal trash pickup: property owners and occupants must arrange removal of trash and debris at least…

Thornton provides one weekly collection of refuse per customer as part of its solid waste service. City Code Section…

Westminster assigns each residential area a specific weekly collection day set by the City Manager, and licensed…

Arvada controls what actually counts as recyclable: under § 90-58, the city manager sets and periodically updates the…

Aurora, Colorado makes it unlawful to take recyclables set out for curbside pickup without the owner's permission…

Boulder Municipal Code section 6-12-6 bars anyone but the property owner's designated hauler from taking recyclables or…

Starting September 1, 2026, Denver requires multi-family buildings with eight or more units, non-residential…

Fort Collins bans certain materials from ordinary trash under City Code § 12-22, Required Recycling. Electronic…

Loveland, Colorado requires every licensed residential trash hauler to provide curbside recycling at least once every…

Littleton City Code Section 7-2-3(A) authorizes the City to run a residential recycling collection and disposal service…