Longmont, CO Trash & Recycling: Mandatory Organics Recycling (2026)
Key Facts
- Grocers/wholesalers deadline
- January 1, 2025
- Restaurants/cafes deadline
- June 1, 2025
- Collection frequency
- At least weekly
- Yard waste composting
- Required by 2029
- Exemption grounds
- De minimis, self-haul, space, hardship
Summary
Food-related businesses in Longmont, restaurants, grocers, caterers, food trucks and similar operations, must contract with a licensed hauler for weekly organics collection of food scraps, with exemptions for low-volume, self-haul or space-constrained operations.
The owner of any food-related business, as more specifically described herein, shall subscribe to the services of a licensed private hauler for organics collection service at a level that accommodates the total amount of food scraps generated by the business, providing for at least weekly collection.
Full Breakdown
Longmont Municipal Code § 14.12.093 requires food wholesalers, manufacturers, distributors and grocery stores to contract for organics collection by January 1, 2025, and requires restaurants, cafes, bars serving food, hotel and hospital kitchens, food trucks, caterers, breweries and similar food-service businesses to do the same by June 1, 2025 for back-of-house scraps. Commercial entities generating yard waste must divert it from the landfill through composting by January 1, 2029. Businesses may apply to the director for an exemption based on de minimis volume, self-hauling, shared containers, economic hardship, space constraints, on-site composting, or food donation.
Violations & Fines
Enforced as a public nuisance under the solid waste violations chapter (§ 14.12.110), subjecting a noncompliant business to administrative civil penalties under chapter 2.97 and possible city legal action to compel compliance.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does the organics mandate apply to my Longmont restaurant?
Can a Longmont business avoid the organics collection requirement?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Longmont
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Mandatory Organics Recycling in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Boulder County handle mandatory organics recycling.