Aurora, CO Trash & Recycling: Recycling Requirements (2026)
Key Facts
- Section
- Aurora City Code § 114-42
- Who may collect
- City or its designee only
- Penalty
- Up to $2,650 fine or jail
- Covers
- Curb, bins, boxes, collection vehicles
Summary
Recyclables set out for Aurora's curbside program belong to the city or its hauler. Aurora City Code makes it a misdemeanor for anyone else to take them from the curb, a bin, or a collection vehicle without permission.
(a) It shall be unlawful for any person, other than the City or the City's designee, to remove, take or collect, without permission of the owner or generator, any recyclable materials which have been set out for the purposes of curbside recycling. (b) It shall be unlawful for any person to remove from any container, box, collection vehicle, depot or other receptacle any recyclable materials without permission of the owner of the receptacle or the generator of the recyclable material.
Official source re-checked September 8, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: current through Ordinance 2026-30, passed June 22, 2026).
Full Breakdown
Under Aurora City Code § 114-42, only the City or its designee may collect recyclable materials once they are set out for curbside recycling: anyone else who removes them from the curb, right-of-way, a container, box, collection vehicle, or depot without the owner's or generator's permission is committing a misdemeanor. The Code defines 'recyclable material' broadly to cover anything separated from garbage or refuse for recycling, including but not limited to newspapers, glass, aluminum and plastic containers. This is the operative curbside-recycling provision in Aurora's Code; it does not separately print a mandatory-participation rule or bin specifications, but instead protects the existing program from scavenging. Current through Ordinance 2026-17 (May 18, 2026).
Violations & Fines
Violating either subsection is a misdemeanor under the Code's general penalty: up to a $2,650 fine, up to 364 days in jail, or both, under section 1-13; each day of continuing violation is a separate offense.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can someone else take recyclables I've set out at the curb in Aurora?
Does Aurora require residents to recycle?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Aurora
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