Boulder, CO Trash & Recycling: Recycling Requirements (2026)

Section 6-3-13(a) of the Boulder Revised Code requires the property owner or property manager to establish on-site collection areas for recyclable and compostable materials that are convenient to occupants and tenants, placed in a location or locations within reasonable and convenient proximity to buildings and other uses on site, and at least as convenient as the trash containers on the property. Subsection (b) folds the duty into any janitorial services contract, requiring that contract to include recyclables and compostables collection meeting the section's standards. Subsection (c) requires the owner or manager to train tenants on the on-site system at least once a year, to brief new tenants within thirty days of move-in, and to notify tenants within thirty days of any substantive change to the recycling or composting location or service.

Subsection (d) requires owners and managers to keep, and make available to the city manager on request during normal business hours, reports, contracts, and invoices for recyclables and compostables collection covering the three most recent years. Under Section 6-3-16(a), these requirements took effect for all property owners citywide one year after city council adopted Ordinance No. 8045 in 2015. Section 6-3-17 lets an owner apply for a one-year exemption, renewable once, on grounds such as extreme economic hardship, de minimis waste generation, space constraints, or a certified self-haul or shared-service arrangement.