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

Some Restrictions
Compiled from the official code textEditor Martyn O'NeillLast verified August 2026

Key Facts

Collection license required
Yes, from the city under § 7.16.030
Residential recycling frequency
At least every two weeks, same day as trash
Who designates recyclables
City manager, annually, by November 30
License fee
$100.00 per collection vehicle
Liability insurance required
$1,000,000.00 per occurrence
Enforcing department
Loveland Public Works Department

Summary

Every hauler collecting solid waste or recyclables inside Loveland city limits needs a city collection license, and licensed collectors serving residential customers must run curbside recycling pickup at least once every two weeks on the same day as trash collection. The Loveland city manager designates which materials count as recyclable each year, and haulers cannot landfill properly prepared recyclables set out by customers.

All licensed collectors operating within the city shall have the following duties and rights: 1.Each collector may establish such reasonable and industry-accepted requirements, rules, or regulations for the separation and preparation of materials for recycling as are necessary to provide for the orderly collection of recyclable materials. 2.Household recycling containers may be made available by collectors to all solid waste customers who utilize curbside recycling services within the city. 3.Except for materials which customers have not properly prepared for recycling, collectors may not dispose of recyclable materials set out for collection by their customers by any means other than delivery at a lawfully operating recycling facility. Commencing on the 30th day after the county clean material recovery facility opens for business, all comingled (single-stream) recyclable materials shall be delivered to the county clean material recovery facility for recycling.

View official code

Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 13).

Full Breakdown

16 governs solid waste and recycling collection citywide, in Larimer County, Colorado. 030 requires any person or entity operating as a solid waste or recyclables collector within city limits to hold a collection license from the city, with narrow exemptions for charitable fundraising haulers, self-haulers of their own household waste, and landlords removing a tenant's waste without charging for the service. 050 obligates every licensed collector providing curbside recycling to deliver materials only to a lawfully operating recycling facility, and once the county's clean material recovery facility opens, all comingled single-stream recyclables must go there.

Recyclable material placed at the curb belongs to the customer until collection, then becomes the collector's property and responsibility, and only the customer or collector may handle it. 060 sets the collection floor: residential recycling pickup must run at least every two weeks on the same day as trash service, while multifamily and commercial accounts must be serviced often enough to prevent container overflow. 080 puts the city manager in charge of designating which items are recyclable each year, based on factors including market availability, waste-stream reduction potential, and safety of transport, with collectors required to notify customers of the designated list within 90 days. 00 in liability coverage before a license issues.

Violations & Fines

Operating as an unlicensed collector, or a collector dumping customer recyclables anywhere but a lawful recycling facility, violates Chapter 7.16 and is punishable under the general penalty at Loveland Municipal Code § 1.12.010: a fine consistent with C.R.S. § 13-10-113 or up to 364 days in jail, plus a $15.00 surcharge per violation, with each day of noncompliance a separate offense. The city manager may also suspend or revoke a collector's license after notice and hearing under § 7.16.180.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I have to have curbside recycling in Loveland?
If a licensed hauler serves your residential address, § 7.16.060 requires the hauler to offer curbside recycling pickup at least once every two weeks, on the same day it collects your trash. Multifamily and commercial accounts get service frequent enough to prevent recycling containers from overflowing, per the same section.
Who decides what materials Loveland recycles curbside?
The city manager designates the recyclable materials list each year under § 7.16.080, weighing market availability, waste-stream reduction, transport safety, and commingling risks. Collectors must notify their customers of that year's designated materials within 90 days of the city manager's determination.
Can a hauler just landfill my recycling if it's contaminated?
Only if the materials were not properly prepared for recycling. Section 7.16.050 otherwise bars collectors from disposing of customer recyclables by any method except delivery to a lawfully operating recycling facility, and once the county's clean material recovery facility opens, comingled recyclables must go there specifically.
Does a charity collecting bottles for a fundraiser need a Loveland license?
No. Section 7.16.030 exempts civic, community, benevolent, or charitable nonprofit organizations that collect and market recyclable materials solely to raise funds for a charitable, civic, or benevolent activity from the city's collector licensing requirement.

Sources & Official References

Other rules in Loveland

All Loveland rules

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