Adams County, CO Trash & Recycling: Recycling Requirements (2026)
Key Facts
- License required
- Every Solid Waste Hauler needs a county license
- Recycling mandate
- Offer curbside recycling of Minimum Recyclables List
- Notice frequency
- Annual written notice to every customer
- Recordkeeping
- Weight tickets and notices kept 2 years
- Max fine
- $1,000 civil infraction, per day of violation
- Exempt haulers
- Nonprofits, self-haulers, landscapers, incidental-waste contractors
Summary
Adams County requires every licensed Solid Waste Hauler serving unincorporated residents, multi-family buildings and businesses to offer curbside recycling of at least the county's Minimum Recyclables List alongside trash pickup, and to notify every customer of that option annually. Ordinance No. 17 licenses and enforces haulers; it does not set recycling rates or force resident participation.
All Solid Waste Haulers providing regular collection of landfill materials from residential, multi-family or commercial customers shall offer curbside recycling collection services, to include at a minimum the materials designated in the Minimum Recyclables List, on a regular and recurring schedule. Solid Waste Haulers must also provide annual notification of the recycling collection service offering to all customers that receive regular landfill materials collection. Solid Waste Haulers providing only junk removal or large collection bin services to customers for short-term projects, such as roll-off dumpsters for construction and demolition activities, may, but are not required to, offer recycling services to these customers for this activity.
Full Breakdown
Ordinance No. 17, the Solid Waste Hauler Ordinance, is Adams County's recycling framework for the unincorporated area. Section 3 requires any person collecting solid waste, recyclables, food scraps or yard trimmings from another party to first obtain a Solid Waste Hauler license from the County; exemptions cover nonprofit fundraising collections, self-haulers moving their own waste, landlords clearing a tenant's leftover items without charging for regular service, and landscapers or contractors whose waste is incidental to construction or yard work. E requires every hauler that provides regular landfill collection to residential, multi-family or commercial customers to also offer curbside recycling covering, at minimum, the materials on the County's Minimum Recyclables List, on a regular recurring schedule, and to give customers written notice of that recycling option when service starts and again every year. Haulers that only run junk-removal or short-term roll-off dumpster service for construction and demolition jobs are not required to offer recycling. 2. I. 3.
Violations & Fines
Operating as an unlicensed Solid Waste Hauler, or licensed but failing to offer or notify customers of curbside recycling, is a civil infraction under Section 8 punishable by up to $1,000 per violation, with each day of noncompliance a separate offense. Repeat offenders face a graduated schedule: $500 maximum for a first or second offense, a $750 minimum third-offense fine, and up to $1,000 per day after that, plus a $10 victim/witness surcharge; a duplicate summons goes to the County Court Clerk of the 17th Judicial District.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is recycling mandatory for unincorporated Adams County residents?
What materials must my hauler accept for recycling?
Can a hauler skip recycling if it only does roll-off dumpsters?
Who enforces the recycling requirement and what's the penalty?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Adams County
Compare Adams County to another location·View the Colorado trash & recycling overview
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