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

Section 58-56 makes solid waste and recycling collection a city-provided service that is optional to customers, administered by the city manager through rules set within Article III. Under Section 58-57, the city issues black containers for refuse and green containers for recyclables, and defines recyclable materials to include newspapers, aluminum and tin cans, plastic bottles, cardboard, magazines, office paper, junk mail, phone books, aerosol cans, foil, and glass bottles. Section 58-59(j) makes it unlawful to introduce refuse, contaminated materials, or anything not accepted for recycling into a city-provided recycling container.

Section 58-59(l) sets the preparation standard: aluminum, tin, and steel cans must be rinsed and free of food materials and liquid, and plastic containers marked with a recycling code the director has designated as acceptable must be rinsed clean, before either goes into the container. Section 58-59(m) limits acceptance strictly to materials listed in subsection (l) or otherwise designated by the director, so items outside that list are refused. Once recyclables are set at the curb or placed in a city container in the right-of-way, Section 58-59(b) makes them city property, and it is unlawful for anyone other than a city employee to remove or transport them, a rule aimed at scavengers who pull cans and bottles before the truck arrives.

Section 58-60(d) caps the combined weight of a container and its contents at 350 pounds and requires the lid to close without exceeding a 45-degree gap. Violations of Article III, including recycling contamination, are punished under Section 58-58 by referring to the general penalty in Section 1-8(a).