Arvada, CO Trash & Recycling: Recycling Rules (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing section
- Arvada City Code § 90-58
- Who sets the list
- City manager, after hauler/processor input
- List location
- On file, city clerk's office
- Customer notice
- At least annually, from each hauler
- Enforcement
- License suspension/revocation, § 90-56
Summary
Arvada controls what actually counts as recyclable: under § 90-58, the city manager sets and periodically updates the official list of designated recyclable items after consulting licensed haulers and regional processors, and haulers must tell customers at least once a year what belongs in the recycling cart and how to prepare it.
The city manager shall, periodically, after consultation with representatives of the licensed haulers operating within the city and representatives from recycling processing facilities in the region determine which items shall be designated for recycling collection. The list of designated recyclables shall be kept on file for public inspection in the city clerk's Office.(b)If market factors or other circumstances arise during a calendar year that severely impact a hauler's ability to comply with this Chapter, the hauler may provide such information in writing to the city manager with a request that a particular material be removed from the list of materials designated for recycling. The hauler requesting the change shall continue to collect the recyclable materials designated by the city manager until the city manager notifies all licensed haulers that a particular item has been removed from the list of designated recyclable materials. A hauler may offer collection of additional recyclable materials not designated by the city manager at any time, upon written notice to the city manager and the city clerk.(c)All haulers shall be responsible for notifying their customers, no less than annually, of the items designated for recycling and how to prepare materials for recycling.(d)The city manager is authorized to promulgate such rules and regulations as are necessary to effectuate the implementation and enforcement of this chapter. (Ord. No. 4733, § 1, 6-15-2020)
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: City Council Policy Manual: Supplement 1 | Code of Ordinances: Supplement 67).
Full Breakdown
Section 90-58 gives Arvada's city manager, not individual haulers, control over what materials the city recognizes as recyclable. Subsection (a) directs the manager to periodically determine which items are designated for recycling collection after consulting representatives of the licensed haulers operating in the city and representatives of regional recycling processing facilities, and requires the resulting list of designated recyclables to be kept on file for public inspection in the city clerk's office. Subsection (b) gives haulers a narrow escape valve: if market conditions or other circumstances during a calendar year severely impact a hauler's ability to comply, the hauler can ask the city manager in writing to remove a specific material from the designated list, but must keep collecting that material until the manager formally notifies all licensed haulers the item has been dropped; a hauler may also add extra recyclable materials beyond the official list at any time on written notice to the manager and city clerk.
Subsection (c) is the customer-facing piece: every licensed hauler must notify its customers no less than annually of the items currently designated for recycling and how to prepare those materials for collection. Subsection (d) backstops the whole scheme by authorizing the city manager to adopt further rules and regulations needed to implement and enforce the chapter.
Violations & Fines
A hauler that drops a designated recyclable from service without the city manager's formal removal notice, or that fails to give customers the required annual notice of accepted materials and preparation rules, violates § 90-58 and risks license discipline under § 90-56, including suspension or revocation, in addition to the Code's general penalty of up to $2,650.00 or 364 days in jail under § 1-5.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who decides what can be recycled curbside in Arvada?
How often must my Arvada hauler tell me what to recycle?
Can a hauler just stop recycling a material it doesn't want to collect?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Arvada
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