Commerce City, CO Trash & Recycling: Recycling Rules (2026)

Land Development Code section 21-5256 splits recycling operations into three tiers. A small recycling collection area inside a multifamily, commercial, or industrial zone is capped at 300 square feet and no more than 5 parking spaces plus 1 attendant space; it must sit at least 10 feet back from any public right-of-way, accept only glass, aluminum, plastic containers, and paper, use no power-driven processing equipment except reverse-vending machines, keep materials inside weatherproof containers when unattended, and stay at least 150 feet from any residential zoning district or comprehensive-plan residential parcel unless it serves a multifamily development.

A large recycling collection area, meaning any facility over 300 square feet or on its own parcel with a permanent structure, cannot be adjacent to land zoned or planned for residential use, must meet the underlying zone district's setbacks, needs space for five vehicles to circulate, and must keep after-hours donation containers at least 100 feet from any residential use. A material resource recovery facility may only hand-sort source-separated household recyclables and incoming solid waste inside a fully enclosed building, cannot function as a garbage transfer station, must ship any unrecycled waste to an authorized landfill within 48 hours, and must stack outdoor-stored baled materials no higher than eight feet and at least 25 feet from any front line or residentially used land.

Every tier requires signage naming the operator and hours, a clean and litter-free site, and screening by fence or wall. The Community Development Department administers these siting standards; day-to-day residential curbside recycling service is arranged separately through the city's waste hauling contract.