Littleton, CO Trash & Recycling: Recycling Rules (2026)

Littleton's recycling program is created by Section 7-2-3(A) of the City Code, which authorizes, but does not require, the City to provide trash collection and disposal service for residential and commercial users and recycling collection and disposal service for residential users within the City. The City Council can only make that choice under two conditions: either Council decides direct City service is more advantageous to the taxpayer than a private contract, or the City sought competitive bids under Title 1, Chapter 15, and the bidding process did not produce a workable result.

In practice, this is the provision that lets Littleton run a City-operated or City-contracted curbside recycling program rather than leaving recycling entirely to private haulers chosen by residents. Once a recycling service is established under this authority, the container standards in Section 7-2-4 apply to recyclable materials the same way they apply to trash: containers must be kept so recyclables do not scatter, spillage must be cleaned up immediately by the resident, and no recycling container may be permanently stored in the public right-of-way or placed so it blocks pedestrian, bicycle or vehicle traffic. Residents who receive City-provided recycling collection remain subject to those container rules even though the service itself is optional for the City to offer.