Ogden, UT Trash & Recycling: Recycling Rules (2026)

Section 12-2-1E gives the director of the public works department sole authority to determine which materials are suitable for collection as recyclables, tying that decision to the city's actual ability to recycle the material in a reasonable and economical manner rather than to what is technically recyclable in the abstract. Once the director sets the approved list, the manager of the operations division is responsible for notifying customers which materials may go in a recycling cart and how those materials need to be prepared before pickup, for example rinsed or flattened.

That approved list then governs downstream enforcement: section 12-2-2C says only recyclables approved under 12-2-1E may be placed in a recycling cart, requires large cardboard to be cut to pieces no bigger than two feet by two feet, and bars bagging recyclables so inspectors can visually check the load. Because the approval standard is tied to the city's own recycling economics rather than a fixed statewide list, what counts as an accepted recyclable in Ogden City can change if the operations division's processing capabilities or markets change, and residents are expected to follow whatever the current customer notification says rather than assume a material is recyclable because it carries a recycling symbol.