Trash, Recycling, and Composting

Do not bag your compost items. Compost items such as yard waste and food waste should be placed in your container loosely. One exception allowed is a 3 gallon or smaller green CMA approved compostable bags for your kitchen counter food scraps. Learn more on our Composting webpage.

Unfortunately, most single use paper-based coffee cups are lined with plastic to make them waterproof, which means they are not compostable, or recyclable.

Yes, curbside composting service continues throughout the year just like trash or recycling. Find details on our Collection Schedule and Map webpage.

No, compostable and biodegradable products are not recyclable. Please do not put them in the recycle container. Compostable and biodegradable items such as plastic forks, knives, spoons, napkins, paper plates, cups and glasses are not recyclable and contaminate the recycling process. These items should be put in your trash container. If you have any questions about how to dispose of these items, please check the Waste Wizard.

NO. None of these items should be put in with your compostables. They create a health hazard. Neither backyard bins nor commercial facilities are able to “cook” compost to temperatures sufficient to kill pathogens that may be in animal or human waste. Landfills are designed to safely handle these items, so your trash bin is still the best place for them. Learn more on our Composting webpage >

Yes, you can bring kitchen food scraps to the Longmont Recycling Center to be composted. The center only accepts loose kitchen food scraps, no compostable products, paper plates, cups, napkins, forks, tissue, etc. Compostable 1-3 Gallon CMA compostable bags are not allowed at the Longmont Recycling Center. You may leave them in your compost curbside bin only. Guidelines for kitchen scraps: Access to the compost bin is available between Monday – Saturday between 8am – 4pm. Please drive up to the window attendant and check in (no walk ups). Residential only (no commercial businesses accepted). Must bring a city of Longmont utility bill and ID to show you are a city resident. All food wastes preferred to be loose. If bagged we only accept CMA approved 3 gallon bag or smaller.

Curbside composting is easy! Simply put your food scraps (vegetables, fruit, meat, dairy, egg shells, bones) and yard waste (branches, weeds, grass, plants, leaves) in your curbside compost container. Individual branches cannot exceed 6-inches in diameter and must fit inside the container to allow the lid to close. Your compost container will be picked up every other week on your scheduled collection day. Click and see our Compost Guidelines or visit Composting webpage for more details on our compost program.

The best advice is for you to place your container out for collection with the hinged side towards the wind. That should reduce the chance of the wind blowing the lid open. Please do not place rocks or bricks on your container lid on collection day, this can cause serious damage to property when the container is picked up by our automated collection vehicles.

You can put your food waste in a certified compostable bag before placing it in your compost container. Another option is to keep food waste in your freezer until the day of your curbside pickup. Take care not to over fill your compost cart and be sure to keep the lid closed. Layer yard waste, leaves or other plant material over your food waste. Learn more on our Composting webpage.

If your trash, recycling, or composting was not picked up on your collection day, please contact us. We will typically be able to schedule a collection for the next working day.

Sign up by phone, Mon – Fri, 8AM – 5PM by contacting Waste Services. Sign up online, anytime with ServiceWorks!.

Curbside composting collection occurs every other week, on the same day of the week as your trash. Composting and recycling are both every-other-week services, so they will alternate – it will either be recycling week or composting week. Visit our Collection Schedule webpage for your customized collection calendar or to learn how to download our Longmont Waste Services mobile app, which is available for Android and iPhone. Still have questions? Contact Waste Services between 8 am – 5 pm, Monday through Friday.

The City of Longmont provides waste service collections to some, but not all, apartment complexes within the city limits. However, these services are not provided on an individual apartment basis. Please contact your property manager or homeowners association to request such services.

Biodegradable materials are not necessarily compostable. When an item is in question, you can always check the Compost Guidelines or the Waste Wizard to determine the proper disposal for that item.

The rates for trash/recycling and composting are independent of each other. Trash rates only pay for trash/recycling and do not subsidize the composting service. Composting fees pay for the full cost of that service.

No, processed compost is not available to Longmont residents. Compost material collected through the City of Longmont’s curbside service is sent to a commercial facility for processing – just like recyclables – and is not returned. The city does offer mulch to Longmont residents. Yard waste is accepted year-round at the Longmont Recycling Center where it is processed into mulch that is free for Longmont residents to use in your yards and gardens. To pick up mulch at the Longmont Recycling Center, please bring your ID and City of Longmont utility bill showing you are a city resident.

Yes, we have two sizes of compost carts available. There is a 96-gallon and a 48-gallon cart available. Learn more on our Composting webpage.

The City will repair or replace containers that incur damage through routine use at no cost to the customer. The City will assess container repair or replacement costs to the residential unit if the City finds that said replacements and/or repairs were caused by non-routine use including, but not limited to, abuse, misplacement, or neglect of containers. It will be the responsibility of the customer to notify the City when repair and/or replacement of containers is necessary. Please submit a repair request through ServiceWorks! or contact Waste Services to schedule a repair.

Homeowners or renters are responsible for washing their carts. There are a number of tips and suggestions to wash your carts: In most cases, you can simply hose it out and let the water drain onto your yard. Make sure wastewater isn’t flowing into the gutter. If your cart need more than a rinse, pre-spray it with a nontoxic soap or detergent, then hose it out. Again, make sure wastewater isn’t flowing into the gutter. You can also take you cart to the local car wash, where you can use a high-pressure wand to clean your cart. There are also several companies that offer an at-home cleaning service in the Longmont area including Clean Can Now, Bin Clean, Green Can Cleaner, Mr San Can, Wash on Wheels.

By choosing to compost, you help: Save landfill space and delay building a new one. Reduce methane (a potent greenhouse gas). Enrich our Colorado soil, reducing the need for pesticides and herbicides. Move Longmont one step closer to Zero Waste. Landfills are designed to prevent water, oxygen and sunlight from entering, so very little of what’s buried there breaks down. Any food waste that does decompose in the landfill produces methane, a potent greenhouse gas. By composting, you allow these organic materials to biodegrade naturally in the presence of water and oxygen, creating nutrient-rich soil for reuse. Learn more on our Composting webpage.

Only yard and food waste are accepted in your compost container. You can reference the compost guide and also check the Waste Wizard if you have a specific item that you want to dispose of but does not appear in the compost guide.

That’s great! To learn more about backyard composting, Boulder County offers backyard compost workshops to teach residents the “how to’s” for backyard composting. https://bouldercounty.gov/environment/composting/back-yard-composting/ Longmont’s Curbside compost service will take everything you can’t or might not want to compost in your backyard including: weeds, egg shells, meat, dairy, bones. Learn more and sign up for curbside service on our Composting webpage.

To assure collection, please follow the rules outlined under Where and How to Place Your Carts.

The City of Longmont has a long history of providing trash service to its residents, dating back to 1948. Like many other Front Range communities, Longmont operated its own landfill, but closed it in 1992 when costs to operate the facility and permitting were no longer feasible. Longmont Waste Services employees now haul trash daily to the Front Range Landfill in Erie. Longmont added curbside recycling in the 1990s to divert recyclable materials as landfill space became scarce and costly. In 2017, the City adopted a revised “Pay As You Throw” trash rate structure, opt-in curbside composting service, and an additional Every Other Week trash container size to help Longmont Waste Services prepare for future anticipated landfill costs and diminishing landfill space in the Front Range region of Colorado. The recycling and composting programs divert more waste from landfills. The revised PAYT rate structure brings more equity to the program by allowing customers who dispose of less trash to choose smaller container sizes at much lower subscription pricing. To right size your trash container size and/or subscribe to curbside composting, submit a request through ServiceWorks! or contact Waste Services.

Customers newly subscribed to curbside composting service will see the charge on their utility bill in the first billing cycle after the start of service; it will continue monthly thereafter. For more information about billing, contact Utility Billing.

Kitchen Compost Pails: A wide variety of pails are available for purchase online or in local home goods and hardware stores. Compost Pail Bags: Paper or plastic bags are not allowed. Use only CMA certified compostable bags available at local businesses and online. Carbon Filters: Kitchen pails often feature a carbon filter to help reduce odors. It’s recommended to replace filters every 3-4 months. Replacement filters can be found typically at the same retailers selling pails. If you got one of the free kitchen pails from the City’s promotion, you can order filters online from Amazon, Bed Bath & Beyond or Walmart, or you can ask your favorite local store to carry them. In either case, search/ask for Exaco Eco Kitchen Compost Pail carbon filters – they should measure 3.5″ x 3.5″.

On your property – just like your trash and recycling containers. Learn more on our Composting webpage.

Curbside composting is offered by subscription in Longmont for all residential customers who pay the City directly for trash service. You may live in an HOA community that manages your waste services on your behalf. In this case, you may need to talk to your HOA about having curbside composting in your neighborhood.

Trash, Recycling & Composting services are not provided during City of Longmont holiday closures. These services will be provided the day after a holiday (with the exception of Thanksgiving week). 

Please visit our Collection Schedule webpage to get your customized collection calendar or contact Waste Services.

Unfortunately, most single use paper-based coffee cups are lined with plastic to make them waterproof, which means they are not compostable, or recyclable.

No, compostable and biodegradable products are not recyclable. Please do not put them in the recycle container. Compostable and biodegradable items such as plastic forks, knives, spoons, napkins, paper plates, cups and glasses are not recyclable and contaminate the recycling process. These items should be put in your trash container. If you have any questions about how to dispose of these items, please check the Waste Wizard.

During late December and into January, we offer several special services to help residents recycle holiday items, including Christmas trees, holiday wrapping paper, holiday lights, and styrofoam packing material. Please visit our Holiday Recycling webpage for more information and dates or contact Waste Services.

The best advice is for you to place your container out for collection with the hinged side towards the wind. That should reduce the chance of the wind blowing the lid open. Please do not place rocks or bricks on your container lid on collection day, this can cause serious damage to property when the container is picked up by our automated collection vehicles.

Our handy Waste Wizard helps you learn how to sort your waste properly so you’ll never again wonder what goes where.

If your trash, recycling, or composting was not picked up on your collection day, please contact us. We will typically be able to schedule a collection for the next working day.

If residents are making an effort to Recycle It Right, all items listed in our collection guide are being recycled and NOT sent to a landfill. Longmont takes its collected recyclables to the Boulder County Recycling Center. Once there, the materials are processed to remove any non-recyclable items (such as carpet, leaves, yard waste, garden hoses, etc.) that residents may have placed in their recycling bins. Items like those must, unfortunately, be sent to the landfill (even if they could have been composted, for example, if sorted correctly at the curb).

So, do your part and make sure to Recycle It Right!
View the Recycling & Composting guides to see materials that are accepted >

Curbside recycling collection occurs every other week. When it’s your week for recycling, it will be picked up on the SAME DAY as your regular trash collection. Visit our Collection Schedule webpage for your customized collection calendar or to learn how to download our Longmont Waste Services mobile app, which is available for Android and iPhone.

Still have questions? Contact Waste Services between 8 am – 5 pm, Monday through Friday.

The City of Longmont provides waste service collections to some, but not all, apartment complexes within the city limits. However, these services are not provided on an individual apartment basis. Please contact your property manager or homeowners association to request such services.

The City will repair or replace containers that incur damage through routine use at no cost to the customer. The City will assess container repair or replacement costs to the residential unit if the City finds that said replacements and/or repairs were caused by non-routine use including, but not limited to, abuse, misplacement, or neglect of containers. It will be the responsibility of the customer to notify the City when repair and/or replacement of containers is necessary. Please submit a repair request through ServiceWorks! or contact Waste Services to schedule a repair.

Homeowners or renters are responsible for washing their carts.

There are a number of tips and suggestions to wash your carts:

1. In most cases, you can simply hose it out and let the water drain onto your yard. Make sure wastewater isn’t flowing into the gutter.
2. If your cart need more than a rinse, pre-spray it with a nontoxic soap or detergent, then hose it out. Again, make sure wastewater isn’t flowing into the gutter.
3. You can also take you cart to the local car wash, where you can use a high-pressure wand to clean your cart.
4. There are also several companies that offer an at-home cleaning service in the Longmont area including Clean Can Now, Bin Clean, Green Can Cleaner, Mr San Can, Wash on Wheels

The numbers displayed on plastic packaging are not intended to be consumer recycling guides. Instead, those numbers (typically 1 through 7 displayed in a triangle) help industry processors sort and bale the materials for processing. Not everything with a number on it is recyclable in the Boulder County area. Acceptable recycling materials can be different from city to city, county or state, depending on processing facilities.

The City of Longmont publishes recycling guidelines that lists the materials accepted specifically in Longmont’s recycling collection program. View that guide online via our Recycling webpage. We also encourage residents to ask our Waste Wizard about specific items.

Single Stream Recycling programs allow you to place all your recyclable items into one commingled container. The City of Longmont provides single stream recycling. Recycling is collected every other week on your trash collection day. Visit our Recycling webpage for a complete list of recycling guidelines or contact Waste Services.

Our Waste Wizard is an easy to use online tool that helps you learn how to sort your waste properly. Never again wonder if something is recyclable, compostable or destined for the trash. Just type in the name of the item and the Waste Wizard tells you exactly what to do with it (or, in some cases, it even gives you several options). Got an item in mind? Give the Waste Wizard a try today.

To assure collection, please follow the rules outlined under Where and How to Place Your Carts.

The City of Longmont has a long history of providing trash service to its residents, dating back to 1948. Like many other Front Range communities, Longmont operated its own landfill, but closed it in 1992 when costs to operate the facility and permitting were no longer feasible. Longmont Waste Services employees now haul trash daily to the Front Range Landfill in Erie. Longmont added curbside recycling in the 1990s to divert recyclable materials as landfill space became scarce and costly. In 2017, the City adopted a revised “Pay As You Throw” trash rate structure, opt-in curbside composting service, and an additional Every Other Week trash container size to help Longmont Waste Services prepare for future anticipated landfill costs and diminishing landfill space in the Front Range region of Colorado. The recycling and composting programs divert more waste from landfills. The revised PAYT rate structure brings more equity to the program by allowing customers who dispose of less trash to choose smaller container sizes at much lower subscription pricing. To right size your trash container size and/or subscribe to curbside composting, submit a request through ServiceWorks! or contact Waste Services.

Trash, Recycling & Composting services are not provided during City of Longmont holiday closures. These services will be provided the day after a holiday (with the exception of Thanksgiving week). During a holiday week, if your normal collection day falls ON or AFTER the holiday, your trash (and recycling or composting if it’s your week) will be collected one day later than your normal collection day. Please visit our Collection Schedule webpage to get your customized collection calendar or contact Waste Services.

Unfortunately, most single use paper-based coffee cups are lined with plastic to make them waterproof, which means they are not compostable, or recyclable.

The city shall provide, and customers shall pay, for the routine curbside collection and disposal of solid waste and recyclable materials, as defined in the Municipal Code, from all single-family and multi-family dwelling houses, including apartment houses, but excluding hotels, within the city limits, except as otherwise provided in the Code.

The City of Longmont contracts with Front Range Landfill (FRL) for waste disposal services. The FRL is located at 1830 Weld County Road 5, Erie, CO 80516. For more information about landfill hours, rates and items accepted, contact the Front Range Landfill. The City of Longmont sponsors four free landfill drop days for its Trash and Recycling customers. Learn more on our Free Landfill Days webpage or contact Trash and Recycling.

Yes! Each April, the City offers residents free, one-time pick-up of limbs and branches through its Spring Branch Collection program. Residents can place bundled branches curbside during their designated collection week and crews will remove them. Please visit our Spring Branch Collection webpage for all the details or contact Sanitation between 8 am – 5 pm, Monday through Friday. Once curbside composting service is launched and established, the need to continue this program will be evaluated.

Yes, currently the City offers residents free, one-time pick-up of leaves through its Fall Leaf Collection program. Residents can place bagged leaves curbside during their designated collection week and crews will remove them. Please visit our Fall Leaf Collection webpage or contact Sanitation between 8 am – 5 pm, Monday through Friday, for more information. Once curbside composting service is launched and established, the need to continue this program will be evaluated.

Longmont residents have a few options when disposing of hazardous household wastes, depending on the item(s). Learn more about year-round disposal centers and special collection events in Longmont on our Household Hazardous Waste Disposal web page. You can also contact Trash and Recycling for more information.

The key to saving is reducing the amount of waste that goes in your trash cart. Composting and recycling allow you to divert a wide variety of items from your trash. When you have fewer things to put in your trash cart, you can switch to a smaller size at much lower subscription price (costs are cut nearly in half with each step down).

Sort Your Way to Savings:

1. Sign up for curbside composting
Common items you can compost: food waste (including bones & meat) and yard trimmings

2. Take advantage of curbside recycling included with trash service
Common items you can recycle: aluminum cans, glass bottles & jars, mixed paper, plastic bottles & tubs, milk & juice cartons

3. Right size your trash cart subscription
Trash cart size is the main factor in your monthly waste services costs, so be sure you’re not paying for more than you need. See the options for small, medium and large trash carts on our Rates, Rules & Regulations webpage.

To dispose of items that do not fit in your curbside trash container, you can schedule a large item pick up by contacting Trash and Recycling between 8 am – 5 pm, Monday through Friday. Special collection service is limited and restrictions apply to the materials and quantities accepted. Learn more and get all of the details on our Large Item Collection webpage.

You can schedule a large item pick up by contacting Trash and Recycling between 8 am – 5 pm, Monday through Friday. Special collection service is limited and restrictions apply to the materials and quantities accepted. Learn more and get all of the details on our Large Item Collection webpage.

TV’s are prohibited from being disposed of in the landfill, which means you cannot put them in your curbside trash container. Find proper disposal options by visiting our Hard to Recycle Items webpage or contact Trash and Recycling between 8 am to 5 pm, Monday through Friday.

Boulder County Public Health Department recommends that you place your used sharps in a strong puncture resistant plastic or metal container with a screw-on lid that can be tightly secured such as bleach bottles or liquid laundry containers. Do not use glass containers or used milk containers. Clearly label the container with the words ‘Sharps’ or ‘Bio-hazardous Waste’. Then securely seal the container with tape and place it in your trash. DO NOT put the container in with your recyclables. Please take the proper measures to dispose of any needles or sharps in this manner, to prevent others from being hurt. Special containers are also available at most pharmacies.

You can also visit Eco-Cycle or Boulder County Household Hazardous Waste for information regarding procedures for disposing sharps in the trash and take-back programs. See the Household Sharps Guidance for additional information.

The best advice is for you to place your container out for collection with the hinged side towards the wind. That should reduce the chance of the wind blowing the lid open. Please do not place rocks or bricks on your container lid on collection day, this can cause serious damage to property when the container is picked up by our automated collection vehicles.

Our handy Waste Wizard helps you learn how to sort your waste properly so you’ll never again wonder what goes where.

If you find a deceased domestic animal, please report it to Longmont Animal Control. In the case of large wildlife animals, please report the information to City staff for appropriate action by contacting Trash and Recycling. All other small wildlife animals may be disposed of with your normal trash. The easiest and safest way to do this is to put the carcass in a plastic bag, tie it and place it in the trash container.

If your trash, recycling, or composting was not picked up on your collection day, please contact us. We will typically be able to schedule a collection for the next working day.

To right size your Waste Services subscription to meet your household’s needs, submit a request through ServiceWorks or contact Waste Services.

The City of Longmont offers three trash cart collection options, Large, Medium and Small. The Large Trash (96-gallon) cart holds about 7 to 7-1/2 of the 13-gallon white kitchen trash bags and is picked up every week. The Medium Trash (48-gallon) cart holds about 3 to 3-1/2 of the 13-gallon white kitchen trash bags and is picked up every week. The Small Trash (48-gallon yellow lid) cart holds about 3 to 3-1/2 of the 13-gallon white kitchen trash bags and is picked up every other week. View current Waste Services rates.

Trash is collected once a week. (Every-other-week trash carts are collected every other week.) Visit our Collection Schedule webpage for your customized collection calendar or to learn how to download our Longmont Waste Services mobile app, which is available for Android and iPhone.

Still have questions? Contact Waste Services between 8 am – 5 pm, Monday through Friday.

The rates for trash/recycling and composting are independent of each other. Trash rates only pay for trash/recycling and do not subsidize the composting service. Composting fees pay for the full cost of that service.

The City will repair or replace containers that incur damage through routine use at no cost to the customer. The City will assess container repair or replacement costs to the residential unit if the City finds that said replacements and/or repairs were caused by non-routine use including, but not limited to, abuse, misplacement, or neglect of containers. It will be the responsibility of the customer to notify the City when repair and/or replacement of containers is necessary. Please submit a repair request through ServiceWorks! or contact Waste Services to schedule a repair.

City of Longmont Trash and Recycling customers are offered four free landfill drop days each year. These days are scheduled in advance, and customers can take items to the Front Range Landfill located at 1830 Weld County Road 5 in Erie, Colorado. For more information and guidelines, visit our Free Landfill Days webpage or contact Trash and Recycling between 8 am – 5 pm, Monday through Friday.

The City of Longmont’s Recycling Center is located at 140 Martin Street. The recycling bins are accessible 24 hours a day, seven days a week for drop off of typical recycling materials. The Center also accepts additional materials such as yard waste, tree limbs, motor oil, cooking oil, bulky metal, car batteries and household food waste compost. These additional drop-off services are only available during regular business hours, Monday through Saturday. Business hours vary based on season, so please check the Longmont Recycling Center webpage to see current hours and information or contact Trash and Recycling.

Common items accepted include paints, cleaners, and pesticides. Please see our Household Hazardous Waste Disposal webpage for a complete list of acceptable items or contact Trash and Recycling between 8 am – 5 pm, Monday through Friday.

Our Waste Wizard is an easy to use online tool that helps you learn how to sort your waste properly. Never again wonder if something is recyclable, compostable or destined for the trash. Just type in the name of the item and the Waste Wizard tells you exactly what to do with it (or, in some cases, it even gives you several options). Got an item in mind? Give the Waste Wizard a try today.

To assure collection, please follow the rules outlined under Where and How to Place Your Carts.

The City of Longmont has a long history of providing trash service to its residents, dating back to 1948. Like many other Front Range communities, Longmont operated its own landfill, but closed it in 1992 when costs to operate the facility and permitting were no longer feasible. Longmont Waste Services employees now haul trash daily to the Front Range Landfill in Erie. Longmont added curbside recycling in the 1990s to divert recyclable materials as landfill space became scarce and costly. In 2017, the City adopted a revised “Pay As You Throw” trash rate structure, opt-in curbside composting service, and an additional Every Other Week trash container size to help Longmont Waste Services prepare for future anticipated landfill costs and diminishing landfill space in the Front Range region of Colorado. The recycling and composting programs divert more waste from landfills. The revised PAYT rate structure brings more equity to the program by allowing customers who dispose of less trash to choose smaller container sizes at much lower subscription pricing. To right size your trash container size and/or subscribe to curbside composting, submit a request through ServiceWorks! or contact Waste Services.

Trash, Recycling & Composting services are not provided during City of Longmont holiday closures. These services will be provided the day after a holiday (with the exception of Thanksgiving week). During a holiday week, if your normal collection day falls ON or AFTER the holiday, your trash (and recycling or composting if it’s your week) will be collected one day later than your normal collection day. Please visit our Collection Schedule webpage to get your customized collection calendar or contact Waste Services.