Curbside Recycling in Denver: Your Schedule and What's Accepted

Your Guide to Denver Curbside Recycling

This guide helps Denver residents understand their specific recycling schedule, identify accepted materials, and prepare items correctly for pickup, ensuring an efficient and effective recycling program for the city.

Find Your Denver Recycling Schedule by Address

Your curbside recycling pickup schedule in Denver is determined by your specific address. The most accurate and up-to-date way to find your collection day is through the official Denver Solid Waste Management online tools. Unlike trash pickup, recycling is typically collected every other week.

To locate your personalized schedule:

  1. Visit the Official Website: Navigate to the Denver Solid Waste Management section of the denvergov.org website (typically denvergov.org/recycle).
  2. Use the ‘My Services’ Tool: Look for a tool or search bar where you can enter your street address.
  3. Confirm Your Day: The tool will display your specific recycling collection day and the alternating week for your service.

What Goes in Your Purple Cart: Accepted Materials List

Denver’s curbside recycling program focuses on common household items. To prevent contamination of the recycling stream, it is crucial to only place items explicitly listed below in your purple cart. When in doubt, it’s safer to dispose of an item in the trash rather than risk contaminating an entire load of recyclables.

Paper & Cardboard

  • Cardboard boxes (flattened, no food residue or grease stains)
  • Paperboard (e.g., cereal boxes, tissue boxes, paper towel rolls, flattened)
  • Mixed paper (e.g., newspapers, magazines, catalogs, junk mail, envelopes, phone books, paper bags)
  • Office paper (e.g., shredded paper placed inside a paper bag, sticky notes, paper egg cartons)

Plastics

  • Plastic bottles, jugs, and tubs coded #1, #2, and #5 (e.g., soda bottles, milk jugs, detergent bottles, yogurt cups). Ensure they are empty, clean, and dry.

Metals

  • Aluminum cans (e.g., soda, beer cans)
  • Steel and tin cans (e.g., soup, vegetable cans)
  • Aluminum foil and trays (clean, balled up to at least 2 inches in diameter)

Glass

  • Glass bottles and jars (all colors, labels are fine, empty, clean, and dry)

What Stays Out: Non-Accepted & Contaminating Items

Many items commonly mistaken for recyclables can contaminate the entire recycling stream, leading to valuable resources being sent to the landfill. Understanding what cannot go into your purple cart is as important as knowing what can.

Never in the Purple Cart

  • Plastic Bags & Film: This includes grocery bags, trash bags, plastic wrap, bubble wrap, and any other flexible plastic film. These items ‘tangle the tanglers’ at the sorting facility. Look for store drop-off locations for clean plastic bags.
  • Styrofoam: All forms of Styrofoam (packaging, cups, takeout containers) are not accepted.
  • Food Waste or Food-Soiled Items: Any item with significant food residue or grease stains, such as greasy pizza boxes, should be composted or put in the trash.
  • Electronics (E-Waste): Computers, TVs, phones, and other electronic devices contain hazardous materials and require special disposal.
  • Batteries: All types of batteries (alkaline, rechargeable, car batteries) are hazardous and should never go in the purple cart.
  • Clothing or Textiles: Fabrics, shoes, and other textiles should be donated or taken to specific textile recycling centers.
  • Hoses, Cords, Wires: These ‘tanglers’ cause significant problems for recycling machinery.
  • Ceramics, Dishware, Window Glass, Mirrors: These items have different melting points and compositions than recyclable glass bottles and jars.
  • Hazardous Waste: Paint, chemicals, motor oil, pesticides, and other household hazardous waste must be disposed of through designated programs.
  • Medical Waste: Needles, syringes, and prescription bottles (with personal information removed) should be handled according to medical waste guidelines.
  • Large Metal Items: Scrap metal, car parts, or propane tanks are not accepted.

Prepare for Pickup: Cleaning, Flattening & Container Guidelines

Proper preparation is crucial for successful recycling. Following these guidelines ensures your items are processed efficiently and do not contaminate other materials.

  • Empty, Clean, Dry: All containers (bottles, jars, cans, tubs) must be completely empty, rinsed clean of any food or liquid residue, and thoroughly dry before placing them in the cart. Food residue can contaminate paper and other materials, rendering them unrecyclable.
  • Flatten Cardboard: Break down and flatten all cardboard boxes and paperboard to save valuable space in your cart and allow for easier processing at the recycling facility.
  • No Bagging: Place all recyclables loose in your purple cart. Never put recyclables inside plastic bags or trash bags, as these bags are contaminants themselves and cause operational issues at sorting facilities.
  • Cart Placement: Ensure your purple cart is placed curbside by 7:00 AM on your collection day. Position it with at least three feet of clearance from obstacles such as mailboxes, parked cars, trees, and other carts. The lid must be completely closed to prevent litter and keep out animals.

Missed Pickups, Reporting Issues & Special Collection Events

If your recycling was not picked up as scheduled, or if you encounter issues with your cart, it’s important to contact Denver Solid Waste Management directly. They are the best resource for addressing service disruptions and managing equipment.

  • Reporting a Missed Pickup: If your cart was at the curb on time and properly prepared but not collected, report a missed pickup via the Denver Solid Waste Management website or by calling their customer service line. Do this promptly, typically within 24-48 hours of your scheduled collection.
  • Damaged or Stolen Carts: Contact the city’s waste management department to report a damaged or stolen purple cart. They can arrange for repair or replacement of your cart.
  • Service Alerts: Check the Denver Solid Waste Management website for any service alerts or delays due to holidays, weather, or other unforeseen circumstances.
  • Hard-to-Recycle Items: For items not accepted in curbside recycling (e.g., electronics, household hazardous waste, textiles), research Denver’s special collection events, drop-off facilities, or take-back programs available in the city. The city often hosts events for these materials throughout the year.

How to Verify in Denver Today

To ensure you’re following the latest Denver recycling guidelines and doing your part effectively:

  1. Check Your Specific Address: Visit the official Denver Solid Waste Management website at denvergov.org/recycle. Use their ‘My Services’ tool to input your address and confirm your precise recycling collection day and week for accuracy.
  2. Review the Comprehensive Accepted Materials List: Download or carefully read the current ‘Residential Recycling Guide’ PDF directly from denvergov.org/recycle. Pay close attention to specific plastic types (e.g., #1, #2, #5 bottles/jugs/tubs) and items explicitly listed as excluded from curbside collection.
  3. Confirm Preparation Rules: Look for explicit instructions regarding rinsing, drying, and the critical non-bagging practices on the city’s recycling pages. If you’re ever unsure about whether a particular item is accepted or how to prepare it, utilize the search function on their site or contact their customer service for clarification before placing it in your purple cart.

Decision Checklist for Your Purple Cart

Before placing your cart out for collection, ask yourself:

  • [ ] Have I checked my specific address on the Denver Solid Waste website for my correct recycling schedule?
  • [ ] Are all items in my purple cart explicitly listed as accepted by Denver Solid Waste Management?
  • [ ] Are all containers (bottles, jars, cans) completely empty, clean, and dry before being placed in the cart?
  • [ ] Are there any plastic bags, plastic film, Styrofoam, or food waste in my recycling cart?
  • [ ] Is my cart placed curbside by 7:00 AM on collection day, with the lid closed and clear of obstructions?
  • [ ] Do I know the correct disposal methods for items like batteries, electronics, paint, or other household hazardous waste?

Common Recycling Mistakes to Avoid in Denver

Steer clear of these frequent errors to ensure your recycling efforts are effective and contribute positively to Denver’s waste reduction goals:

  • Bagging Recyclables: Placing recyclables inside plastic grocery bags, which ‘tangles the tanglers’ at the sorting facility, causing equipment damage and ultimately sending the bagged items to the landfill.
  • Wishcycling: Including non-accepted items like plastic film, Styrofoam, clothing, electronics, or food scraps in the purple cart, hoping they’ll be recycled. This contaminates the recycling stream and increases processing costs.
  • Dirty Containers: Not thoroughly rinsing food or beverage containers. Residual food or liquid can contaminate paper and cardboard, making them unrecyclable, and can attract pests.
  • Confusing Local Rules: Confusing items generally recyclable elsewhere with those specifically accepted in Denver’s curbside program (e.g., some cities accept soiled pizza boxes, but Denver typically does not if grease is present).
  • Overfilling Cart: Overfilling the recycling cart to the point where the lid cannot close properly. This can lead to materials spilling out, becoming litter, or the cart not being collected due to safety concerns.
  • Incorrect Glass: Putting broken glass, ceramics, window glass, or mirrors into the recycling cart. These items have different chemical compositions and melting points than accepted glass bottles and jars, contaminating glass recycling.

Frequently Asked Questions about Denver Recycling

Q: How often is curbside recycling collected in Denver?

A: Curbside recycling in Denver is typically collected every other week. You can find your specific collection day and week by entering your address on the Denver Solid Waste Management website.

Q: Can I put plastic bags in my purple recycling cart?

A: No, plastic bags and plastic film are NOT accepted in Denver’s curbside recycling carts. They tangle machinery at the recycling facility. Many grocery stores offer drop-off programs for clean plastic bags.

Q: What if my recycling cart is damaged or stolen?

A: You should contact Denver Solid Waste Management directly to report a damaged or stolen cart. They can arrange for a repair or replacement.

Q: Are pizza boxes recyclable in Denver?

A: Only clean, unsoiled cardboard pizza box tops are generally accepted. If the bottom of your pizza box has grease or food residue, it is considered a contaminant and should be composted or put in the trash. When in doubt about a soiled item, it’s best to discard it in the trash.