Pay-As-You-Throw Ordinance Update

Amendments to Fort Collins’ Pay-as-you-throw (PAYT) ordinance were adopted in May 2009 (Amended Trash Ordinance - PDF), setting new regulatory requirements for licensed haulers who provide residential trash and recycling services. One of the changes concerns increasing the size of curbside recycling bins. No later than January 1, 2010, haulers must provide a large, lidded recycling cart upon request from customers who live in single-family homes or small complexes (< eight units). Typically, carts are available in 64-gallon or 96-gallon sizes.

Larger recycling carts will allow collection schedules to be reduced; once the bigger recycling bins are in place, trash/recycling haulers may drop to every-other-week for collecting recyclables. However, trash collection will continue to be a weekly service.

Greater transparency in trash billing is another important change to the PAYT program. Starting September 1, 2009, residential trash bills must clearly show the pure unit price for garbage. The ordinance now prohibits additional charges on trash bills that could obscure the message that “the less you throw away, the less you pay.” This clarification makes it easier to see the financial benefits of switching to smaller-sized trash carts, which may save money on household trash bills.

The City encourages residents to call their trash/recycling service provider to order one of the large, lidded recycling carts, and to inquire about subscribing to a smaller sized trash container to fit their household’s needs.

Solid Waste Ordinances

By municipal ordinance, all solid waste collectors are required to make available to their residential customers, at the customer's option, curbside collection of recyclable materials that are designated by the City (Chapter 15 'Licenses and Business Regulations', see Article XV 'Solid Waste Collection and Recycling Services').

The collection of recyclable materials from multifamily and/or commercial customers is not be required if the collector determines that there is not sufficient space available to allow the placement of recycling containers without encroaching on needed parking areas or on the sidewalk or street, or without impairing or impeding bicycle, pedestrian or vehicular traffic.

Trash and Recycling Enclosures

The City of Fort Collins amended the Land Use Code on December 21, 2004 (Ordinance 198, 2004) to require recycling areas to be built along with trash enclosures to accommodate recycling in all new commercial or multi-family housing construction. With this new requirement, the City will ensure that future tenants or occupants who wish to recycle are not constrained by a lack of space. The trash/recycling enclosure statutes contained in the City of Fort Collins Land Use Code apply to all new and significantly remodeled commercial or multi-family structures where refuse is generated by the use of the structure shall provide adequate space for the collection and storage of refuse and recyclable materials.

Structures that are exempt from the provisions: single-family dwellings; and multi-family dwellings where there are no central or communal refuse or recycling collection or storage facilities or where refuse and recyclable materials are stored and collected on an individual unit basis.

• City of Fort Collins Guidance Document, Trash and Recycling Enclosures - Design Considerations, August 2004, 18-pages (PDF doc, 360 KB)
• Ordinance 198, 2004 of the Council of the City of Fort Collins making various amendments to the City of Fort Collins Land Use Code, December 21, 2004, 24 pages (PDF doc, 706 KB). Note: Section 6. Subsection 3.2.5 Trash and Recycling Enclosures begins on page 10 of this document.

Related Topics in the Fort Collins Municipal Code

• Chapter 15 - Licenses and Business Regulations (see Article 15)
• Chapter 12 - Health & Sanitation (see Article II)