For a price similar to what residents pay for only trash and every-other-week recycling now, the contracted program includes weekly collection of trash and recycling, weekly seasonal yard trimmings, and two bulky item collections per year. 

The program includes options for households with a very small amount of trash—XS cart service—and those with a large amount of trash—XL cart service. Residents will be able to select from the below trash cart sizes:

• XS cart service (35 gallon cart collected every two weeks)
• S cart service (35 gallons)
• M cart service (65 gallons)
• L cart service (95 gallons)
• XL cart service (2 x 95 gallons carts)

Recycling will be collected weekly and will continue to be included for no additional charge.

The program includes weekly yard trimmings collection from April 1 - November 30 each year. Households that do not need yard trimmings collection can decline the service and receive a discount on their monthly bill.

The new program will also include two eligible bulky item collections per year.

Door-to-door service will be provided for no additional charge to residents with disabilities who cannot pull their carts to the curb.

To request door-to-door service due to a disability, fill out a reasonable accommodation request form. Fill out the online form here. 

A downloadable copy of the form is available here. 

Republic will continue to provide alley service. 

Updated 9/10/24: If you received a notice that your service location was changing from alley to curbside, you can ignore it. Continue placing your trash cart in the alley as usual.

Based on the many concerns raised by community members and conversations with City staff, Republic has reassessed the criteria to transition many homes from alley to curbside service. They will now only switch to curbside service in cases where there is a significant safety concern for either the drivers or residents.

In limited cases in which there is a significant safety concern for residents and truck drivers, and Republic officials decide service location must change from the alley to the curbside, you will receive clear information in advance about the new service location.

Yard trimmings collection begins April 1 and ends November 30.

Between November 30 and April 1, yard trimmings carts will not be serviced. 

After November 30, you have lots of options for managing yard trimmings so they will be composted. Learn more here: https://www.fcgov.com/recycling/leaf-recycling.

Alternatively, schedule a bulk pickup with Republic by calling 970-416-2012. Bulk pickups of yard trimmings cost $4 per 32-gallon bag. Please note that the contents of the bags will not be composted. For safety reasons, drivers cannot open bags or sort the materials picked up during bulk pickups.

The program includes weekly yard trimmings collection from April 1 - November 30 each year. Households can opt-out of yard trimmings collection and receive a $5 reduction on their monthly bill. 

Use your yard trimmings cart for leaves, lawn mowing trimmings, garden waste, untreated wood, twigs, and small branches (branches must be less than 3" in diameter and short enough to fit in the cart with the lid closed). Using the yard trimmings cart is an excellent way to divert organic material from the landfill.  

Please do not put any food scraps*, treated wood, or non-organic material into the cart to ensure that material can be composted. 

*Due to a lack of regional food scrap composting infrastructure, food scrap collection is not included in the program. When infrastructure comes available, the contract could be amended to offer this service.

How to use your cart

Place yard trimmings loose inside your cart for curbside collection. Yard trimmings carts are emptied into a truck and delivered directly to a farm for composting. Bags, even paper bags, cannot be processed at the composting facility and are considered contaminants. If a truckload contains too many contaminants, the entire load could be rejected by the farm and sent to the landfill.

Important: Bagged yard trimmings placed outside the cart will not be collected.

Lids must be able to close. Carts will not be serviced if the lid does not close. Extra yard trimmings next to the cart will not be collected. 

If you need extra space, you can request an additional yard trimmings cart for $15 per month. Call Republic at (970) 416-2012 to add this service.

After November 30, yard trimmings cart will not be serviced no matter what. If a yard trimmings cart is filled and placed at the curbside for collection, the driver will place an “Oops Tag” on the cart that states the contents will need to be bagged and placed in the trash cart to be hauled away.

You have two options:

1. Order an additional cart: You can order an additional cart for $15/month by calling 970-416-2012. Yard trimmings collected from carts will be composted.
2. Schedule a bulk pickup: If you have a large amount of yard trimmings, you can request a bulk pickup for $4 per 32-gallon bag by calling 970-416-2012. Yard trimmings collected through bulk pickups will not be composted and will be sent to the landfill. For safety reasons, drivers cannot open bags or sort the materials picked up during bulk pickups.

What will be collected for no additional cost?

The collection of two eligible bulk items a year is included at no cost. An eligible bulk item is one that weighs less than 60 pounds and has no dimension larger than 6 feet. Some examples of eligible items include old vacuums, dining room chairs, luggage, nightstands, card tables, or wicker chairs.

What can be collected for an additional cost?

Larger and/or heavier bulk items can be collected for an additional fee. The price to collect an item is determined on size (does your item have a dimension larger than 6 feet) and weight (does your item weigh more than 60 pounds).

How do I schedule a bulk item pickup? 

Bulk item pickup must be scheduled in advance. To schedule a bulk item pick-up, call Republic at (970)-416-2012. For bulk items that are larger/heavier than those included in the cost of service, a Republic representative will provide you the cost of collection for your item when scheduling pick up.

Where can I find more information?

To find the full printable bulk item guide, please visit www.republicservices.com/fortcollins

Note: All bulk item collections will be taken to the landfill. If your item can be re-used, please help Fort Collins divert material from the landfill by donating items to local thrift stores when possible.

Municipalities in Colorado can legally charge an opt-out fee to anyone who wishes to use a different hauler than the awarded contractor or who wishes to haul their own trash and recycling to the appropriate facilities.

The opt-out fee provides a baseline of predictable revenue for the contracted hauler, allowing for a cost-effective price for the contracted service.

Exceptions: A household may request a variance from the program that will exempt them from contracted services and the opt-out fee. There are two cases in which a household may be granted a variance:

1) Shared Service Variance: Two residences agree to share XS cart service. One residence receives a variance to the program. The other residence receives and is billed for XS cart service, and the two residences decide how to split the cost between themselves. Note: the XS cart service includes a 35-gallon trash container collected every two weeks, weekly recycling collection, and seasonal weekly yard trimmings collection.

2) Excess Waste Variance: Residence regularly generates more trash than the XL (two 95-gallon carts) cart service can accommodate. In this case, the residence receiving the variance could contract dumpster service with the provider of their choosing or haul their own trash and recycling to the appropriate facilities.

The prices for the contracted service include a $1.35 monthly City Administrative Fee to recover the City’s cost of administering the contract (including program roll-out, program management, contract compliance, and customer service). More information on this fee can be found in the Solid Waste Collection Program Administrative Fee Study.

Homeowners Associations, Mobile Home Parks, or Metro Districts that currently have a group account for trash service may continue with a group account under the City program.

Here's how group accounts work: the group account representative will choose a standard trash cart size for their community, either the Small 35-gallon($19.10/month) or Medium 65-gallon ($37.10/month). Republic will bill the group account the cost of the standard cart size for every household in the group. The cost of service may be reflected to residents as part of their dues, or in their lot rent or lease.

In addition to the group account, each household will have an individual Republic account and can choose their own cart size and customize their service to best meet their needs.  

Important to note:

Residents’ individual accounts will be directly billed by Republic for: overflow trash or if a household selects a service level larger than what is paid for by the Group Account. 

A household will receive a credit balance on their individual Republic account if: the household selects a service level less than what is paid for by the Group Account, opts-out, receives a program variance, and uncorrected missed pick-ups. 

When comparing the price of service before the program began with contracted price for service, the contracted service price is lower than the average service price paid by residents before the program began.  

• In the contracted program, price increases are only allowed in certain circumstances and will be predictable and communicated well in advance of any change. 
  • The contract includes a predictable 3% yearly price increase that will be communicated well in advance. Additional price increases will only be allowed in very restricted circumstances (such as new regulations impacting the hauling industry) and must be approved by and negotiated with the City. 
• Residents paid different prices for the same service before the program began.
  • A Trash Bill Analysis of prices paid by Fort Collins residents in 2022 showed a wide variation in prices paid under the current licensed, open-market system. Some residents paid $10-$15 more for the same service from the same company in the same area of town. The contracted program gives all residents access to the same cost-effective rates for service.
• Residents had little control over pricing before the program began.
  • Before the program began, each household negotiated its price with its hauler. If they dislike the price offered, the primary option was to select another company, which may or may not offer a better price.

If you opted-out of yard trimmings, the cost of service was reduced from your rate. A credit does not appear as a separate line item. 

For questions about your service, please call Republic at (970) 416-2012. Republic is the primary service provider for the following topics:

• billing questions,
• updating an address,
• collection day schedule,
• cart delivery or pickup,
• enrolling in service or opting-out,
• changing service including changing the size of your trash cart,
• missed pickups,
• or alley service.

Contact Environmental Services staff at (970) 416-2012 or email contractfortrash@fcgov.com to:

• Ask questions about City policy, including how and and why there is now a contracted program for trash and recycling collection, why there is an opt-out fee, or qualifications for household variances.
• Submit feedback about service provided by the City contractor.

In Fort Collins’ current open market system, customer service is unregulated.

In the contracted program, the hauler will be held to high customer service requirements.

The hauler will face financial penalties if they do not meet metrics such as responding to customers within one business day or if hold times exceed three minutes.

They must also maintain dedicated customer service representatives focused on the Fort Collins program. 

If residents experience issues such as not having their carts not delivered by the next service day or not having a missed collection picked up within one business day of being reported, they will receive a one-month service credit and the hauler would have to pay an additional penalty.

If issues become persistent, the City could exit the contract.

The City of Fort Collins will manage the contract with the selected hauler and provide education and outreach to the community.  

The contracted hauler will conduct billing and provide dedicated customer service representatives for this program.

The contract term is for five years from the service start date. At the end of the contract, the City will conduct a new competitive purchasing process and may or may not switch to a different hauler.

The contracted program includes residential dwellings with seven or fewer units per building within Fort Collins City limits that use cart service (including single-family homes, townhomes, duplexes, mobile home communities and small apartment complexes or condos of up to seven units). 

Households outside of Fort Collins City limits or in the Growth Management Area (GMA) will not be part of the contract.

Homeowners Associations (HOAs) with written contracts for trash and recycling service that were in effect before the City contract was signed on April 28, 2023 were able to apply for an exemption from the City's contract. Households in HOAs that did not apply before December 31st, 2023, or whose exemption application was denied will receive contracted services. To find out if your HOA is exempt, contact your HOA.

Apartment or condo complexes with seven or fewer units per building are included in the contracted program if they are served by trash carts (and not dumpsters). Multi-unit residential properties with eight or more units per building will not be included in the contracted system but can choose to opt-in by contacting the hauler and requesting service.  

Colorado State Law prevents local governments from requiring contracts for trash services for multi-unit or commercial properties, so apartments or condos with eight or more units, businesses, and construction sites would not be part of a contracted system.

Mobile home parks in which every unit has their own cart would be included in the contracted collection program. Mobile home parks that use a dumpster are not part of the contracted collection program.

Households may hire their own company for waste hauling services but will need to pay an opt-out fee of  $11.10/per month. 

The opt-out fee provides a baseline of predictable revenue for the contracted hauler, allowing for a cost-effective price for the contracted service. 

All households included in the program that do not opt-out will receive new, city-branded trash, recycling, and yard trimmings carts.

The contract includes new, city-branded carts for the following reasons:

• Having all new, city-owned carts prevents any company looking to submit a proposal for the City contract from having an advantage in the competitive purchasing process because of carts.
  • For instance, if one company had many carts in the community now and didn’t have to replace them, they might be able to offer a different price than other companies because they don’t have to purchase or deliver carts. To receive multiple competitive proposals and the best pricing for Fort Collins residents now and in the future, the competitive purchasing process is designed to prevent such advantages.
• It provides less change when the next contract starts.
  • Regardless of whether the City is to select a different hauler in the next competitive purchasing process, carts will remain at households. These cost savings can be passed along to residents.
• Fort Collins has received a grant from The Recycling Partnership to offset part of the new cart cost. These savings are passed through to residents and result in a $0.25 / month/household reduction in the rates, reflected in the service prices shared with the community.

Old carts

Republic will pick up their old carts either reuse them in other areas, or recycle them. Republic partnered with Rehrig Pacific, a cart manufacturer that has a well-established buy-back program for carts that have reached the end of use. Rehrig has a network of recyclers that grind old carts down into a size that can be used in the manufacturing process.  This circular economy model diverts old carts from the landfill and re-uses the old cart material by injecting it into the core of new carts for distribution.

Other haulers will collect their carts for no additional charge and reuse them in other areas or recycle them. 

Yes, customers may suspend service for one month or more once per calendar year. During the service suspension, the customer will be charged the XS service rate ($11.10 / month). The customer will not be charged to start or end the service suspension.

In a contracted system, haulers compete for the chance to provide service to all single-family, duplex, and small multifamily homes (with seven or fewer units) in a neighborhood. The contract provides the city the option to obtain curbside collection services at “bulk rate” prices for households. Households that want to use a different hauler can pay an opt-out fee. Communities in Colorado and across the U.S. have found that this type of system reduces the number of trucks in residential neighborhoods, makes prices more consistent, and increases opportunities for recycling and composting.

In addition to a contracted system, there are three other systems cities can use to manage trash and recycling collections for households. 

• Pure Open Market: Each household chooses their own hauler for trash and recycling collection. Local government does not play a role in this system. 
• Open Market with Licensing (system Fort Collins’ used to have): Each household chooses their own licensed hauler for trash and recycling collection. The local government issues the licenses and may include requirements such as offering recycling and compost collection. 
• Contracted System (system Fort Collins moved to): A local government contracts with one or more companies to provide residential trash and recycling collection. 
• City Hauling Utility: A city owns and operates their own hauling utility using city staff, resources and equipment. 

Fort Collins moved to a contracted system for residential trash and recycling collection to increase opportunities for composting and recycling, provide equitable, consistent pricing across the community, and increase safety and reduce emissions by reducing the number of trash trucks on residential streets.  

For a price similar to what residents paid for only trash and every-other-week recycling in 2023, the program includes weekly trash and recycling collection and two additional services: weekly, seasonal yard trimmings collection and two bulky item collections per year.

The project to explore moving to a contracted system began in early 2022, when City staff engaged with community members to understand their goals and risks to avoid in a contracted system and City Council’s goals in a project.  

City staff incorporated that feedback, and staff and outside consultants conducted a competitive purchasing process in mid to late 2022. Waste Management, Republic Services, and Sweetman Sanitation submitted proposals. After reviewing each proposal, City staff moved forward with negotiations with Republic Services as their proposal most closely aligned with the evaluation criteria. City staff then shared the contract with community members and engaged about the contract prior to the Council voting to adopt the contract in late February 2023. 

Materials for each City Council meeting on this topic can be found below: 

• April 12, 2022 work session: What is contracted residential hauling, how it is different from a licensed open market, and initial feedback received from the community 
  • Written materials
    
  • Meeting recording
• July 12, 2022 work session: Discussion of contracted residential hauling program elements
  • Written materials
  • Meeting recording
• July 19, 2022 regular session: Resolution directing the design and issuance of a Request for Proposals for contracted residential hauling 
  • Written materials
  • Meeting recording
• February 21, 2023 regular session: First reading of contract approval
  • Written materials (agenda item #15)
  • Meeting recording
  • (opens in new tab)
• March 7, 2023 regular session: Second reading of contract approval
  • Written materials (agenda item #3)
  • Meeting recording

Read the Current Contract for Residential Solid Waste Collection Services.

• Fewer trucks on the road and only one service day per week per neighborhood 
  • Increases safety, improves air quality and reduces greenhouse gas emissions from fewer trucks operating in neighborhoods. 
• More services for a similar price 
  • For a price similar to what residents paid for only trash and every-other-week recycling in 2023, the contracted hauling program includes weekly trash and recycling collection while adding weekly seasonal yard trimmings and two bulky item collections per year. 
  • The contracted program is the most affordable way to add yard trimmings collection service for community members. 
  • Low-income residents identified the cost of bulky item disposal as a barrier in the current open market licensed hauling system. The contracted program addresses that need by providing $70-$80 worth of bulky item collection for each household each year for no additional charge.  
• Uniform, predictable pricing 
  • All community members will have access to the same service price for the same services. Price increases are only allowed in certain circumstances and will be predictable and communicated well before any change. 
  • A lot of prices paid by Fort Collins residents in 2022 showed a wide variation in prices paid under the current licensed, open-market system. Some residents paid $10-$15 more for the same service from the same company in the same area of town. The contracted program gives all residents access to the same cost-effective rates for service.  
• Customer Service standards 
  • In the open market system, the City cannot regulate customer service from haulers. The contracted program will hold the hauler to high customer service requirements. 
  • The hauler will face financial penalties if they do not meet metrics such as responding to customers within one business day or if hold times exceed three minutes.  
  • The hauler must also maintain dedicated customer service representatives focused on the Fort Collins program. 
  • If residents experience issues such as not having their carts delivered within five business days or not having missed collections picked up within one business day of being reported, the customer will receive a one-month service credit and the hauler will have to pay an additional penalty.
  • If issues become consistent, the City could exit the contract with the hauler. 
  • The City will devote resources specifically to enforcing the contract requirements.

Benefits of weekly recycling include:

• Anticipate recovering an additional 800-2500 tons of recyclables per year (9%-27% increase over current levels)
• Reduce greenhouse gas emissions from solid waste collection by ~3.8%
• Supports the increase in recycling from online shopping and people working from home

Moving to a contracted system is the most affordable way for Fort Collins households to progress on zero waste goals and addresses feedback community members have shared with City Council about frustration with multiple trash companies servicing the same neighborhoods.

The contracted program is the most affordable way to enable actions critical to meeting Fort Collins’ adopted goal to produce zero waste by 2030. 

Fort Collins has identified a stagnant residential trash diversion rate as one of the challenges to progress on that goal. Fort Collins's 2021 Residential Diversion rate was 29%, and the Community Diversion Rate (combining residential, commercial, and industrial materials) was 52%. 

Contracted residential trash and recycling collection aligns with several adopted plans and other Council priorities. Those plans include: 

• Big Move 2: Zero Waste Neighborhoods
• Principle ENV 5: Create a Zero Waste System
• Environmental Health 4.3 Zero Waste

Contracting for single-family home trash, recycling, and compost supports 

• Accelerate Composting: 
  • The proposed program would enable a 78% - 130% increase in yard trimmings composted from Fort Collins residents.
  • Composting is a critical path for meeting climate goals.
  • Food scraps can be addressed in a contract amendment in the future as the options for food waste composting infrastructure becomes clearer. 
• Improve Air Quality:fewer trucks driving along residential roads reduces related air emissions and greenhouse gas emissions.  
• Enhanced Recycling Education:The proposed program would include educational requirements in a contract for residential trash, recycling and compost service. It would also ensure all residents could have access to the same educational resources and programs and many would be provided in Spanish.

The contract for one trash and recycling service provider will decrease the number of heavy trash and recycling trucks on residential roads. A trash truck causes wear and tear on a residential road equivalent to over 1250 passenger vehicles, so multiple haulers operating on a street significantly increase road maintenance costs. 

The contract will provide uniform and transparent pricing for households, set customer service requirements for the waste hauling company, and increase the ability for the City to offer services that reduce waste, like yard trimmings and bulky item collection, for about the same price as households pay for trash and every-other-week recycling only now.  

More than 70% of U.S. cities use either a contracted system or municipal hauling utility. On the Front Range, more than 10 cities have a contracted system for trash and recycling including Commerce City, Dacono, Edgewater, Frederick, Greenwood Village, Golden, Lafayette, Lone Tree, Louisville, Morrison, and Sheridan.