Recycling Centers in Colorado: 142 Locations

Recycling in Colorado

Colorado lists 142 recycling centers across 49 cities, including drop-off sites, electronics recyclers, household hazardous waste facilities, and scrap-metal yards. Recycling in Colorado is overseen by the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE). The state recycled or composted roughly 15.7 percent of its municipal solid waste in 2024, well below the national average, which is one reason Colorado passed House Bill 22-1355, the Producer Responsibility Program for Statewide Recycling Act, a packaging extended producer responsibility (EPR) law that is scheduled to roll out in 2026. Colorado does not have a bottle-deposit law.

The heaviest concentration of centers is in the Denver Front Range metro. Denver leads the state with 36 centers, followed by Colorado Springs with 20. Arvada and Sheridan each list 6 centers, while Broomfield, Aurora, Boulder, and Englewood each have 4. Together these Front Range cities account for the majority of the state's recycling infrastructure.

Colorado enforces a meaningful landfill ban on electronics. Under Senate Bill 12-133, the Electronic Recycling Jobs Act (effective July 1, 2013), a broad range of covered devices — televisions, CPUs, monitors, laptops, tablets, DVD players, video game consoles, and any display with a screen larger than four inches — are prohibited from disposal in Colorado landfills. Residents must take these items to an electronics recycler or a designated drop-off event. Appliances and non-hazardous commercial or industrial devices are exempt from the ban. The upcoming EPR packaging program is projected to raise Colorado's paper-and-packaging recycling rate from roughly 25 percent to 58 percent by 2035.

Top Cities by Number of Centers

Denver 36 Colorado Springs 20 Arvada 6 Sheridan 6 Aurora 4 Boulder 4 Broomfield 4 Commerce City 4

All Cities in Colorado

Arvada 6 centers Aspen 1 center Ault 1 center Aurora 4 centers Bailey 1 center Boulder 4 centers Breckenridge 1 center Brighton 1 center Broomfield 4 centers Castle Rock 2 centers Centennial 1 center Colorado Springs 20 centers Commerce City 4 centers Denver 36 centers Dillon 1 center Divide 1 center Durango 1 center Edgewater 1 center Elizabeth 1 center Englewood 4 centers Erie 1 center Estes Park 1 center Fort Collins 2 centers Fountain 1 center Frisco 1 center Glendale 1 center Glenwood Springs 1 center Golden 3 centers Greenwood Village 1 center Gypsum 1 center Henderson 2 centers Idaho Springs 1 center Lafayette 1 center Lakewood 3 centers Leadville 1 center Littleton 2 centers Longmont 3 centers Loveland 2 centers Monte Vista 1 center Nederland 1 center Northglenn 1 center Penrose 1 center Pueblo 1 center Sheridan 6 centers Silverthorne 2 centers Swink 1 center Thornton 1 center Westminster 2 centers Wheat Ridge 2 centers

Recycling in Colorado — FAQ

Does Colorado have a bottle deposit law?

No. Colorado does not have a container-deposit or bottle-bill law. Beverage containers are recycled through local curbside programs and drop-off sites rather than a deposit-return system.

Can I throw electronics in the trash in Colorado?

No. Senate Bill 12-133 (the Electronic Recycling Jobs Act, effective July 1, 2013) bans televisions, computers, monitors, laptops, tablets, DVD players, video game consoles, and displays with screens larger than four inches from Colorado landfills. Bring them to an electronics drop-off site or a collection event.

What is Colorado's recycling rate?

Colorado recycled or composted approximately 15.7 percent of its municipal solid waste in 2024, roughly half the national average. The Front Range region recycled at a slightly higher rate (17.1%) than the rest of the state (13.7%). The state's new packaging EPR law is expected to substantially increase that rate when it rolls out in 2026.

Who regulates recycling in Colorado?

The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE) administers state recycling policy, including the electronics landfill ban and the Producer Responsibility Program for Statewide Recycling. Local counties and municipalities run their own curbside and drop-off programs independently.