Bear-Resistant Trash Carts in Colorado Springs: 2026 Guide

If you live west of I-25 in Colorado Springs, trash day comes with a rule the rest of the city doesn’t have. Black bears come down from the foothills every year looking for easy calories, and an unsecured trash cart is the easiest meal in town. The city decided years ago that the west side has to keep its garbage locked down — and your hauler is part of how that plays out.

Here’s what the rule actually says, which trash companies enforce it, what a bear cart adds to your bill, and the habits that keep bears off your porch either way.

What the city actually requires west of I-25

Since March 1, 2020, everyone in the city’s Bear Management Area — essentially everything inside city limits west of I-25 — has two ways to comply, per the City of Colorado Springs bear ordinance:

Keep your trash in a garage, shed, or other secure enclosure, and only put the cart out between 5 a.m. and 7 p.m. on collection day. Out at dawn, back in by evening. No night-before roll-outs.
Use a bear-resistant container, which is allowed to stay outside anytime.

That’s the whole choice. You don’t have to buy or rent a bear cart if you’re disciplined about the garage-and-collection-day routine. But if your cart lives outside — on the side of the house, at the end of a long driveway — a bear-resistant container is the only legal option.

Violations carry real fines: $100 for the first, $250 for the second, and $500 for the third and beyond. The rule applies to single-family homes, multi-family buildings, and businesses alike.

One thing that doesn’t count: a bungee cord or a brick on the lid of a regular cart. Bears open those in seconds. The ordinance means an actual bear-resistant container with a latching mechanism designed for it.

Which neighborhoods this covers

If you’re west of the interstate and inside Colorado Springs city limits, you’re in. That includes Mountain Shadows, Peregrine, Cedar Heights, Rockrimmon, Kissing Camels, Pleasant Valley, Old Colorado City and the broader Westside, Skyway, the Broadmoor area, and the neighborhoods up toward Cheyenne Cañon — basically anywhere the foothills meet your backyard fence.

Manitou Springs is its own city with its own municipal trash contract (through Republic Services), so the Colorado Springs ordinance doesn’t apply there — Manitou handles bears its own way.

How the haulers handle it

Quick reminder for anyone new to town: Colorado Springs has no city trash service. City code makes disposal your responsibility, so every household hires a private hauler — and each hauler treats the bear zone a little differently:

Waste Connections requires bear carts for customers west of I-25. It’s not optional with them — if you sign up at a westside address, a bear cart is part of the deal.
SOCO Waste offers bear carts west of I-25 alongside its regular 65- and 95-gallon carts, so you can choose one or handle compliance yourself with secure storage.
Republic Services, WM, and Apex Waste Solutions all quote by address. Ask specifically about bear cart availability and cost when you call — none of them publish it.

Also worth knowing in 2026: the market has consolidated hard. Carefree Disposal and Infinite Disposal are now Apex, HBS Trash’s residential routes went to WM in June 2026, and GFL’s Colorado business went to Republic back in 2023. If your hauler’s name changed on you, its bear cart policy and pricing may have changed too — worth a phone call.

If you’re not sure who even serves your street, you can compare providers by ZIP code with the comparison tool on our homepage. It’s the fastest way to see your westside options side by side before you start dialing.

What a bear cart costs

Nobody publishes bear cart pricing in Colorado Springs — like base rates here, it’s quote-only. The best historical reference point: when the ordinance took effect in 2020, local haulers were renting 95-gallon bear carts for roughly $27.50–$30 per month on top of regular service. The market has consolidated heavily since then, so treat that as a dated ballpark — not a current price — and confirm with your hauler.

Two cost notes worth factoring in:

The upcharge stacks on top of everything else. Waste Connections’ documented surcharges (fuel and material, environmental and regulatory, admin fees) can already add 20–35% to a base rate, and a bear cart fee lands on top of that. Get the all-in monthly number in writing before you commit.
The free option is genuinely free. Storing your regular cart in the garage and rolling it out between 5 a.m. and 7 p.m. on pickup day costs nothing and fully complies. The math only favors a bear cart if you can’t (or won’t) do the morning routine — or if your hauler, like Waste Connections, requires one.

Bear-smart habits that actually work

A bear cart isn’t a force field, and plenty of westside residents comply without one. Either way:

Roll out morning-of, not the night before. It’s the law without a bear cart, and it’s the single biggest thing you can do. Bears do most of their raiding overnight.
Freeze the smelly stuff. Meat scraps, fish, melon rinds — keep them in a freezer bag until collection morning.
Don’t stack extra bags next to the cart. Bags on the ground are a bear buffet, and haulers cap how many extra bags are included anyway (SOCO, for example, includes two extra bags a week and charges a verified $1.50 per bag beyond that).
Latch the bear cart properly every time. An unlatched bear cart is just a heavy regular cart.
Rinse the cart occasionally. A capful of ammonia or bleach in a wash-out cuts the odor that draws bears in the first place.
Think beyond trash. Bird feeders, pet food on the porch, and open garage doors at dusk pull bears into the neighborhood just as fast.

FAQ

Do I legally have to buy a bear-resistant cart west of I-25?

No. The city ordinance gives you a choice: keep trash in a garage or secure enclosure and only set it out between 5 a.m. and 7 p.m. on collection day, or use a bear-resistant container, which can stay out anytime. Some haulers, notably Waste Connections, require a bear cart for westside customers regardless.

How much does a bear cart add to my trash bill?

There’s no published 2026 price — it’s quote-only. When the ordinance launched in 2020, rentals ran roughly $27.50–$30 per month on top of base service, but those figures are dated and the market has consolidated since. Ask your hauler for the all-in cost, surcharges included.

What happens if I just leave my regular cart out?

Code enforcement can fine you: $100 for a first violation, $250 for a second, and $500 for each one after that. Going by those dated 2020 rental figures, a second violation alone would put your fines near what a bear cart costs for a full year — but that’s an estimate-based comparison, so run the numbers against your own quote.

Which Colorado Springs haulers offer bear carts?

Waste Connections requires them west of I-25, and SOCO Waste offers bear carts in the same area. Republic, WM, and Apex quote by address, so ask directly. You can compare who serves your ZIP with the tool on our homepage.