How to Choose a Trash Service in Colorado Springs (2026)

If you just moved to Colorado Springs, here’s the thing nobody tells you at closing: the city does not pick up your trash. There’s no municipal service, no assigned hauler, no utility line item. City code (§6.4.103) makes disposal your responsibility, so every household hires a private company — and the companies know most people pick one once and never look again.

That’s good news and bad news. Bad news: it’s on you. Good news: because it’s an open market, you can shop, negotiate, and switch. Here’s how to do it without wasting a Saturday.

Why you have to shop for this

Colorado Springs is one of the larger U.S. cities with a fully open trash market — no franchise zones, no districts, not even hauler licensing (city council looked at it in 2022 and dropped it). The city’s WastelessCOS waste plan, finished in January 2026, focuses on education, not districting, so this system isn’t changing anytime soon.

Practically, that means two houses on the same street can pay very different prices for the same cart. Whoever bothered to compare quotes — or asked for a promo — often pays less.

Who’s actually left in 2026

The market consolidated hard between 2023 and 2026. If you’re going off a neighbor’s recommendation from a few years ago, the company they named may not exist anymore:

• Carefree Disposal and Infinite Disposal are both now Apex Waste Solutions. Carefree’s website literally redirects to Apex.
• HBS Trash sold its residential routes to WM in June 2026. HBS still does roll-off dumpsters, but if you were an HBS trash customer, you’re a WM customer now.
• GFL Environmental sold its Colorado operations to Republic Services back in June 2023. GFL’s old local number now rings Republic.
• SOCO Waste remains independent and family-owned — the notable local holdout.

So your realistic shortlist today: Waste Connections, Republic Services, WM, Apex, and SOCO, with availability varying by neighborhood.

What to actually compare

Almost every hauler here requires a quote. The one exception: Apex posts zone rates on its Infinite Disposal brand page — $23.95/month south of Interquest, $27.95 north (early 2026). Everyone else makes you call, which makes the details below the whole game.

The real monthly price, not the base rate

Ask for the all-in price including every fee and surcharge. This matters more than anything else on this list. Documented examples from mid-2026 research:

• Waste Connections adds floating fuel and material surcharges, environmental/regulatory fees, an admin fee, and a delivery fee on the first bill. Stacked, these can run 20–35% on top of the base rate. There’s a pending class action over the fuel surcharge.
• Republic Services has documented environmental recovery (~18%), fuel recovery, and admin fees, plus a heavy BBB complaint volume from customers who say rate hikes arrived without warning.
• WM has folded its environmental charges into base residential rates since 2023, so its quotes tend to be closer to what you’ll actually pay.
• SOCO publishes its incidental fees, which is refreshing: $1.50 per extra bag, $45 return trip, $35 NSF, $25 reactivation, $3 for a paper statement.

For a sense of what a good rate looks like: Republic’s municipal contract with Manitou Springs runs $66.01 per quarter for trash-only (96-gallon) and $97.28 with recycling for 2025–26 — that’s a negotiated bulk rate, and open-market quotes run higher, but it’s the only verified public benchmark in the region. There’s no verified open-market equivalent, so treat that contract rate as a floor — and any quote that lands far above it as worth pushing back on.

Billing frequency

Billing here is often quarterly, not monthly — Apex bills quarterly, and the Manitou contract is priced per quarter. A quote that sounds cheap may be monthly math on a quarterly invoice — or vice versa. Always convert to a monthly number before comparing.

Cart size and extras

The standard is a 96-gallon cart with weekly pickup. SOCO also offers 65-gallon carts, and includes 2 extra bags per week; Apex includes up to 3. If you live west of I-25, expect a bear-resistant cart requirement (SOCO and Waste Connections both enforce this), which can affect price and cart options.

Contracts and fine print

Ask directly: Is there a term commitment? A cancellation fee? Annual increases? Apex advertises no long-term contract. Waste Connections’ service agreement includes binding arbitration. Manitou’s Republic contract caps annual increases at 5% — your individual quote almost certainly won’t, unless you ask.

Promos

First-month-free offers are common (Apex runs them; SOCO has had promo codes like 1stfree!). They’re nice, but a $10/month difference in the ongoing rate beats a free month within the first year. Negotiate the rate first, then take the promo.

What about recycling?

Colorado’s producer-responsibility law (HB22-1355) starts rolling out in 2026, with producers — not residents — eventually funding curbside recycling. SOCO already lists recycling at $0 under the state program. Expect recycling pricing to keep shifting market-wide over the next couple of years, which is one more reason not to lock into a long contract just to get a recycling bundle.

The short version

1. Get quotes from at least three haulers that serve your address — availability genuinely varies by neighborhood. (You can compare providers by ZIP code right on this site’s homepage, which saves you the phone tree.)
2. Demand the all-in price — monthly or quarterly, however they bill — in writing.
3. Ask about contracts, cancellation fees, and annual increases.
4. Check the bear-cart rule if you’re west of I-25.
5. Set a calendar reminder to re-shop in a year. Rates creep; switchers tend to pay less.

One caveat on all of the above: as of mid-2026, no hauler publishes verified residential rates for Colorado Springs, so any specific dollar figure you see online — outside the Manitou Springs contract — is an estimate until you confirm it by phone.

FAQ

Does Colorado Springs have city trash pickup?

No. There is no municipal trash service. City code makes disposal each occupant’s responsibility, so every household contracts privately with a hauler of their choice.

How much does trash service cost in Colorado Springs?

Only Apex publishes rates ($23.95–27.95/month by zone, per its Infinite Disposal page, early 2026) — every other hauler requires a quote, and at some, stacked fees can add an estimated 20–35% to the base rate. Verified customer reports put SOCO around $33/month with recycling, and the nationals at roughly $45–59/month billed — though retention offers of ~$26/month surface when customers threaten to cancel.

Can I switch trash companies whenever I want?

Usually, yes — there are no city-assigned zones. But check your service agreement first: some haulers use term commitments or cancellation fees, while others (like Apex) advertise no long-term contract.

Do I need a bear-proof trash cart?

If you live west of I-25, some haulers — SOCO and Waste Connections, at minimum — require bear-resistant carts. Ask about it when you get quotes, since it can change your price and cart options.