Colorado Springs Recycling Guide 2026: Carts, Costs, EPR

Recycling in Colorado Springs works differently than in most cities, because trash service itself works differently here. There’s no city-run pickup — city code makes disposal each household’s own responsibility, so your recycling comes from whichever private hauler you hire for trash. That means your schedule, your cart, and — for now, at least — your price all depend on which company you pick.

The good news: 2026 is the year recycling here gets simpler — and, if the state’s new producer-funding law works as designed, cheaper, maybe even free. Here’s how it all fits together.

How curbside recycling works in Colorado Springs

Every major residential hauler in town offers curbside recycling as an add-on to trash service, and the setup is nearly identical across companies:

• Trash is picked up weekly. Recycling is picked up every other week. This is the standard across Apex Waste Solutions, Waste Connections, and the other big players.
• You get a separate wheeled cart for recycling — commonly 96 gallons, though cart sizes vary by hauler — big enough that every-other-week pickup works fine for most households.
• It’s single-stream: everything goes in one cart, unsorted. No separating paper from cans.

One wrinkle worth knowing: the provider landscape consolidated hard over the past few years. Carefree Disposal and Infinite Disposal are now part of Apex Waste Solutions. HBS Trash sold its residential routes to WM in June 2026. GFL’s Colorado operations went to Republic Services back in 2023. If your recycling cart still has an old logo on it, that’s why — and it’s a good moment to check whether your inherited rate is still competitive. You can compare every active hauler serving your address with the ZIP-code comparison tool on our homepage.

The big 2026 change: producer-funded recycling (HB22-1355)

This is the part most homeowners haven’t heard about yet, and it matters for your bill.

Colorado passed an extended producer responsibility (EPR) law in 2022 — HB22-1355 — and it moved into active implementation in 2026. In plain terms: the companies that make and sell packaged products (the brands behind all that cardboard and plastic) now fund curbside recycling statewide, through a nonprofit called the Circular Action Alliance. The law’s core promise is recycling at no cost to residents or local governments.

You can already see it happening locally. SOCO Waste, an independent, family-owned hauler in town, lists recycling at $0 under the state program in its customer FAQ. Expect other haulers’ recycling add-on pricing to shift market-wide as the program rolls out.

Why does that matter financially? The only published local benchmark we have is Republic Services’ municipal contract with Manitou Springs for 2025–26: $66.01 per quarter for trash only versus $97.28 per quarter with recycling. That’s roughly a $31-per-quarter difference — about $10 a month — for recycling under a favorable bulk contract, and open-market add-on prices have historically run higher. If EPR does what it’s designed to do, that line item shrinks toward zero.

Practical takeaway: if you’re still paying a separate recycling charge in late 2026, ask your hauler why — and if the answer isn’t satisfying, shop around. (No hauler in Colorado Springs publishes residential rates, so any number you see quoted online, including here, is an estimate until you confirm it by phone. The Manitou contract is the exception.)

What goes in the cart

Single-stream basics are consistent across most haulers:

Yes:

• Paper and flattened cardboard
• Rigid plastic containers — bottles, jugs, and tubs, generally #1–7
• Aluminum and steel/tin cans
• Glass bottles and jars — with some haulers; check yours, as glass acceptance varies

No:

• Plastic bags or bagged recyclables (they jam sorting machinery — keep everything loose)
• Food-soiled items; give containers a quick rinse
• Styrofoam, hoses, electronics, batteries

You don’t need to remove labels, and you don’t need to be perfect — but plastic bags are the one mistake that genuinely gums up the system, so keep them out.

Since accepted materials can differ slightly by company, the definitive list is your own hauler’s website or the sticker on your cart lid.

WastelessCOS: where the city is headed

The city government doesn’t pick up your trash, but it does have a recycling strategy. The WastelessCOS Waste Diversion Action Plan, completed in January 2026, sets a target of 37% waste diversion by 2045 — meaning more than a third of what the city throws away would get recycled or composted instead of landfilled.

For 2026, the plan’s focus is education only. There’s no proposal to create city districts or a municipal service; a city council exploration of hauler licensing back in 2022 went nowhere. So for the foreseeable future, recycling participation in Colorado Springs stays voluntary and hauler-by-hauler — which makes the EPR law’s free-recycling push the biggest practical lever for getting more carts at more curbs.

The bottom line for your wallet

Recycling in Colorado Springs in 2026 comes down to three things:

1. It’s every other week, single-stream, through your trash hauler.
2. It’s getting cheaper — possibly free — as producer funding under HB22-1355 rolls out. SOCO already lists recycling at $0.
3. Nobody publishes prices, so the only way to know you’re not overpaying is to compare. That’s exactly what our homepage tool does: enter your ZIP, see which haulers serve you, and line up what each includes.

If you haven’t looked at your bill since before the wave of acquisitions, this fall is a smart time to do it.

Frequently asked questions

Does Colorado Springs have city-provided recycling?

No. Colorado Springs has no municipal trash or recycling service — city code makes disposal each occupant’s responsibility, and every household subscribes with a private hauler. Recycling comes as an add-on to whichever trash company you choose.

Is curbside recycling free in Colorado Springs now?

It’s getting there. Colorado’s EPR law (HB22-1355) began implementation in 2026 and requires producers — not residents — to fund curbside recycling. SOCO Waste already lists recycling at $0 under the state program. Other haulers’ recycling pricing is expected to shift as the rollout continues, so check your bill and ask if you’re still being charged.

How often is recycling picked up?

Every other week, across the major haulers. Trash is weekly; recycling alternates weeks, commonly in a 96-gallon cart (sizes vary by hauler).

Can I put glass in my recycling cart?

It depends on your hauler — glass acceptance varies by company in Colorado Springs. Check your hauler’s accepted-materials list before tossing bottles and jars in the cart. Everything else in the single-stream basics (paper, cardboard, rigid plastics #1–7, metal cans) is broadly accepted.