Denver’s Waste No More Ordinance: What It Means for You (2026)

“Waste No More” is Denver’s Universal Recycling & Composting Ordinance. It began as a ballot measure passed by 70% of Denver voters in November 2022; City Council approved the implementing rules in September 2025, with a single effective date of September 1, 2026. The goal: keep recyclables and organic waste (food scraps, food-soiled paper, yard waste) out of the landfill by requiring three-stream collection — trash, recycling, and compost — across most of the city.

Single-family homes and buildings under 8 units aren’t directly covered — but composting is already available to them for free (see below).

Covered properties generally need to:

1. Provide recycling and compost collection alongside trash, in clearly labeled containers
2. Contract with a hauler that collects those streams
3. Educate tenants, staff, or attendees on what goes where (contamination is the #1 problem)
4. Keep it accessible and maintained wherever trash is offered

What counts as compostable organic waste: food scraps (fruit, veg, meat, dairy, bread, coffee grounds), food-soiled paper (napkins, paper towels, pizza boxes), and yard waste (leaves, grass, small branches).

If you manage a building with eight or more units, you should be setting up now. That usually means:

• Bin infrastructure — compost and recycling containers in trash rooms or common areas, with clear signage.
• A hauler contract for organic and recycling collection (costs vary by size and pickup frequency).
• Tenant communication — instructions and signage to keep contamination down.
• Room to fit a third stream — many trash rooms need to be cleared and reorganized to make space.

Need your trash room, storage, or common areas cleared out to fit new composting infrastructure? We handle same-day property cleanouts across Denver metro — call (720) 902-8408.

Food businesses generate the bulk of the city’s organic waste. Complying usually means kitchen composting stations for prep and plate scraping, a dedicated compost container in the dumpster area, and frequent-enough organic pickup to control odor. Many operators use the switch as a chance to deep-clean back-of-house, storage, and alley areas — clearing old equipment and junk before new waste stations go in. We can handle that cleanout same-day.

Single-family homes and buildings of seven or fewer units aren’t required under Waste No More — but Denver’s Pay-As-You-Throw program already includes weekly recycling and composting at no extra charge. You only pay for your trash cart size (roughly $9, $13, or $21/month for a 35, 65, or 95-gallon cart), and the compost cart, kitchen pail, and guide come included. Free drop-off composting sites are available too.

The rollout is driving a wave of cleanouts — property managers clearing storage and trash rooms for new bins, restaurants reorganizing back-of-house, and enclosures being cleared to fit a third container. At Junk Same Day we recycle or donate over 60% of what we haul, so we’ve been living Denver’s new standard since day one. Whether you need a building cleanout or turnkey event waste service, we make compliance one less thing to worry about.