Denver Recycling Centers & Drop-Off Guide (2026)

Where every material actually goes in Denver — curbside, drop-off, or specialty recycler — plus the fast way to skip the sorting.

Short version: Most everyday recyclables go in your free curbside cart or the Cherry Creek drop-off. Special items — electronics, mattresses, appliances, tires, hazardous waste — each need their own route (mapped below). Don’t want to sort and drive to five places? We haul it all and route it correctly.

Denver’s free curbside recycling & compost

Every Denver household with city trash service gets a purple recycling cart (single-stream) and can opt into a green compost cart — both free. Flatten cardboard, rinse containers, and skip plastic bags. It’s the easiest free option for paper, cardboard, cans, glass, and rigid plastics.

Cherry Creek Recycling & Compost Drop-off

Cherry Creek Recycling & Compost Drop-off — 7699 E Jewell Ave, Denver, CO 80231

Free for Denver residents · single-stream recycling + compost · Tue–Fri 10am–5pm, Sat 9am–3pm · (720) 913-1311. Confirm accepted materials with the city before a special-material run.

Details and any updates are on the City of Denver recycling page.

Where each material actually goes

📦 Cardboard & paper

Flatten and put in the curbside recycling cart, or drop at Cherry Creek. Big move-in pile? See cardboard pickup in Denver.

🖥 Electronics & TVs

It’s illegal to landfill electronics in Colorado. See where to recycle electronics in Denver and broken TV disposal.

🛌 Mattresses & box springs

Not accepted curbside — up to 90% recyclable through specialty recyclers. See mattress disposal in Denver.

🍳 Appliances (fridge, washer, dryer)

Metal is highly recyclable, but Freon units need proper handling. See how to dispose of appliances.

♻ Tires & hazardous waste

Tires and paints/chemicals can’t go in the cart. See tire disposal and hazardous waste drop-off.

💰 Furniture & household goods

If it’s usable, donate it — where to donate furniture in Denver. If not, we recycle or donate 90%+ of what we haul.

Skip the sorting — we route it all

Recycling in Denver means five different destinations for one messy garage. If you’d rather not sort, load, and drive to each one, we’ll pick it all up and route every item to the right recycler, donation center, or transfer station — 90%+ kept out of the landfill, same-day, from $99.

Rather not sort, load, and drive it? We’ll handle it

Same-day across the Denver metro · 90%+ donated or recycled · from $99

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Denver Recycling FAQ

Where can I recycle in Denver?

Denver residents get free single-stream recycling in the purple curbside cart, plus a free drop-off at the Cherry Creek Recycling & Compost Drop-off (7699 E Jewell Ave). Specific materials — electronics, mattresses, appliances, tires, hazardous waste — each have their own route; see the material-by-material guide above.

Is recycling free in Denver?

Curbside recycling and compost are included with Denver trash service, and the Cherry Creek drop-off is free for residents. Special materials like electronics, mattresses, and hazardous waste may have a fee at their drop-off site, or you can have them hauled and routed for you.

How do I recycle a mattress or appliance in Denver?

Those don’t go in the curbside cart. Mattresses are up to 90% recyclable through specialty recyclers — see mattress disposal in Denver. For fridges, washers, and dryers, see how to dispose of appliances. Or we’ll pick them up and route them to the right recycler.

What can go in my Denver recycling cart?

Clean paper, flattened cardboard, cartons, metal cans, glass bottles/jars, and rigid plastics #1–#7. No bagged recyclables, no food waste (that’s the compost cart), no electronics, and no plastic bags. When in doubt, leave it out — one wrong item can contaminate a load.

Related disposal guides

Electronics Mattresses Appliances Tires Hazardous Waste Cardboard