Contracted Residential Trash and Recycling Collection

Thank you for your question. 

HOAs with contracts for trash and recycling collection that are in place by March 17, 2023 can continue with their existing contracts (as long as the contracts comply with City requirements) or opt into the City’s contract.

In Q2-Q4 of 2022 City staff will check HOA contracts to ensure compliance with City requirements. Contracts out of compliance will have a fixed amount of time to update their contracts or join the City’s contract.

HOAs with contracted collection service will also need to match the same level of yard trimmings collection as the City’s contract provides (including yard trimmings service automatically for residents, but residents may decline the service) by the date the City’s contract starts (September 30, 2024). 

 If HOAs continue their existing contract and are in compliance with City requirements, they/their residents will not have to pay opt-out fees for choosing to continue with their chosen hauler.

Municipalities in Colorado can legally charge an opt-out fee to anyone who wishes to use a different hauler than the awarded contractor or who wishes to haul their own trash and recycling to the appropriate facilities.

The City of Fort Collins will charge an opt-out fee to provide a baseline of predictable revenue for the contracted hauler so that we can negotiate a cost-effective price for the contracted service. Without a guaranteed quantity of residents, the hauler would not be able to provide the same type of lower, volume-based prices enjoyed by many homeowners associations.

There are two possible exceptions (called variances) that the City has included in the proposed ordinance changes needed to move to a contracted system.

Households may submit applications for variances and will be granted the variance if:

1) They are very low trash produces and wish to share the XS (16 gallon) cart service with another household. In this case, one household would apply for the variance; the City would review the application, and once granted, the two households would decide how to split the cost of the XS cart service between themselves. 

2) They regularly have more trash than the XL (two 95-gallon carts) cart service can accommodate. In this case, the household may apply for a variance; the City would review the application and, once granted, could contract dumpster service with the provider of their choosing or haul their own trash and recycling to the appropriate facilities.

Carts can be exchanged when damaged or need to be retired from service. This exchange would be at no cost to the household so long as it is not caused by the household, such as putting hot ashes into a cart and melting it. There will be different size options for recycling and yard trimmings collection carts, but no difference in price with the size selected (only a difference in cost for the selected trash cart size).  Households in the contracted program can expect more detailed information about the available cart sizes and service options in early 2024. Residents will select their preferred trash, recycling, and yard trimmings cart sizes in the first half of 2024, and new, city-branded carts will be delivered in the fall of 2024. 

Bulky-item collection is on-call for up to two bulk item collections in a year. On-call means that when you have something you want to be picked up, you would reach out to the hauler to request the pickup instead of having a set date or week in the year to set out a bulk item. 

Due to a lack of regional food scrap composting infrastructure, food scrap collection and year-round composting is not included in the contract. The contract could be amended to offer this service when infrastructure comes available. 

Households outside of Fort Collins City limits or in the Growth Management Area (GMA) will not be part of the contract. 

Hi Helene,

In the contracted program, price increases would only be allowed in certain circumstances and would be predictable and communicated well in advance of any change.  The contract includes a predictable 3% price increase per year that would be communicated well in advance. Additional price increases would only be allowed in very restricted circumstances (such as new regulations impacting the hauling industry) and would have to be approved by and negotiated with the City.   

Hi Artbcool. I've included the information for the Council Meeting Below. You can check these details within the Council Agenda found here. 

Regular Meeting 6:00 p.m. Tuesday, February 21, 2023 City Council Chambers at City Hall, 300 Laporte Ave, Fort Collins, CO 80521 Zoom Webinar link: https://zoom.us/j/98241416497

The prices listed are a monthly service price.

Hi Nancyg,

Thank you for sharing your thoughts. We are gathering this feedback to present to Council at the February 21 meeting. 

The proposed program reflects feedback from council members and the community by including a variance in our ordinance language for those that generate very little trash to share the XS cart service between two households. This means that you could apply for a variance to allow you and a neighbor to share service for the XS- $11.10/month service. You'd then decide amongst yourselves how to split the cost. 

The Recycling cart will be a large 95-gallon cart. Residents will have the option to request a smaller 65-gallon recycling cart if they would like to OR up to two large 95-gallon carts for no additional cost. There is no cost difference for the different recycling cart sizes or if you have up to two large 95-gallon carts.