Lakewood, CO trash pickup schedule
Lakewood trash and recycling: who collects, how often, how to find your pickup day, and what changes on holidays in 2026.
Population 156,927 (Census 2025 estimate)Last checked Not affiliated with any city, county or hauler.
Contents10 sections
Quick answer
| Who collects | Residents choose a licensed private hauler No city trash or recycling service and no city contract. Residents (or their HOA, or the property manager for apartments) set up service directly with a hauler licensed by the city. The city's licensed-hauler list (PDF, 'provided without endorsement') names about 30 licensed haulers (residential, multifamily, commercial and roll-off); the 2025 Waste Sorting Guide names residential recycling providers Republic, WM, Waste Connections, Summit Waste & Recycling and Crush Disposal. No single citywide schedule.1 |
|---|---|
| How often | Yard waste weekly (subscription organics providers)4 |
| Set out | Do not block street or sidewalk; containers may not stay at the curb more than 48 consecutive hours per week (Lakewood code). Times are set by your hauler.1 |
| Your pickup day | No city schedule; your pickup day is set by your hauler (or HOA contract). Ask the city: lakewoodco.gov1 |
| Holidays | The city publishes a rule, not a dated list: see the holiday rule. |
Bulk items: No curbside bulk pickup (details). Drop-off sites: 2 listed (hours and fees).
Lakewood holiday trash schedule 2026
| City’s rule | Varies by hauler: trash and recycling are not a city service and the city publishes no collection holiday schedule; check your hauler (or HOA).1 |
|---|
No dated list of holidays is published for Lakewood; the holiday delay checker shows the rule above for each upcoming holiday.
Check your own day for the next three holidays with the holiday delay checker, or download a pickup calendar.
Bulk trash pickup in Lakewood
| How it works | No curbside bulk pickup No city bulk pickup. Reusable items: donate or post on marketplaces; otherwise your hauler or a junk removal company picks up for a fee. Dumping bulky waste in alleys or on private property is illegal.5 |
|---|---|
| How to request | Through your hauler or a junk removal company5 |
| Limits | Not published by the city (official page) |
| Fees | Fee set by your hauler or junk removal company (the city does not publish amounts)5 |
| Not accepted | Not published by the city (official page) |
| Illegal dumping | Dumping bulky waste in city alleys or on private property is illegal5 |
| Mattresses | Accepted for a fee at SustainAbility and Spring Back Colorado (pickup available)5 |
Recycling in Lakewood
| Pickup | Not published by the city (official page) |
|---|---|
| Type | Not published by the city (official page) |
| Glass | Varies by hauler (city guide: confirm with your provider); glass bottles and jars accepted free at Quail Street Recycling Center815 |
| Plastics | Rigid plastic bottles and tubs (general area guidance; check your hauler)15 |
| Rules | Clean, empty, dry; do not bag; break down cardboard; print your own hauler's accepted list1 |
Accepted
Programs
- Free curbside recycling (Colorado EPR): the city updated hauler licensing so licensed haulers that offer residential recycling must join the state EPR program and not charge residents for it; rollout expected as early as winter 2026-2027, timing varies by hauler. Haulers are not required to start offering recycling, and residents are not required to recycle.3
- Quail Street Recycling Center: free sorted drop-off recycling for everyone (see dropOff)8
Yard waste, food scraps and seasonal pickups
| Yard waste pickup | No city curbside yard waste. Subscription curbside organics (food scraps + yard waste, weekly, monthly fee) from Compost Colorado for residents; otherwise ask your hauler. City drop-off events in fall.4 |
|---|---|
| Season | Not published by the city (official page) |
| How often | weekly (subscription organics providers)4 |
| Rules | Compost Colorado subscribers request yard waste bags through their portal; minimum number of bags per pickup and fees apply4 |
| Food scraps | Food Scrap Drop-Off Program with Compost Colorado: $5/month, personal access code, nine drop sites in Lakewood (five city sites, one per ward, opened January 2026: Quail Street Recycling Center, Charles Whitlock Rec Center, Lakewood Link Rec Center, Ute Trail Park, Carmody Rec Center). No yard waste in drop-off bins.6 |
| Christmas trees | 2026-27: free drop-off for Lakewood residents Dec. 26, 2026 - Jan. 10, 2027 at the Lakewood Greenhouse, 9556 W. Yale Ave.; remove wire, ornaments, nails and tinsel; no wreaths, garland, limbs or contractor trees. Hours conflict on the page: text says 7 a.m.-3 p.m., event listing says 9 a.m.-3 p.m. Info 720-963-5240.10 |
| Leaf collection | Free leaf drop-off Nov. 7-22, 2026, 9 a.m.-3 p.m. daily (site closes at noon on Fridays), Lakewood Greenhouse, 9556 W. Yale Ave.; leaves only, emptied from bags (no bags, even compostable); proof of residency may be required; no businesses11 |
| Cleanup events |
|
Drop-off sites: landfill, recycling and hazardous waste
Quail Street Recycling Center
| Type | Recycling center |
|---|---|
| Run by | The city |
| Address | 1068 Quail St., Lakewood, CO 80226 (enter northbound on Quail St.) · Map8 |
| Hours | Mon-Sat 10 a.m.-12:45 p.m. and 1:15-4 p.m.; closed New Year's Day, MLK Day, Presidents' Day, Memorial Day, Juneteenth, Independence Day, Labor Day, Veterans Day, Thanksgiving Day, Dec. 24-258 |
| Fees | Free (donations welcome)8 |
| Who can use it | Open to everyone8 |
| Accepts | Sorted, clean, dry cardboard (flat, max 3 x 5 ft), paper, aluminum beverage cans, scrap metal, glass bottles and jars, plastic bottles (see Recycling Guide PDF); load no bigger than a car or small pickup, no trailers; message line 303-987-79748 |
Rooney Road Recycling Center
| Type | Household hazardous waste |
|---|---|
| Run by | jurisdiction-subsidized HHW facility (linked by the city) |
| Address | 151 S. Rooney Road, Golden, CO (city page lists "Lakewood, CO 80401") · Map16 |
| Hours | Wednesdays and Saturdays 8 a.m.-2 p.m., by appointment only (book at rooneyroadrecycling.org)16 |
| Fees | Jefferson County residents with proof of residency: $30 co-pay up to 75 lb, then $2.03/lb; e-waste $1.91/lb; paint, automotive batteries and motor oil free; curbside pickup $4016 |
| Who can use it | Jefferson County residents get the subsidized co-pay; out-of-county $127.6016 |
Item guides: Mattress · Couch and furniture · Appliances · Paint · Batteries · Electronics · Tires · Motor oil · Christmas tree.
Missed pickup and contacts
| Missed pickup form | Not published by the city (official page) |
|---|---|
| Phone | Not published by the city (official page) |
| 311 | Not published by the city (official page) |
| Official website | lakewoodco.gov1 |
| [email protected] (city Zero Waste staff, general questions; not for missed pickups)3 |
Nearby cities
- Arvada, CO9 miles · A private hauler under city contract
- Denver, CO13 miles · The city collects
- Centennial, CO15 miles · Residents choose a licensed private hauler
- Thornton, CO18 miles · The city collects
- Aurora, CO21 miles · Residents choose a licensed private hauler
- Boulder, CO24 miles · Residents choose a licensed private hauler
All Colorado cities: Colorado trash pickup schedules.
Lakewood trash pickup FAQ
What day is trash picked up in Lakewood?
No city schedule; your pickup day is set by your hauler (or HOA contract).
How do I get rid of bulky items in Lakewood?
No curbside bulk pickup. Through your hauler or a junk removal company Fees: Fee set by your hauler or junk removal company (the city does not publish amounts).
Does Lakewood recycle glass?
Glass: Varies by hauler (city guide: confirm with your provider); glass bottles and jars accepted free at Quail Street Recycling Center.
Sources
- 1 Trash and RecyclingCity · lakewoodco.gov · checked October 30, 2026
- 2 Zero Waste and CircularityCity · lakewoodco.gov · checked October 30, 2026
- 3 Free Curbside RecyclingCity · lakewoodco.gov · checked October 30, 2026
- 4 Composting ResourcesCity · lakewoodco.gov · checked October 30, 2026
- 5 Hard to Recycle MaterialsCity · lakewoodco.gov · checked October 30, 2026
- 6 Lakewood Food Scrap Drop-Off ProgramCity · lakewoodco.gov · checked October 30, 2026
- 7 Yard Waste and Pumpkin Recycling EventsCity · lakewoodco.gov · checked October 30, 2026
- 8 Quail Street Recycling CenterCity · lakewoodco.gov · checked October 30, 2026
- 9 Recycling (Public Works)City · lakewoodco.gov · checked October 30, 2026
- 10 Christmas Tree RecyclingCity · lakewoodco.gov · checked October 30, 2026
- 11 Leaf RecyclingCity · lakewoodco.gov · checked October 30, 2026
- 12 Rooney Road Recycling Center (city page)City · lakewoodco.gov · checked October 30, 2026
- 13 Licensed commercial waste haulers master list (PDF)City · lakewoodco.gov · checked October 30, 2026
- 14 Quail Street Recycling Guide (PDF, Rev. 1/24)City · lakewoodco.gov · checked October 30, 2026
- 15 Lakewood Waste Sorting Guide 2025 (PDF)City · lakewoodco.gov · checked October 30, 2026
- 16 Rooney Road Recycling Center: home and pricingHHW facility operator (jurisdiction-subsidized; linked from the city page) · rooneyroadrecycling.org · checked October 30, 2026
- 17 City of Lakewood Holidays (office closures)City · lakewoodco.gov · checked October 30, 2026
- 18 Woody Debris Drop Off ProgramCity · lakewoodco.gov · checked October 30, 2026
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Second-pass verification against every source: October 30, 2026. Not affiliated with any city, county or hauler.