It is Still Illegal to Throw Cardboard Away in Fort Collins

Believe it or not, it is still illegal to throw away cardboard in Fort Collins! Yeah, somehow the City Council managed to slip the cardboard ordinance through. So classes at CSU start on Monday and students are moving into their dorms and apartments. That means lots and lots of empty cardboard boxes.

What to do With Used Cardboard Boxes in Fort Collins

• On-campus residents may recycle their cardboard through CSU.
• Others may take advantage of Fort Collins’s curbside recycling program, in which cardboard and other recyclables are collected curbside as part of trash service at single-family homes.
• Drop off cardboard for free at the City of Fort Collins Drop-off Center, 1702 Riverside Ave., open seven days a week during daylight hours.
• Drop off cardboard for free at the Larimer County Recycling Drop-off Center, 5887 S. Taft Hill Road, open Monday through Saturday, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
• Craigslist can be a good source for reusing cardboard.

Not All Cardboard Can Be Recycled

Dirty cardboard such as food-covered pizza boxes or oil-covered cardboard should be composted or thrown away.

What Happens if We Don't Recycle Cardboad in Fort Collins?

Fort Collins City staff, which include Code Compliance and Environmental Services staff, are responsible for monitoring the cardboard disposal ban. A focus will be placed on education and working with residents/businesses to recycle their cardboard. Writing tickets for code violations will only take place after multiple warnings have been issued.

 

Trash hauling companies have an obligation to identify when a customer's dumpster is frequently filled with cardboard, and to educate the customer about the cardboard disposal ban. Trash haulers are not obligated to provide service when more than 25% recyclable cardboard is included in the trash.