There are six steps to making your building compliant with the Universal Recycling and Composting Ordinance (URCO). Use the compliance checklists, best practices, tips, and tools to give your building a smooth start to these new services. Click 'Next' to get started.
The following steps will guide you through setting up new or adjusting existing services. All items on the checklist are required unless marked as a tip. Tips make the required actions easier and may link to additional resources that are optional to use.
- Get started on time. URCO requirements begin September 1, 2026.
- Buildings are expected to make a good-faith effort to start services as close to this deadline as possible.
- City and County of Denver staff will focus on education and voluntary compliance in the initial rollout of this ordinance.
- Set up the required level of service:
- Recycle: 30% of your weekly pickup volume
- Compost: 10% of your weekly pickup volume
- Get your waste picked up often. Have your trash, recycle, and compost picked up at least every other week.
- Make sure your hauler is licensed. Use licensed waste haulers (see list of approved haulers).
- Keep receipts. Keep weight tickets or receipts for one year to show you followed the requirements and show them during inspections, license renewal, or when asked.
- If self-hauling, choose the right self-haul locations and document where you haul. In a small number of situations, people choose to haul their own waste. If you choose to haul some or all of your recyclable or compostable materials, you must bring the materials to a licensed or registered facility, including:
- Materials recovery facility (also known as a recycling center)
- Composting facility
- Designated transfer station for recyclables or organic materials
The following steps will guide you through setting up your containers and collection areas. All items on the checklist are required unless marked as a tip. Tips make the required actions easier and may link to additional resources that are optional to use.
- Keep trash, recycle, and compost containers grouped together in central collection areas.
- Post a sign. If containers can't be grouped together, post signs showing where the other containers are found.
- Make a system for chutes. If your building uses disposal chutes, create a separate collection system or area for materials that don't go down the chute. Post signs explaining where containers for other materials are found.
Tips for Setting Up Your Collection Area
Setting up your central waste collection area correctly is one of the most important steps when adding new services. Here are some tips to get started:
- Make recycle and compost containers as easy (or easier) to get to as trash containers.
- Put compost containers close to the entrance, so tenants don’t have far to go with heavy containers.
- Label recycle and compost containers clearly with “recycle” and “compost” in English and Spanish.
- Hang up recycle and compost guidelines (images of what can go in each container) on the container where your tenants can easily see them. Replace outdated or damaged guidelines as soon as possible.
- Hang a sign about where tenants can find recycle and compost containers if there isn’t space in the main enclosure, area, or room.
- Keep the waste collection area tidy and address smells and bugs or rodent problems quickly.
The following steps will guide you through labeling your containers and collection areas. All items on the checklist are required unless marked as a tip. Tips make the required actions easier and may link to additional resources that are optional to use.
- Clearly label your containers as "trash", "recycle" and "compost" in English and Spanish.
- Use symbols. Use the universal “chasing arrows” recycling symbol for recycle, an apple core for compost, and a trash can for trash.
- Use colors. Make sure all trash labels are black, recycle labels are blue, and compost labels are green
- Tip: Best practices include color-coding your collection containers as well: black for trash, blue for recycle, and green for compost.
- Hang up guidelines. Post signs on or near your containers showing realistic images of which items are allowed and not allowed. Make sure signs are easy for users to see.
- Tip: Use city-provided sign templates, hauler-provided signs, or design your own. If you design your own, the signs must clearly show whether the container is trash, recycle, or compost and use realistic images of which items are allowed and not allowed.
- Make signs bilingual. If most tenants or residents speak a language other than English or Spanish, you may post signs in that language instead of or alongside Spanish. See sample signs in English and Spanish.
Tips for labelling your containers
Clearly labeled containers help your tenants put their trash, recyclables, and compostables in the right place, avoiding contamination fines for your building. Here is how to label a container correctly:
- Label trash containers with “trash,” “basura,” and a trash can symbol.
- Label recycle containers with “recycle,” “reciclar,” and a “chasing arrows” recycling symbol.
- Label compost containers with “compost,” “compostar,” and an apple core symbol.
The following steps will guide you through how to maintain your containers. All items on the checklist are required unless marked as a tip. Tips make the required actions easier and may link to additional resources that are optional to use.
- Keep containers clean. Clean dirty containers, dumpsters, and compactors regularly to prevent insect and rodent problems. If you share containers with neighboring businesses, everyone has to help keep them clean.
Tips for Cleaning Your Containers
- For smaller indoor containers
- Use warm water and soap and let fully dry.
- Only clean containers when there are no clean dishes or food in the area that could become contaminated.
- For outdoor carts and dumpsters
- Check that your dumpster has a drain. If it doesn’t have a drain, you should consult a professional dumpster cleaning service.
- Wear latex gloves, safety goggles, and cover your mouth and nose to protect your face from contaminated spray.
- Remove any trash, recyclables, or compost from the container.
- Use a pressure washer or hose with a strong sprayer.
- Add a biodegradable soap or cleaner (e.g., castile soap, vinegar).
- Use a long-handled brush or broom to scrub the sides.
- Rinse off the soap and safely dispose of the washing water:
- For carts, empty the washing water into an indoor utility sink or drain.
- For dumpsters, place a container underneath the dumpster drain to catch washing water and dispose of it in an indoor utility sink or drain.
- Alternatively, use a wet vac or pumping device to collect the washing water and dispose of it in an indoor utility sink or drain.
- Do not dump washing water onto outdoor surfaces or let it go down the storm drain.
- Clean the ground or pad underneath the container.
- Some haulers will provide this service as part of your contract. Make sure to ask when setting up services.
The following steps will help you update your tenants following URCO requirements. All items on the checklist are required unless marked as a tip. Tips make the required actions easier and may link to additional resources that are optional to use.
- Post the printed informational notice provided by the City and County of Denver.
- Hand out the notice. Give a copy of the notice to every new tenant.
- Educate tenants and others in your building. Provide tenants, residents, employees, and contractors with information on how to correctly recycle and compost, in Spanish and English, within the time spans listed below:
Situation
|
Deadline
|
| Current tenants, residents, employees and contractors |
By November 30, 2026 |
| New tenants and residents |
Within 30 days after move-in |
| New employees starting work or the start of a contractor’s services |
Within 30 days after starting work or services |
| When there is any change to recycling or compost services that affects sorting practices, especially if there are changes to which materials are accepted |
Within 30 days after any change |
- Make education bilingual. If most tenants or residents speak a language other than English or Spanish, you may share information in that language instead of or alongside Spanish.
- Share information conveniently, for example, in an email, posting it in common areas, during new employee training, or printing flyers.
Household hazardous waste
Many common household items like cleaning products, paints, and lithium batteries are not allowed in the trash, recycle, or compost. Remind tenants to take these items to the appropriate drop-off center. Options are found on Denver’s Household Hazardous Waste website.
The URCO Waste Diversion Plan is a template you submit to the city showing how your building is recycling and composting. While it is listed as the last step, it can be completed sooner in the process.
- Fill out your plan, including:
- Your name or other person responsible for your building
- If you work with a waste hauler:
- Write the waste hauler’s name (or names if you have more than one)
- Your waste hauler’s contact information
- The name of the person on the waste hauling contract (this may be a neighbor if you share services)
- Your waste hauling contract or other document that shows which waste hauling services you have
- Photographs or other documents showing your labeled containers and training, information, and education signs.
- If you are sharing services with another property, provide their contact information and what service the other property provides.
- Fill out the rest of the form and provide any other information requested by city officials.
- If you haul your own trash, recycle, and compost:
- Where you take the materials and how often you take them.
- The disposal company’s (or alternate licensed location’s) name and contact information.
- Weight tickets or receipts provided by the disposal company.
- Photographs or other documents showing your labeled containers, as well as training, information, and education signs.
- Fill out the rest of the form and provide any other information requested by city officials.
- Be ready to show your plan. Keep your Waste Diversion Plan and the waste diversion plan reference number available at your building.
- Update your plan whenever any of these change: waste hauling services, hauler, building operations, or the person responsible for the Waste Diversion Plan.
- Submit/resubmit your plan with your Residential Rental license renewal or upon the city’s request.
Before You Start Your Waste Diversion Plan
If you work with a hauler:
- Take photos of your collection area with the new containers. Make sure you can see all container and collection area signage in the photos.
- Pull up your waste hauling contract so you can copy and paste the hauler’s information and your service details.
If you self-haul:
- Pull up the website of where you haul to so you can easily copy and paste their information.
- Gather recent weight tickets or other receipts that prove you hauled the materials.
To submit a Waste Diversion Plan, you will use Denver’s Permitting and Licensing Center. If you do not have a business license, begin by creating an account under the “Home” tab. If you already have a business license, select “Business Licenses” from the menu and proceed using your business license number.
Submit a Waste Diversion Plan
Having trouble submitting your Waste Diversion Plan? If you experience a technical issue, please try again later. Denver is taking an education-first approach to compliance, providing resources, guidance, and support to help you understand what’s required and get on track.
If your building has a plan for a different way to manage your food waste that doesn’t need compost hauling service, you can share the details of your plan with the city. Fill out and submit a request form for approval 30 days before you are required to start composting and recycling. See more details on other ways to meet requirements:
- Composting at your building: You may be allowed to compost on-site if you follow all of the laws, including environmental, zoning, and odor control laws.
- You must send the city a description and photographs to show how and where you will be composting. You also must share how much material will be composted and show how you are following composting laws and regulations.
- The city may need other information and may need to visit your building to see your composting setup.
- If you have a different innovative way of handling your compost, you can fill out a request form to:
- Describe your innovation
- Estimate how much material the process can handle
- Share other details to help the city understand your plan