To ensure pickup please have your materials out by 7 a.m. To better serve our customers, we are continually rerouting our trucks to improve route efficiency; consequently, your pickup time may vary.

If your collection day falls on or after the holiday, your pickup will be delayed by one day. For example, Wednesday pickups will happen on Thursday, and Friday pickups will happen on Saturday. The holidays observed by Western are: New Year’s, Memorial Day, July 4th, Labor Day, Thanksgiving, and Christmas (no other holidays affect your schedule). Download collection calendar.

Place the cart(s) in the street against the curb. The arrow on the lid should face the street and the cart handles should face your house. Place the carts at least two feet away from other carts, extra trash, parked cars, fences, trees, mailboxes or any other obstruction.

The Boulder area can experience extreme wind conditions, and it is sometimes hard to prevent your containers from tipping over. On windy days, if possible, wait until the following week to put your materials out; or bag your trash first so that if your can or cart tips over, trash won’t blow around your neighborhood. If you use trashcans and would like to identify them for return to your home, please send us a self-addressed stamped envelope; and we will send you two adhesive address labels you can attach to your can or can lid.

Yes, using twine or other natural rope; no plastic twine or rope. Whether or not you are charged extra for them or other yard waste depends on where you live and your service level. Click here for specifics about what is included in your service level and how to prepare the branches for collection.

You are paying for a set service level, most likely the amount of trash you expect to generate in a typical week. When you exceed this amount, you incur extra charges. In this sense, trash service is like your cell phone service—you pay for so many minutes a month whether or not they are used. The majority of the cost for your service is getting to your home.

Also, our drivers make over 4,000 stops per week.  It would be impossible for them to remember who was and wasn't using their full service each week.

If you live in the city of Boulder, Western is required by the City to charge City residents for extra trash according to the Pay-As-You-Throw ordinance. If you regularly have extra trash, you may want to call our Customer Service Department at 303-444-2037 to see if it would be beneficial for you to increase your level of service. 

We pick up everything from sofas to old TVs—we’re glad to help. Please call us at (303) 444-2037 to schedule the pickup and authorize the charges.

Because of the Freon coolant, they cannot be compacted in our trucks with your other materials. We must take special steps to pick up and process each unit. Call us at 303-444-2037 for pricing and to schedule a pickup. You can also deliver appliances to our Trash and Recycle Center. If you have us do the pick up, make sure to remove refrigerator or freezer doors or tape them shut for safety reasons. Refrigerators and freezers must be empty.

Can I get an extra pickup on a day different than my normal service day?

Yes. Please call us at 303-444-2037 for information regarding the charge for this service. We require 24-hour notice to set up a special collection. Special collections can be scheduled Monday through Friday.

I’m cleaning my garage or yard; how do I get rid of the extra trash?

Here are five of the most popular solutions to your big clean-up problems:

For help determining which option is best for you, call our Customer Service Department at (303) 444-2037. We look forward to helping you with your cleanup project.

What is Western’s service territory?

Western provides trash service to Boulder, Broomfield, Eldorado Springs, Jamestown, Lafayette, Longmont, Louisville, Lyons, Nederland, and the I-25 corridor east of Longmont. Please call us for specifics—not all services are available in all areas.

How long can I, as a new customer, put out move-in boxes and packing materials and have it removed at no charge?

If you live outside the city of Boulder, we will pick up boxes and packing materials during your first two weeks of service at no charge. After two weeks, we will charge for materials in excess of your subscribed service level. The boxes must be empty and flattened. If the boxes are being recycled, the packing materials must be disposed of as trash.

Customers within the city of Boulder may recycle their empty, broken-down, flattened boxes at no charge—put them under the lid of your Mixed Paper cart for the biweekly pickup. Packing materials such as Styrofoam or bubble wrap must be removed and disposed of as trash.

What is hazardous waste?

To learn more about residential hazardous wastes, click here.

To learn more about commercial hazardous wastes, click here.

How do I properly dispose of household hazardous waste?

Anyone who lives anywhere in Boulder or Broomfield County or the Town of Erie can bring their materials, free of charge, to the Boulder County Household Hazardous Waste facility located at Western Disposal’s Trash and Recycle Center. Click here for map and hours. For more information, call their hotline at (303) 441-3800 or

visit their website.

Does Pay-As-You-Throw really produce more recycling?

Yes! Boulder increased its residential recycle rate from 17% in 2001 to 34% in the first year of PAYT rates. Recycling and diversion rates are now 50% residentially and 35% community-wide (includes commercial recycling).

May I exchange my cart for a clean one?

Yes. The first exchange is free; there is a charge for subsequent exchanges. We recommend that you occasionally wash your cart out with soap and a garden hose to keep it clean and odor-free.

How many 32-gallon units make a cubic yard?

6.25 (a cubic yard has 200 gallons).

What is a cubic yard?

To ensure pick up, please have your recyclables and your trash out by 7 a.m.

Click here to access our collection calendar showing what material is collected each week. If you are in doubt, put out both materials; we will pick up the material being collected that week and leave the other for the next week.

Click here to access our recycle guidelines.

No, as they are a contaminate and would need to be removed at the recycle facility.

The value of the recyclable materials delivered to a processing facility is far less than the cost to collect and transport them. To cover the cost of our employees, equipment, fuel, maintenance, insurance, facilities, etc., we must charge for the service. In the city of Boulder, the cost of your recycle collection is included as part of your combined trash and recycling service. The more trash you generate, the more you pay; but recycling is unlimited. The more you recycle, the more you save.

No, your recyclables need to fit in your cart or carts. If this is an infrequent occurrence, try to wait until the next pickup day. If this is a frequent occurrence, you may need a larger cart or another cart—please call us at 303-444-2307. There is no additional charge for more or larger recycling carts.

We can only collect recyclables that are accepted by the Boulder County Recycling Center; and, at this time, they do not accept yogurt tubs or plastic bags in curbside recyclable deliveries.

Western provides trash service to Boulder, Broomfield, Eldorado Springs, Erie, Frederick, Firestone, Jamestown, Lafayette, Longmont, Louisville, Lyons, Nederland, and the I-25 corridor east of Longmont. Please call us for specifics—not all services are available in all areas.

Yes, any container can be made lockable for a one-time setup fee plus a small monthly charge to account for the additional time necessary to empty the container.

Western cannot accept commercially generated hazardous waste. Contact the Colorado Dept. of Public Health and the Environment at (303) 692-3300. Some licensed hazardous waste haulers are found in the Yellow Pages under “Environmental and Ecological Services.”

Yes, we have two styles of recycle bins. The first is a “desk-side box” that fits well under a desk, has the office paper guidelines printed on the back, and is as large as two reams of paper; and the second option is a stackable crate.

Western accepts electronics for recycling at our Trash and Recycle Center.
There is a fee to help cover the costs of processing. Prices will vary according to the quantities and materials dropped off. We will also pick up recyclable electronic equipment for your business for an additional fee.

For pricing and additional information at Western's Trash and Recycle Center, call 303-444-5794.

If you are a large generator of pallets, call a pallet broker in the Yellow Pages to sign up for regular pickups.

At our Trash and Recycle Center, we recycle:
Wood waste (unpainted and untreated)
Plywood
OSB and particle board (nails ok)
Scrap metal
Yard Waste
Cardboard
Mixed paper
Commingled containers
Electronics

Disposal charges may apply.

Cardboard, mixed paper and commingled containers can be dropped off for free. The wood waste and yard waste drop-off facilities at our Trash and Recycle Center are sponsored by the city of Boulder and Boulder County.

Disposal charges apply for scrap metal and electronics.

At your construction site, we can recycle cans and bottles, mixed paper, cardboard, scrap wood, trees and brush, scrap metal, concrete, asphalt and brick. ReSource! has more information on recycling reusable construction materials.

Carpet and carpet pad are not recycled.