House cleaning in Lakewood, CO

The city’s steps for starting service are simple. If you have no HOA, or your HOA has no program, the city points you to its list of licensed waste haulers, and it suggests asking neighbors, since one hauler on a street means fewer trucks. Apartment residents should call their property manager, and if the complex does not recycle, the city sends them to the Quail Street Recycling Center, which is free but accepts donations.

The page also gives the code on bins: containers must not block the street or sidewalk on collection day, must come back to the residence in a timely way, and may not stay at the curb more than 48 consecutive hours a week. It tells residents to bag trash but not recyclables, to break down cardboard, and to keep food scraps, diapers, and e-waste out of the recycling cart.

For bulky items, the city’s hard-to-recycle guide says furniture, fixtures, appliances, and lawn equipment that are good enough should be posted for reuse or donated. Items that are not reusable can be picked up for a fee by your waste hauler or a junk removal company, and the guide says dumping bulky waste in city alleys or on private property is illegal. It sends household chemicals and paint to the Rooney Road Recycling Center, and notes that paint can be recycled for free at paint retailers.

The city is also preparing for free curbside recycling. Its page says a state law will shift recycling costs to packaging producers, and that free recycling is expected to start rolling out as early as winter 2026 to 2027, with timing that varies by hauler. The page adds that the city is not part of the relationship between a hauler and its customers, so your own hauler will tell you when it starts.

For rentals, the City Clerk’s Office page says it takes online applications for new short-term rental licenses, that incomplete applications are not accepted, and that an unlicensed short-term rental can be reported with an online complaint form.