In Durango, the city itself picks up your trash and recycling. No private hauler, and no company to call. Houses, duplexes and townhomes inside city limits get a weekly pickup from city trucks on the same day every week. If you live outside the line, or in an apartment, the picture changes, and that is where most of the confusion starts.
How do I find my trash day in Durango?
The city posts a collection calendar tool on its residential collection page. Type in your address and you can view your schedule, print a personalized calendar or sign up for notifications, which beats memorizing a weekday you will forget by January. Not getting service at all, or never started recycling? Call 970-375-5004.
That same number schedules a special pickup if you missed your day because the can was blocked or set out too late. The city charges $12.81 for a missed residential pickup. Rates, container sizes and set-out rules live in our guide to setting up utilities in Durango, so this page sticks to how the system works week to week.
What happens to pickup on holidays?
Collection runs Monday through Friday, and a holiday pushes the rest of that week back by one day. The city's holiday schedule for the rest of 2026 reads like this:
- Veterans Day, Wednesday, Nov. 11: no collection that day. Monday and Tuesday routes run as normal, and Wednesday onward slips one day.
- Thanksgiving, Thursday, Nov. 26: Monday through Wednesday are normal. Thursday and Friday routes slip one day.
- Christmas, Friday, Dec. 25: Monday through Thursday are normal. Friday's route is collected one day later.
What goes in the blue recycling bin?
Durango uses single-stream recycling, which means paper, plastic and metal go in together, loose. The city's accepted list includes newspaper, magazines, cardboard, cartons, plastics numbered 1 through 7 (not hard plastics like toys or flower pots), aluminum cans and steel cans.
The city warns that one wrong item can contaminate your whole container, and a contamination fee can follow. Keep these four out:
- Glass: it does not go in the bin at all
- Plastic bags and wrap: the only bagged item allowed is long-shred paper
- Greasy pizza boxes and takeout containers
- Food scraps, wood, ceramics, diapers and pet waste
Stuck on a weird item? The city's "What Goes Where?" lookup tool settles it.
Where do I take glass and extra recycling?
The Durango Recycle Center is at 710 Tech Center Drive. Glass of every color is free, all hours, every day, through chutes at the drop-off site, and the city says you do not need proof of residency. Take off the lids first.
Other materials follow staffed hours. The Recycle Center page lists Tuesday through Saturday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., with these closures coming up: Nov. 11, Nov. 26 and 27, and Dec. 24 and 25. City residents who pay for recycling can bring extra single-stream for free with a copy of a current utility bill. People outside the city pay $5 per 60 gallons. Large loads stop at 3 p.m., and cardboard has to be cut down to 4 by 4 feet.
Who takes the regular trash, and what about apartments and the county?
Landfill-bound trash from a trip to the dump goes to the Durango Transfer Station at 790 Tech Center Drive, right beside the Recycle Center. It is run by a private contractor, not the city. The city lists hours of 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday and 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, and asks you to call 970-259-2915 for fees.
Apartments and condos are served through the city's commercial collection, so ask your property manager how billing works. Outside city limits, the county says it does not pick up trash. Rural residents haul to a transfer station or hire a private company from the garbage collection category.
When can I put out big items and leaves?
Spring and Fall Cleanup is a separate city program for residents who pay the cleanup fee on their utility bill. The 2026 fall route finished with the Oct. 19 to 22 zone. After that, the city offers a sign-up leaf pickup starting Oct. 23, run through Table to Farm Compost, using paper leaf bags only. The cleanup page has the rules, and the process for big items like mattresses and electronics is covered in our answer on disposing of a mattress or electronics.