Northern Colorado residents could be sent to collections over trash service they never signed up for

Nearly a year after a city in northern Colorado created its own trash service program, requiring residents with trash to opt in to their service or pay a fine, those refusing to pay are facing collections. The City of Fort Collins confirmed its contracted provider, Republic Services, has been authorized to seek collections from those who have not paid the opt-out fee.

The city legally created the program in 2024 following a state law passed at the Capitol in Denver, a law that allowed cities to create some utility service programs and then fine those who choose to use other providers. Cities like Lafayette, Golden and Arvada have been doing similar programs longer than Fort Collins.

Since creating the program in Fort Collins, the city says more than 3,175 accounts have refused to pay