What Do I Do With My Trash in Lake County?
Whether you’re visiting or living here, follow these simple steps to properly dispose of your waste in Leadville & Lake County.
Scroll down for more info about how to dispose of:
Quick Tips to Save Money & Reduce Waste
Recycle everything you can (it’s free!)
Separate and clean recyclables—they’re manually sorted
Drop recycling directly at Recycling Center—more likely to wind up where it should
Don’t overfill yellow bags
Placeholder graphic overview
Separate and prepare:
Glass
Tin/steel cans
Aluminum
Cardboard
Plastics #1 and #2
Recycle - FREE!
Rules:
Rinse all items (no food residue)
Remove caps and lids
Flatten cardboard when possible
Lake County Landfill & Recycling Center
1500 Co Rte 6, Leadville, CO 80461
Open Friday–Tuesday, 8 AM – 4 PM
Drop Site Info?
Compost Your Food Scraps
Are you a Lake County Resident?
Bring food scraps to Cloud City Farm for composting.
Sign up for C4 compost program online ($5/month suggested donation).
📍 Location: 440 McWethy Drive.
What about visitors?
Use Official Yellow Bags for Trash
Got waste you can’t recycle or compost?
Lake County visitors and residents are required to purchase official yellow trash bags before disposing of garbage at designated sites. Current rates are $8 for an X gallon bag.
Where to Buy a Yellow Bag
Ace Hardware (link/address, or create Google Map w all relevant sites???)
Saturdays Gas Station
Lake County Public Works
Lake County Landfill
Lake County Visitor Center
Twin Lakes Visitor Center
Mention other options eg Snowy Peaks, WM?
Where to Drop a Yellow Bag
County Road 10 (near the Fire Station in Leadville)
McWethy Drive (near the soccer field)
Lake County Landfill & Recycling Center
Why the Fee?
Lake County operates a self-funded landfill; prepaid bags fund operations and staffing.
Properly Dispose of Special Items
For special items, visit the landfill or check the website.
Some items require special handling (electronics, hazardous waste, bulky items, etc.). *GIVE EXAMPLES*
Why It Matters / Why We Care
Data — Need
Landfill at capacity
ecosystem fragility, mining, headwaters, PFAS
