Skip to content

Where Does it Go? Learning Where to Put Your Trash With the New Longmont Waste Services App

The Waste Services Division has also created a phone-based app that provides all the trash, composting and recycling information residents might need.

This content was originally published by the Longmont Observer and is licensed under a Creative Commons license.

The City of Longmont has a website called Service Works! that allows residents to submit questions online about composting, traffic issues, parks and trails, sewer problems and other City services.  It also provides information about trash collection schedules and recycling.  The Waste Services Division has also created a phone-based app that provides all the trash, composting and recycling information residents might need.

Waste Services Phone App Logo
Photo: Waste Services Division

The free Longmont Waste Services app, which is available in both English and Spanish, is personalized to a resident’s address. It provides details of which services (composting, recycling or trash) are being collected each week. It also automatically adjusts for holiday collection schedules.

The app sends notifications either the day before or at a time of the resident’s choosing as a reminder of when and which waste collections are scheduled.  It will also be used to notify residents about “weather events”, which are the rare occasions when collections are canceled or postponed due to bad weather, but Charles Kamenides, the Waste Services Manager, is pleased that this very rarely happens.  It has to be a very severe snowstorm to prevent the trucks from leaving the Airport Road facility each morning.

Another feature of the app is the Waste Wizard that helps residents sort waste properly. If you wonder if something is recyclable, compostable or destined for the trash, just type in the name of the item and the Waste Wizard tells you exactly what to do with it (or, in some cases, it even gives you several options). 

For example, if you enter “sofa”, you will be advised to take the item to the landfill, and there is even a map to show you where it is, as well as opening times.  In addition, the app will also list the free drop-off days at the landfill.  And if you don’t want to make that trip, the app tells you how much the large item collection fee will be.

 “Ultimately, our goal is to help everyone put the right items in the right containers, and this app will simplify the process,” Kamenides said. “Remember, every little bit helps.”  

One thing Waste Services wants to avoid is WishCycling, which is when we think that surely an item is recyclable, but it isn’t.  Then it has to be removed manually at some point in the recycling process. 

Residents’ app calendars will also show the special days for paper shredding, hazardous materials drop-off and leaf collection.

By providing full information to residents about Longmont’s waste services, the Division hopes to not only make the services more efficient but also to educate residents and encourage them to be more aware of their recycling and composting options. 

The national Diversion Rate (waste not put into landfill) is 30%.  Longmont is achieving 35%, while the Colorado State Diversion Rate is much lower at only 12%. 

Waste Services Truck Advertisement Photo: Sheila Conroy

Kamenides hopes that by making Longmont residents more aware of their waste options, the system can be more efficient for everyone. 

Here are some helpful tips to help:

  • Put your bins out by 7 a.m.
  • Don't place compostables and recyclables in plastic bags before placing them in their appropriate bins
  • Place all waste in the bin. Waste outside the bins will not be picked up.

The app is available for both iPhone and Android users. To download the app, simply search “Longmont Waste Services” in the App Store or Google Play Store.  And for any questions left unanswered by the app or Waste Services’ website, residents can call the Customer Service Center at (303)851-8416.