Getting rid of old artificial turf in Larimer and Weld counties: the sand comes out first

01Why does the infill have to come out first?

Because the sand is most of the weight. One infill maker’s chart puts 2.5 to 3.5 pounds of infill on every square foot of a landscape lawn with a 1.5 to 1.75 inch pile (Motz). The turf is far lighter: MSI’s Viridian Turf 91 weighs 91 ounces a square yard, backing included (MSI). For a 500-square-foot lawn:

That is arithmetic on published specs, not a weighed yard, but the point holds: the infill runs about 4 to 5.5 times the weight of the turf. On a sports field the gap is wider still, roughly 40,000 pounds of turf and 400,000 pounds of infill, in figures California’s toxics agency cites (DTSC).

Getting it out:

• Pick a dry stretch. Dry sand shakes loose; after rain or snowmelt it clings to the fibers and weighs more.
• Brush it up. Stand the fibers up with a stiff broom or a rented power broom, then sweep and shovel the loose infill into buckets or heavy contractor bags.
• Beat the pieces. FairWarning described one field-turf reseller hoisting rolls on a forklift and beating them with a broom until the rubber and sand fell out (FairWarning). At yard scale, a cut strip hung over a sawhorse or a fence rail and whacked with a broom does the same job.
• Keep it separate. Infill goes in its own bags or its own trailer load, never rolled up inside the turf.

A tear-out in July or August goes easier at dawn; see how hot artificial turf gets.

02How do you cut and roll old turf for hauling?

In pieces two people can lift.

1. Pull every fastener. One installer’s guide describes the most common method as nails every 4 to 6 inches around the perimeter and every 2 to 3 feet across the field, 5 or 6 inches long (Integriturf). An older lawn may hold hundreds of them, and a nail left behind is a problem for whatever goes on that ground next. Our guide to turf nails and staples shows what you may find.
2. Cut from the back. Fold an edge over and run a utility knife through the backing, following old seams where you can.
3. Go narrow. The same guide says most rolls are made 15 feet wide. Strips a few feet wide roll tighter, fit a pickup bed, and stay light enough to carry.
4. Roll it grass side in so leftover infill stays inside, and tie each roll with twine or tape.
5. Tarp the load. Larimer County charges double for unsecured or uncovered loads at every site (fee schedule).

03Where can old turf go in Larimer County, and what does it cost?

Larimer County’s waste list has no entry for artificial turf. Carpet, the nearest match, goes to the Central Diversion and Transfer Station or the North Landfill (Larimer County A to Z). The county landfill closed August 3, 2026, and disposal moved to that transfer station on West Trilby Road. The North Landfill takes commercial haulers plus people living in and near Wellington, about a 10-mile radius (Larimer County Solid Waste). Outside the Wellington area, Fort Collins and Loveland included, the Trilby Road station is the drop-off.

The 2026 fees, the same at both landfills and the transfer station:

Which row a load of turf lands in is the gate’s call. Rolls still full of sand are dense, and a trailer of bagged infill is denser. Before you load, call the county and ask how it classes rolled turf and a load of used sand.

The North Landfill’s own FAQ says it closes on high-wind days (North Landfill FAQ). Check before you drive north on a windy afternoon.

04What about Weld County?

Weld County’s health department hands out a limited number of Large Item Disposal Vouchers. Each is good for one free trip, through October 31, 2026, to the North Weld Landfill in Ault, the Buffalo Ridge Landfill in Keenesburg, or the Front Range Landfill. A voucher covers one truckload level with the bed rails or one trailer load, each up to one ton, and anything over is billed at the gate. Pick one up at the county’s household hazardous waste facilities in Greeley or Dacono, or at the health department office in Greeley (Weld County).

The county’s examples are mattresses, couches and tables, and it sends questions about acceptable items to each landfill. Call the landfill before you load turf and ask whether the voucher covers it. Mind the weight, too: the 500-square-foot lawn above comes to 1,566 to 2,066 pounds with its sand, right at or over one ton. Shaken out, the turf alone is about 316 pounds.

Around Greeley and the rest of Weld, those landfills are the options on the county’s list. Windsor, Johnstown and Berthoud straddle the county line, so ask the Weld program whether your address qualifies.

05Can old turf be sold, reused or recycled instead?

Reused, sometimes. Recycled, rarely.

Reuse. Turf in decent shape has takers. FairWarning found a niche trade selling pieces of old field turf to homeowners for landscaping, batting cages and dog kennels, and noted that the pieces end up in the dumpster eventually. Fort Collins’s recycling guide has no turf entry; for carpet it points gently used pieces to thrift stores or to Nextdoor, Craigslist and Facebook Marketplace (City of Fort Collins). If you list turf, shake it out, cut it into usable pieces, and describe its age, pile height and any pet use.

Recycling. Thin on the ground, and thinner for one yard:

• The same Fort Collins guide says no local location currently accepts carpet for recycling.
• California’s Department of Toxic Substances Control reports that only about 10% of the world’s worn-out artificial turf was recycled in 2021, and only 15% even in the European Union. In the U.S., demand for turf recycling outpaces capacity.
• Recycling the blades and backing has historically been rare, the same report says, while reusing infill is more common, and newer programs often burn or shred the turf.
• FairWarning reported in 2019 that the technology to separate the grass and backing from the sand and rubber infill wasn’t fully developed in the United States, or was deemed too expensive.
• When Fort Collins and other cities were studying bans on installing artificial turf in 2023, The Colorado Sun listed a lack of recycling options for old artificial grass among the concerns (Colorado Sun).

If anyone offers to recycle your turf, ask where the material goes and whether they take residential pieces with infill still in. The environmental trade-off over turf’s whole life is in is artificial turf bad for the environment.

06What should a replacement quote say about the old turf?

When old turf comes out because new turf is going in, the tear-out belongs in the quote. Ask:

1. Who removes it, and is haul-off in the price? A good answer says yes or no to each.
2. Where does it go? A good answer names the site, such as the Trilby Road transfer station, the North Landfill, North Weld or Buffalo Ridge.
3. What happens to the infill? Shaken out and bagged, or rolled up inside the turf.
4. Do the old nails all come out? Nails left in the base get in the way of the new job.
5. Does the old base stay? A good answer explains why, after looking at it.

More for an installer is in questions to ask a turf installer. New turf still goes through the town’s rules and any HOA review: see turf rules in Northern Colorado and HOA approval. The artificial turf installation page walks through what a new install involves.