Expanded Waste Service Proposal
Goal: Increase recycling and composting rates and send less waste to the landfill.
Weekly recycling and composting for all customers
The city currently provides recycling every two weeks, and residents have been requesting weekly recycling for several years. Denver also currently charges for composting, which discourages many from adopting the practice of composting their food scraps and yard waste rather than sending it to the landfill.
With an expansion of recycling and compost collection services, the City and County of Denver is looking to increase our recycling and composting rate, sending less of our waste to the landfill. Denver’s current rate is 26%, well below the national average of 34%. The more waste that ends up in the landfill, the more methane that is produced as that material decays over decades. The production of methane, a powerful greenhouse gas, hampers Denver from reaching its climate action goals, which residents have asked the city to rapidly advance.
Where the City Wants To Go
Offer customers weekly recycling and composting.
Cover the cost of expanded collection services by charging a fee based on trash cart size.
Offer customers a choice in the size of their trash cart and monthly payment.
Encourage customers to put more waste in their recycling and compost carts and reduce what they put in their trash cart.
Increase Denver’s waste diversion rate to 50% or more.
Reduce methane emissions and act on climate change.
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