Denver Approves New Environmentally Friendly Waste Collection Program

DENVER, CO —The Denver City Council on Monday approved changes to waste collection in the City and County of Denver that are designed to reduce the amount of trash Denver sends to the landfill and the production of harmful greenhouse gas emissions.

Beginning in 2023, residents will be charged a fee for trash pickup, which varies based on size. Meanwhile, there no longer will be a fee for recycling and compost pickup, which now will take place every week instead of every other week.

The city's composting program collects items such as food scraps, yard debris, weeds and non-recyclable paper, sending them to a facility that turns them into compost, a soil improver that can be used to make yards and gardens more resilient to the effects of climate change.

According to officials, the new program incentivizes recycling and composting by charging based on the size of one's trash cart and the quantity of waste sent to the landfill.

Waste in a landfill decomposes and generates methane, a powerful greenhouse gas that contributes to global warming and climate change, officials said.

"Bold action on climate change cannot wait, and tonight we took an important step to make sure that we are doing everything we can to combat this challenge as a city," said Jolon Clark, Denver District 7 councilman.

According to the city, the fee structure for trash collection is lower than any other municipality in the area. It will cost $9 per month for a small trash cart, $13 per month for a medium trash cart and $21 per month for a large trash cart.

Denver also will offer a rebate program for low-income residents that could cover up to 100 percent of the new fee, officials said.

"Whether it's extreme heat or poor air quality in the city or loss of snow pack in our beloved mountains, the urgency of climate change is on Denver's doorstep and the responsible path is taking every action we can to reverse any impacts we can," said Robin Kniech, at-large councilwoman

Kniech continued: "Today's vote paves the way for aligning our actions with our values: ending subsidies for throwing methane-producing trash in the landfill and centering our new recycling- and composting-first approach in equity with rebates for low- and moderate-income families."

The new program was proposed by Denver's Department of Transportation and Infrastructure (DOTI) and the Office of Climate Action, Sustainability, and Resiliency (CASR), and Adam Phipps, DOTI's executive director, thanked the city council for approving the changes.

"We thank Denver City Council for moving this proposal forward to increase our diversion of trash from the landfill and protect our environment and we're excited to increase customer participation in composting fivefold, going from 30,000 to 180,000 compost customers by the end of 2023," Phipps said.

According to officials, the weekly recycling service will begin in January 2023, with billing to be phased in during the first quarter of 2023. Composting service will be rolled out citywide over the course of that year.

More information about the program will be available on the City of Denver website's Collection Services page.