Denver Recycles is excited to announce that the Denver Composts program is doubling in size in 2015, bringing cart-based composting to double the number of participants! That’s right – with two new routes adding to the two existing routes, the Denver Composts program is now accessible to more neighborhoods and more participants than ever before. Since organic material is the single largest item that is thrown away by Denver households, this expansion will help to keep tons of material out of our landfill (literally, TONS!). While the program is expanding, its growth is slow and compost collection service is not yet offered citywide. To find out if your home is eligible for this fee-based collection service, simply visitDenverGov.org/DenverRecycles, or call 311 (720-913-1311).
Similar to Denver’s recycling program, Denver Composts is a cart-based program. Unlike recycling, however, Denver Composts is fee-based, and Denver residents in eligible compost areas pay a monthly rate of $9.75 for the weekly collection of organic materials. If your household doesn’t generate enough material to fill a green cart each week, consider sharing the service with your neighbors.
Materials collected in the green compost carts include yard debris, food, and non-recyclable paper such as food soiled paper, napkins, and paper towels. The contents of the green compost carts are taken to a commercial processing facility and turned into a soil amendment know as compost.
As the single largest stream of materials thrown away by Denver households, organic materials make up more than 50 percent of what is taken to the landfill. Regardless of whether your home falls within the Denver Composts service area, backyard composting is still a great way for all Denver residents to reduce the amount of organic materials sent to Denver’s landfills. If your home already has backyard composting and you’re eligible for the collection service, the Denver Composts cart is a great supplement, and can take the materials that don’t go in your backyard system. Whether you live in a house or in an apartment, there’s a compost system that can work for your home. Keep an eye out for the 2015 schedule of free Learn to Compost classes offered by Denver Recycles and Denver Urban Gardens. The full list of classes will be available at DenverGov.org/DenverRecycles.