Denver Expands Compost Program to Offer Service to Every Neighborhood

There’s no better way to take part in America Recycles Day than by signing up for compost service in Denver! All neighborhoods citywide are now eligible for compost collection service – Denver Public Works has expanded its program this year to help increase Denver’s current recycling and composting rate of 20 percent to 34 percent by 2020.
 
Residents who sign up for the Denver Composts program will receive a large green compost cart and a two-gallon kitchen pail to collect organic material like food, non-recyclable paper and yard debris for composting. Denver Public Works has found that 19 percent of what most residents throw away is food waste, while 17 percent is yard debris.
 
Composting this organic material helps reduce the amount of waste sent to the landfill and prevents greenhouse gas emissions. In addition, composting also helps produce a valuable product that increases overall soil quality.

Denver residents can call 311 to sign up for service for the new routes or go todenvergov.org/compost. Denver Public Works will deliver the compost carts at the end of the month, and then start collection in December.  

The Denver Composts program is a fee-based service and residents have two options for payment: a quarterly payment plan of $29.25 every three months or a one-time payment of $107 for the entire year. (There is a discount for paying annually.)

There are about 176,000 eligible homes in Denver, and currently, about 12,000 of those households participate in the Denver Composts program.

For more information on the Denver Composts program, please visit denvergov.org/compost.

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