Waste Reduction & Circular Economy

The Problem

Denver sends roughly three-quarters of its waste to landfills. As of late 2024, the city’s waste diversion rate (recycling and composting combined) stood at approximately 26%, up only marginally from 23% before the launch of the new waste program (Denverite, 2024). The city’s own target is 50% diversion by 2027, a goal it is nowhere close to reaching. Compare that to San Francisco, which has achieved an 80% diversion rate through mandatory composting and recycling since 2009. Colorado as a whole fares even worse: the statewide diversion rate of 15.7% is roughly half the national average (Eco-Cycle, 2025). Denver is a progressive city with a regressive waste system.

Composting access remains deeply unequal. While Denver launched city-wide opt-in curbside composting in March 2025, only about 73,000 households (roughly a quarter of the city’s population) have signed up for compost carts (Axios Denver, 2025). Composting accounts for just 6% of the waste the city collects. Multifamily buildings with 8+ units are now required to offer composting under the Waste No More ordinance, but enforcement is in its earliest stages and most apartment residents still lack meaningful access. Meanwhile, food waste is the single largest driver of landfill methane: the EPA found that 58% of fugitive methane emissions from municipal landfills come from food waste, which decomposes rapidly and cannot be effectively captured by gas collection systems installed later (EPA, 2023). The Denver Arapahoe Disposal Site, the largest active landfill in Colorado, is now converting methane to renewable natural gas, but preventing organic waste from reaching landfills in the first place would eliminate these emissions at the source.

The burden of Denver’s waste system falls hardest on communities that did not create the problem. Globeville, Elyria-Swansea, and other north Denver neighborhoods sit adjacent to brownfield sites, transfer stations, and legacy contamination from decades of industrial dumping (Conservation Colorado, 2020). Construction and demolition waste accounts for nearly 40% of Denver’s total waste stream, much of it unregulated (Denver CASR, 2024). Single-use plastics continue to pollute waterways and public spaces. Colorado’s statewide plastic bag ban took effect in January 2024, but enforcement has been inconsistent across municipalities (CPR News, 2024). Denver’s disposable bag fee has reduced usage by an estimated 5 million bags per year. A meaningful start, but a fraction of the waste problem.

What Denver Currently Does

Denver’s waste infrastructure has improved in recent years, but significant gaps remain:

• Denver Recycles program: The city provides curbside recycling collection, recently shifted back to twice-monthly pickup after weekly collection added 170,000 vehicle miles per year and 1,200 tons of greenhouse gas emissions with only a 20% increase in material collected (Denverite, 2024).
• Waste No More ordinance: Approved by nearly 71% of Denver voters in 2022, this ordinance requires multifamily buildings (8+ units), commercial properties, food businesses, and events to provide recycling and composting services. Implementing rules were finalized by City Council in September 2025, with enforcement beginning thereafter. Individual residential composting remains opt-in.
• Pay-as-you-throw pricing: Denver now charges up to $21/month for trash carts based on size, while recycling and compost carts are free, a step in the right direction.
• Disposable bag fee: Denver’s 10-cent bag fee, in effect since 2021, has generated $6.2 million in total revenue and reduced bag usage by approximately 5 million bags per year (Denver Post, 2025). Colorado’s statewide plastic bag ban and polystyrene food container ban took effect January 1, 2024.
• Diversion targets: Denver’s Sustainable Resource Management Plan targets 50% diversion by 2027 and 70% by 2032. At 26% diversion, the city is not on track to meet either goal.
• Composting contamination: Spot sampling of Denver’s green compost carts shows contamination rates of just over 1%, a positive sign, though the composting vendor has flagged issues with paper products and broken glass in some loads (Colorado Sun, 2025).

Our Solution

1. Universal Curbside Composting

• Free curbside composting for all Denver residents, single-family and multifamily alike, with no opt-in required
• Commercial composting requirements for all restaurants, grocery stores, and food service businesses
• Community composting sites in every council district, with finished compost available free to residents
• Compost returned to Denver parks, community gardens, and urban farms
• Phased rollout: Year 1 universal single-family service, Year 2 all multifamily buildings, Year 3 full commercial coverage

2. 90% Waste Diversion Target by 2035

• Mandatory recycling for all residential and commercial properties, with no exceptions
• Strengthen pay-as-you-throw pricing: smaller trash bins at lower fees, with a true cost signal that incentivizes reduction and diversion
• Construction and demolition waste diversion requirements: 70% minimum diversion for all permitted projects
• Dedicated mattress and textile recycling programs with convenient drop-off locations
• Quarterly hazardous waste collection events in every council district (current service is insufficient and inaccessible for many residents)

3. Single-Use Waste Bans

• Polystyrene (Styrofoam) ban for all food service citywide. Enforce and expand Colorado’s existing ban with local compliance monitoring
• Full plastic bag ban with a 10-cent paper bag fee (close loopholes in current state law)
• Plastic straws available on request only at all Denver food service establishments
• Reusable container incentive programs for restaurants: city-supported borrow-and-return systems
• All city facilities and city-permitted events: zero single-use plastics

4. Right to Repair

• City ordinance supporting the right to repair electronics and appliances, opposing manufacturer restrictions
• Repair cafes in every council district: volunteer-staffed, free community repair events for electronics, clothing, furniture, and appliances
• City-facilitated tool libraries in every council district: borrow tools instead of buying them
• Tax incentives for local repair businesses to offset commercial lease costs
• Partner with state legislators to advance Colorado right-to-repair legislation

5. Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR)

• Advocate for strong implementation of Colorado’s HB 22-1355 Producer Responsibility Program, which begins collecting fees from producers in January 2026 and aims to increase recycling rates from 25% to 55% by 2035 (CDPHE, 2024)
• City-level EPR pilot for problematic materials not covered by the state program: electronics, mattresses, and textiles
• Packaging reduction requirements for all city vendors, contractors, and concessionaires
• Build a Front Range EPR coalition with Aurora, Lakewood, Boulder, and other Colorado municipalities to push for expanded producer obligations

6. Zero-Waste City Operations

• All city facilities must provide recycling, composting, and reuse, with annual compliance audits
• City events and permitted events: zero-waste standards with compostable serviceware and staffed recycling stations
• City procurement policy: preference for products with minimal, recyclable, or compostable packaging
• Annual waste audit of all city operations with results published publicly
• Denver International Airport: expand the terminal waste diversion pilot to a full airport-wide zero-waste program

7. Water Resilience & Circular Water Infrastructure

Colorado is an arid state getting drier. The Colorado River Basin, which supplies a significant portion of Front Range water through transmountain diversions, faces a structural deficit that climate change is accelerating. Denver Water’s supply is projected to face shortfalls by the 2040s under moderate climate scenarios (Denver Water Climate Adaptation Plan, 2023). A circular economy must include circular water. Waste reduction extends beyond solid waste to treating water as the finite, precious resource it is.

Greywater Reuse

• Legalize and incentivize greywater reuse systems in Denver. Greywater (wastewater from sinks, showers, and laundry, excluding toilets) can be safely reused for landscape irrigation, toilet flushing, and cooling systems, reducing household water consumption by 30-50%.
• Colorado’s greywater regulations (SB 13-181 and subsequent rules) allow limited greywater reuse, but adoption has been minimal due to permitting complexity and lack of incentives. Denver should create a streamlined permitting pathway and rebate program for residential and commercial greywater systems.
• Rebate: $1,000-$3,000 per household for greywater system installation, tiered by system complexity. Funded through Denver Water efficiency program budgets.
• New construction mandate: All new residential construction over 4 units and all new commercial construction must include greywater-ready plumbing (dual piping), adding minimal cost during construction but enabling easy future greywater reuse.
• Cities leading on greywater: San Francisco mandates greywater-ready plumbing in new buildings; Tucson offers rebates and streamlined permits; Australia’s greywater reuse programs have reduced urban water demand by 15-25% in participating municipalities.

Rainwater Harvesting

• Colorado legalized residential rainwater collection in 2016 (HB 16-1005), allowing up to two 55-gallon rain barrels per household. Denver should expand this with incentives and infrastructure:
• Free rain barrel program: one 55-gallon barrel per household, funded through Denver Water partnership
• Community-scale rainwater harvesting at parks, recreation centers, and city facilities for landscape irrigation
• Green infrastructure requirements: all new parking lots over 20 spaces must include permeable surfaces and bioswales for stormwater capture

Water-Efficient Landscaping

• Expand Denver Water’s Xeriscape rebate program: increase rebates from current levels to $3/sq ft for turf-to-xeriscape conversion, up to $6,000 per property
• City-owned properties: convert all non-recreational turf to xeriscape or native plantings within 5 years
• Developer requirements: new residential developments must limit turf to 30% of landscaped area (consistent with Denver Water’s efficiency goals)

Stormwater as Resource

• Integrate stormwater management with the Climate & Environmental Justice green infrastructure program
• Stormwater capture and reuse at city facilities: Denver’s average annual rainfall of 15.6 inches across city-owned property surfaces represents millions of gallons of reusable water currently lost to storm drains
• Constructed wetlands for stormwater treatment in Globeville-Elyria-Swansea, Sun Valley, and other flood-prone neighborhoods, treating environmental justice and water management as one problem, not two

Circular Water Target: Reduce Denver’s per-capita water consumption by 30% by 2035 through greywater reuse, rainwater harvesting, xeriscaping, and efficiency improvements. Denver Water’s current target is a 22% reduction. We should lead, not follow.

International Evidence: Zero Waste Is Achievable

Country/City	Model	Result
San Francisco, USA	Mandatory composting and recycling since 2009. Landfill ban on recyclables and compostables.	80% waste diversion rate, the highest of any major US city.
Kamikatsu, Japan	45-category sorting system, community-driven. Residents bring waste to a single collection center and sort it themselves.	Near-zero waste to landfill. Became a global model for community-based waste elimination.
Ljubljana, Slovenia	Door-to-door collection with pay-as-you-throw pricing. Invested in sorting infrastructure and public education.	Went from 29% to 68% recycling in just 6 years. Named European Green Capital in 2016.
Sweden	National system combining recycling, composting, and waste-to-energy for residuals. Producer responsibility for packaging since 1994.	Only 1% of household waste goes to landfill.
Seoul, South Korea	Volume-based waste fees since 1995. Mandatory food waste recycling with dedicated collection.	95% of food waste is recycled into animal feed, compost, or biogas.

Beyond their environmental benefits, zero-waste systems are powerful job creators. Recycling creates an average of 9 times more jobs per ton than landfilling. Composting creates at least 2 times more jobs than landfilling. Reuse and repair operations create up to 30 times more jobs (Eco-Cycle; Institute for Local Self-Reliance). Investing in a circular economy means investing in Denver’s workforce.

How We Pay For It

• Universal composting: $8-12M/year, partially offset by reduced landfill tipping fees as organic waste is diverted
• Waste diversion infrastructure: $5-8M/year capital investment in sorting facilities, drop-off sites, and collection equipment
• Single-use bans: Revenue-neutral. Enforcement costs are offset by reduced street and waterway cleanup expenses
• Repair cafes and tool libraries: $1-2M/year, largely volunteer-powered with city providing space and coordination
• Water resilience programs: $3-5M/year for greywater rebates, rain barrel distribution, xeriscape conversion, and green infrastructure. Partially offset by reduced water treatment costs and deferred water infrastructure expansion.
• Total estimated cost: $18-27M/year, with significant savings from reduced landfill disposal costs and deferred water infrastructure over time
• Revenue offsets: Pay-as-you-throw pricing optimization generates an estimated $5-10M/year; bag fee revenue ($6.2M cumulative so far) can be redirected to Waste No More implementation; Colorado’s EPR program will begin reimbursing municipalities for recycling costs starting in 2026; Denver Water efficiency program budgets can co-fund water resilience initiatives

Frequently Asked Questions

“Composting is gross and smelly.” Modern curbside composting uses sealed, animal-resistant bins with weekly pickup. Denver’s existing compost program has a contamination rate of just over 1%; residents are using it correctly. Millions of households in cities across the country compost without odor or pest issues. The alternative, rotting food in a landfill generating methane, is the actual gross option.

“This will increase costs for businesses.” Reduced waste means reduced disposal costs. Businesses that divert waste through recycling and composting consistently report lower overall waste management expenses. Denver’s pay-as-you-throw model already rewards waste reduction with lower fees. The Waste No More ordinance includes hardship exemptions for businesses that genuinely cannot afford compliance, and allows creative solutions like food donation to pantries.

“Banning plastic bags is inconvenient.” Denver’s bag fee has already eliminated an estimated 5 million disposable bags per year, and Colorado’s statewide plastic bag ban took effect in 2024. Reusable bags become habit within weeks. Cities and states that have implemented bag restrictions consistently report broad public support after implementation. The brief adjustment period is a small price for cleaner streets, waterways, and neighborhoods.

“90% diversion is unrealistic.” San Francisco achieves 80% today. Ljubljana went from 29% to 68% in six years. Sweden sends only 1% of waste to landfill. Seoul recycles 95% of its food waste. Denver is currently at 26%, so there is enormous room for improvement using proven strategies. The question is not whether 90% is possible, but whether Denver has the political will to implement what other cities have already demonstrated works.

“Why is this a city issue?” Waste management is a core municipal function. Denver controls residential collection, sets licensing requirements for commercial haulers, negotiates disposal contracts, and can establish local standards for recycling and composting. The city already operates the Denver Arapahoe Disposal Site, the largest landfill in Colorado. Denver voters approved the Waste No More ordinance by a 71% margin. Residents have spoken. The city must deliver.

References

• Denverite. (2024). “Denver made a big change to waste pickup. It’s not quite working yet.” Diversion rate data: 23% pre-program, 26% as of October 2024.
• Eco-Cycle and CoPIRG. (2025). “State of Recycling and Composting in Colorado.” Colorado statewide diversion rate of 15.7%.
• Axios Denver. (2025). “How Denver’s composting efforts stack up.” 73,000+ households enrolled, composting at 6% of collected waste.
• U.S. EPA. (2023). “Quantifying Methane Emissions from Landfilled Food Waste.” 58% of fugitive landfill methane from food waste.
• Conservation Colorado. (2020). “Mapping for Environmental Justice in Globeville, Elyria-Swansea.” Legacy contamination and brownfield data.
• Denver Post. (2025). “Denver could use disposable bag fee revenue for Waste No More.” $6.2M total bag fee revenue; 5 million fewer bags per year.
• Colorado DPHE. (2024). Producer Responsibility Program (HB 22-1355) implementation plan. Recycling targets: 41% by 2030, 55% by 2035.
• Eco-Cycle. “Jobs and Economic Benefits of Zero Waste.” Recycling creates 9x more jobs than landfilling per ton of material.
• Denver Water. (2023). Climate Adaptation Plan. Supply projections and conservation targets for Denver’s water system.
• Colorado General Assembly. SB 13-181. Greywater reuse authorization. HB 16-1005. Residential rainwater collection legalization.
• World Economic Forum. (2025). “8 Trends in Urban Housing, Transportation, and Climate Resilience.” Cities scaling greywater reuse and circular water systems.