Citywide Recycling Program
Why a Citywide Recycling Program?
As the City makes progress toward reaching our community waste diversion goals, the Community Sustainability Advisory Board (CSAB) is exploring ways to expand access to recycling for all residents and businesses.
Currently, curbside recycling service is provided to subscribers of the City's Pay-As-You-Throw program and to other residents and businesses who pay for recycling services from other waste haulers. The Board often receives input from members of the Golden community who are not able to access recycling services; these include tenants in multi-family areas, businesses who may not currently have room to dedicate to recycling collection or people who may not control the services provided in their building or home.
Universal Recycling Ordinance (URO)
CSAB is researching programs that are commonly used by other communities in Colorado, including the concept of a Universal Recycling Ordinance (URO). A URO program would require all waste haulers operating in Golden to provide recycling services whenever trash services are provided to a residential home or commercial building.
Benefits & Challenges
While the main benefit of a URO is to increase the equity of access to recycling services for all, there are several challenges and concerns that need to be addressed. These challenges include the cost of services that is typically passed on to the customers, outdoor space for recycling storage and collection (sometimes in conflict with needed parking areas) and in some cases, added responsibility and cost for recycling dumpster enclosures.
Proposed Strategies & Community Feedback
The Board is investigating several strategies to address concerns and is soliciting the public's input to help find solutions.
- Survey: Please send us your input through the survey link below, which takes about five minutes to complete. The survey is open to all members of the Golden community, and input from residents of multi-family areas, property managers, businesses and commercial property owners is needed.
- Downtown Recycling District: The Board is looking into a special recycling service for downtown Golden, due to the challenges of limited space and tight alleys for collection. One concept is a daily trash and recycling collection service using a cart system for each business, reducing the need for larger dumpster storage and avoiding longer distances for employees to bring trash and recycling. This concept is outlined in greater detail, below.
- Offset of added costs for new recycling services: The Board would like to consider several different possibilities to offset costs to residents, businesses, and building owners, associated with the recycling service itself or costs for modifications that may be needed to existing dumpster enclosures. The State is expected to roll out its Producer Responsibility Program in 2026, which will provide funds to local communities to offset the costs of recycling services (more detail below). In addition, the Board will consider a grant program for dumpster enclosures.
The Board will be soliciting input through early Fall 2024 and then will consider public comments and research leading up to a recommendation to City Council in late 2024.
Please see more detail below, consider completing the survey at the bottom of this page or email your thoughts and questions to goldensustainability@cityofgolden.net.
Golden's Updated Waste Diversion Goals
In 2019, City Council approved Resolution No. 2656 to update established waste diversion goals for Golden. The next milestone is to reach 80% diversion by 2030.
Goals to Reach by 2030
- Achieve a 80% diversion rate for recyclables and compostables.
- Strive for zero waste in municipal operations
- Reduce total landfill contribution by 40%
Progress To Date
- 2021: The City’s Pay-As-You-Throw waste collection program expanded by adding organics collection to every subscriber household.
- 2022: The City added 50 recycling stations in downtown Golden and along Clear Creek.
The City achieved a 40% diversion rate through these programs in 2023.
Next Steps To Reaching Our Waste Diversion Goals
To further advance diversion, the Community Sustainability Advisory Board (CSAB) is currently evaluating additional diversion strategies. In 2020, a citizen task force of residents, business owners, civic group leaders and interested citizens met to compile input and ideas for the Board to consider. The Waste Task Force identified a high priority to expand recycling access to multi-family and commercial properties. The group reasoned that access to recycling services is an equity issue and that the City should ensure that all residents and businesses receive curbside or dumpster recycling services.
Citywide or Universal Recycling Ordinance (URO)
A URO is a local policy that generally requires commercial entities, including businesses and multifamily housing buildings, to provide access to standard single-stream recycling. Some municipalities pursue more expansive recycling requirements for materials, such as food scraps, yard trimmings, and construction and demolition (C&D) materials. Given the limited processing infrastructure for composting and construction and demolition (C&D) recycled material markets, it may be beneficial for Golden to focus its policy on expanding single-stream recycling access.
Adopting a URO could dramatically increase the City of Golden’s waste diversion rate and reinforce the community’s commitment to sustainability by ensuring that everyone in Golden has access to recycling no matter where they live, work, or recreate.
Local Communities Who Have Adopted a URO
- City of Boulder
- Boulder County
- Longmont
- Denver
- Fort Collins
- Lafayette
- Avon
- Aspen
- Pitkin County
- Breckenridge
- Carbondale
- Durango
- Frisco
- Steamboat Springs
- Vail
New Ideas for Downtown Recycling
Many communities face difficulties with effective waste collection in downtown areas due to tight alley spaces, valuable back-of-house real estate, and the need to coordinate commercial delivery and trash trucks. Golden’s downtown currently uses two systems: recycling collection from public street areas and individual dumpster services by various waste haulers. The Downtown Development Authority (DDA) funds public waste and recycling collections through a contract that uses hand labor to remove materials from stations along Washington Avenue. Downtown building and business owners individually contract for dumpster services, with some businesses sharing dumpsters when possible.
Current Issues and Solutions
The volume of waste in downtown Golden has increased recently, especially during the pandemic when single-use disposable food containers became more common for hygiene reasons. To help businesses better utilize their back-of-house areas for retail or restaurant uses, the City has provided land for central waste collection sites. These sites are designed to accommodate waste from businesses within the immediate block. However, there are challenges:
- Waste Residue: Employees often drag full bags of trash or recycling across alleys to reach central dumpsters, leaving residue behind.
- Overflowing Dumpsters: With more businesses sharing collection areas, it's challenging to schedule enough collection times to prevent dumpsters from overflowing.
Proposed Solution: Downtown Waste Collection District
The Board and City staff are exploring a downtown waste collection district with a single hauler collecting trash and recycling from each business, potentially 7 days per week. This service could offer several advantages:
Efficient Use of Space:
- A regular and daily collection schedule could reduce the space needed for storing waste materials, allowing businesses to use a cart-based system instead of dumpsters, freeing up space for other revenue-generating activities.
Expanded Recycling Services:
- A single hauler program could broaden recycling services for all businesses and residents by reducing the space needed to store materials.
Potential Cost Savings:
- The single hauler approach, though voluntary for businesses, could lower costs due to economies of scale from collecting waste from every building rather than multiple haulers serving fewer buildings.
Reduced Noise and Traffic:
- Daily service scheduled within limited hours (e.g., 8-10 am) would reduce the number of trash trucks in alleys, lower noise levels due to smaller volumes of materials being collected, and potentially use smaller electric collection trucks for even less noise.
Next Steps
City staff will gather cost estimates from potential waste haulers and share possible monthly rates with downtown buildings and businesses to collect input. After public outreach, the Community Sustainability Advisory Board (CSAB) and the Downtown Development Authority (DDA) will review the results this fall and make a recommendation to City Council.
This proposed solution aims to streamline waste collection, reduce costs, and improve the overall efficiency and cleanliness of downtown Golden.
Colorado’s Producer Responsibility for Recycling program
A statewide producer responsibility policy for containers, packaging and paper will provide every Coloradan with convenient, easy access to recycling for common materials such as plastic bottles, aluminum cans, glass bottles, cardboard, and printed paper.
Benefits to Golden
- Providing recycling to all residents at no cost to residents or to the City.
- Expanding recycling to underserved multi-family buildings.
- Reducing the City’s expenses to provide recycling services.
- Reducing greenhouse gas emissions and plastic pollution.
- Retaining Golden’s right to choose their level of involvement in recycling services.
How does it work?
The new policy aims to create a statewide recycling system funded and managed by producers of packaging and printed paper. This includes materials such as cardboard, plastic, metal, and paper.
Key Features of the Policy:
- Producer Responsibility Organization (PRO): Companies will form an independent nonprofit organization to coordinate, fund, and manage the recycling system.
- Membership Dues: Companies will pay dues to the PRO based on the amount and type of packaging they sell in Colorado.
- Consistent Recycling List: The PRO will establish a uniform statewide list of recyclable items.
- Funding and Operations: The PRO will fund private companies and local governments to run recycling collection and processing programs.
- Cost Coverage: The PRO will cover 100% of recycling costs, including consumer education and government oversight.
Benefits & Local Impact:
- Proven Success: Since 2015, Colorado’s paint recycling program, which operates with the same model, has significantly increased recycling rates, provided access to 95% of residents, and saved municipalities thousands of dollars annually.
- City of Golden: The City will continue its municipal recycling contract with a private hauler. The PRO will reimburse the hauler for 100% of recycling costs, ensuring no additional charges for residents. (Note: Reimbursements apply only to recycling, not trash or composting.)
Oversight & Governance:
- Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment: This department will oversee the PRO and set up an advisory board.
- Advisory Board: Composed of local governments, recycling companies, nonprofits, and other key stakeholders, the board will ensure the program meets the needs of Colorado communities and businesses.
This policy would ensure a comprehensive and consistent approach to recycling, benefiting both the environment and the economy.
