I realize the composing bin is the green one – I’m kinda pointing at it 🤣
Last year, I became hyper-aware of the waste I produce especially my plastic waste. Clay and I are big on recycling, I try and recycle absolutely everything but to keep our waste even less I knew we need to start composting too. We started about a month ago and so far I love it. It honestly makes me so excited to put something in the compost v.s. the trashcan. I can already tell we are diverting so much waste, the city of Denver estimates we can reduce our waste by up to 75%!
Denver Composting Is Easy
Denver makes composting so so easy. All you have to do is call 311 or 720-913-1311 and ask for a composting bin – while you’re at it you can request a larger recycling bin too! Within a week our composting bin had been dropped off. Inside the bin was a smaller bin to keep in our kitchen. Any and all food gets dumped into here and then dumped right into the composting bin. Get all the details here. And read this 5280 article on the history of Denver composting and where we are today.
Denver Composting started in 2013 and only 13% of Denver households compost. Colorado’s diversion rate is less than 16%, putting us far below the national recycling rate of 32% and behind the state’s goal to reach 28% diversion by 2021.
I hope that from this post you will see how easy it is to compost and start. If you do please let me know in the comments or send me a DM! My goal is to inspire just 5 of you to start!
November 2021 – As of today I know 4 of my friends/followers have started composting, it might not seem like a lot but seriously every little bit counts!
Questions about Denver Composting
When does it get picked up? Composing gets picked up weekly just like trash on the same day as your trash too
Does it smell? The kitchen bin keeps everything sealed up and honestly does not smell at all while close. So keep it closed!
Where does it go? All Denver compost is taken to Al Organics, where they turn our waste into compost to be sold to farmers and gardens. You can also purchase it at your local Ace or during The City of Denver’s Anual Mulch & Compost Giveaway. Details here.
How many does sit cost? $29.99 per quarter (paid quarterly). That’s $117 a year or $9.75 a month or 0.33 a day! So for $117 a year you can divert all of your food scraps and paper towels from the landfill is huge! Yes, while these items would decompose at the landfill they end up producing methane gas rather than being reused as great soil and helping grow more food and trees!
Can you put paper products in the compost? – YES!!! I had no idea! Throws your paper towels and tissues in the compost! Gah the amount of tissue paper I have tossed over the years is unreal. Almost any nonrecyclable paper can be composted. Get the full list here.
How’s Denver doing on composting? – Not so good… for how green and granola people think this city/state is, we are not doing the best job. Get more details in this article. In short, not enough single-family households are composting and the city does not offer to compost to the large majority of multifamily units. With the new environmental sales tax that may change – details here. But YOU can change this! Check out how your neighborhood is doing compared to others.
Private Denver Composting Programs
There are a number of Private composting programs. These have been recommended to me or found via a little googling. If I am missing one you love just let me know!
- Compost Colorado – Serves single-family homes, condos and businesses
- Scraps Mile High – Great for apartment/condo living!
- Denver Compost Collective – Apartment and Condos
- Backyard Composting – You can also just compost yourself! Check out this article on how to
Also, check out Nextdoor – a great way to ask your community for help. There was a post recently on my Nextdoor about composting and recycling that was super informative.
Composting Outside of Denver?
If you live outside Denver check out this post for a list of ways to compost in almost every town/county. FYI Vail resorts is kicking ass at composting and other eco-friendly initiatives – read more here.
Front Range
- Food Power – Colorado Springs
- Front Range Composting – Castle Rock
- Composting Queen – Fort Collins, Wellington, Laporte, & Timnath
- Common Good Composting – Fort Collins, Windsor, Greely Loveland
- Wompost – Woman-owned composting in Aurora, Englewood, Centennial and Greenwood Village
- Sustainability – Recycling – Drop off and pick up in Arvada/Wheat Ridge/North Denver
- Colorado Compost – serves apartments, townhomes, condos, and single-family homes
- Arvada
- Broomfield
- Centennial
- Cherry Hills Village
- Denver
- Edgewater
- Englewood
- Golden
- Greenwood Village
- Highlands Ranch
- Lakewood
- Littleton
- Lone Tree
- Westminster
- Wheat Ridge
Front Range – Drop Off Composting
- Sustainability – Recycling – Arvada
- Scraps Drop off locations – Arvada, Denver (3 locations), Littleton, Central Park, Wheat Ridge
Mountains/Western Slope
- Evergreen Zero Waste – Aspen to Glenwood Springs & Rifle to Vail
- Mountain Waste – Carbondale to Aspen
- Mesa County Composting – Mesa County Drop Off
- Vail Honeywagon – Vail/Walcot
- High Country Conservation (FREE) – Summit County Residence
- Innovative Generation – Yampa Valley
- Table to Farm – Durango
- Growing Organic – Montrose
Take Action
- Start composting! Just call one of these services and get started today, you will regret not doing this sooner as I do
- Tell your representative to expand composting and recycling service in Denver and Colorado
- Educate yourself! Read this report on the state of Recycling and Composting in Colorado
