Compost service is now available as a free addition to waste collection services across Denver.
About 70,000 households have signed up for the service, which launched in January 2023 as part of Denver’s pay-as-you-throw program. Last November, the city said it would speed the rollout, aiming to increase low composting rates and make progress on Denver’s climate goals.
“About half of what Denver customers currently throw in their trash cart could be placed in their compost bins,” a Department of Transportation and Infrastructure press release stated.
Composting reduces the amount of waste that goes to landfills. Instead, food and yard scraps are sent to a composting facility, where organic materials are decomposed into a nutrient-rich soil amendment.
In November, DOTI officials said only 6 percent of the waste the city receives is from compost bins.
To speed up the compost rollout, DOTI freed up staff and pickup trucks by cutting recycling pickup from weekly to every-other-week — a step backward for the recycling program.
Compost bins come in two sizes. Unlike trash pickup, which became a billable service in 2023, compost bins and pickup come free-of-charge. Compost pickup is weekly.
Denver residents who missed out on the initial rollout of compost bins can sign up online or by calling 311.
