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Compost Collection Pilot Program

Organic material like food, soiled paper and yard debris is the single largest item we throw away in our landfill, and it is 100% compostable. Denver's compost collection pilot program was so successful that it will continue in 2012 as a fee-based service program. The base payment for this service is $29.25 per quarter (3 months).

 

Paying participants in the Denver Composts program receive a 65-gallon green composting cart and weekly collection. Organic material such as yard debris, food and soiled paper are all accepted in the program.

 

Find out if your home is eligible for the Composting Collection Program CLICK HERE.

Yard debris: Grass clippings, leaves, plant trimmings, branches (no larger than 4 feet in length and 4 inches in diameter), flowers, houseplants, weeds and garden trimmings.

Soiled Paper: Used paper plates, paper cups, tea bags, coffee filters, paper milk and juice cartons (no foil lined cartons), facial tissue, greasy pizza boxes (non-greasy pizza boxes should go in your recycle cart), microwave popcorn bags, paper ice cream cartons, paper towels, paper napkins, wax paper, waxed cardboard (like waxed produce boxes, not regular corrugated cardboard boxes), tissue paper and paper take-out cartons.

Food: Baked goods, bones, bread, butter and margarine, cake, candy, cereal, cheese, coffee grounds, cookies, corn cobs and husks, dairy products, eggs and eggshells, fish and fish parts, flour, fruits, grains, gravy and sauces, herbs and spices, jams and jellies, mayonnaise, meat and meat products, nuts and nut shells, oatmeal, pasta, peanut butter, pizza, popcorn, poultry, pumpkins, rice, salads, shellfish, sugar, syrup, tea bags, vegetables, watermelon, yogurt and other processed food like left over pizza or burritos, and more.

Other Miscellaneous items: Cotton balls, dryer lint, feathers, hair (pet and human), wooden chopsticks, wooden popsicle sticks and wooden toothpicks.
NO PLASTICS!  The program will strictly prohibit any type of plastic materials, as these are contaminants that prohibit the ability to compost the organic material.
NO GLASS OR METAL!
Due to the wide array of non-organic material it is hard to develop a comprehensive list of unacceptable items. Some examples of unacceptable items are:
  • Plastic items, including plastic bags
  • Styrofoam
  • Glass
  • Metal
  • Cooking oil
  • Diapers
  • Dirt or sand
  • Foil-lined cartons (Typically these are juice boxes for kids or broth and soy milk cartons with plastic spouts. But you should tear the carton to determine if it is foil lined for sure.)
  • Grease
  • Kitty litter
  • Liquids
  • Lumber or construction debris
  • Pet waste
  • Rocks and stones
  • Sod
  • Treated or coated wood
Please do not put paper items that are accepted in your purple recycling cart in your green composting cart. 
Paper that is soiled and can't be recycled should be composted, but all recycleable paper should be recycled. Although some of these items are compostable in small amounts, it is more environmentally beneficial to recycle paper items in your purple cart.
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Sign Up for Composting Collection Program

Find out if your home is eligible for the Composting Collection Program CLICK HERE.

 

Only homes already in existing pilot program areas that have not reached the maximum collection threshold are eligible for this service.

     
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