Residential Trash, Recycling, and Compost Services Follow-up

Photo: Bales of compacted recyclable material.

The Department of Transportation & Infrastructure’s Solid Waste Management Division fully implemented three recommendations made in the original audit report. The division only partially implemented one other and it has not taken sufficient action to address the risks that five other recommendations sought to resolve. Through its efforts, the division did:

  • Develop a fleet replacement schedule that plans for long-term fleet reliability and regular, staggered replacement of aged trucks.
  • Determine how many staff it needs to ensure continuity of operations and provide the services required by the city’s new volume-based pricing model.
  • Define roles and responsibilities in job descriptions.
  • Document agreements with contractors to provide program support for education and outreach related to the volume-based pricing program.

Graphic showing three fully implemented recommendations, one partial, and five not implemented

Remaining Risks

The recommendations the division did not fully implement present several lingering risks that continue to impact the implementation of the volume-based pricing model. Among them:

  • More than 18 months into the volume-based pricing program, the division still lacks a strategic plan that identifies specific objectives, goals, and needs with a focus on the division’s role to deliver services to residents.
  • The division still does not have complete and finalized policies and procedures to support periodic reporting of operations and other activities, such as controls around finances and levels of service.
  • The division’s new routing system is still not implemented and managers have not approved complete procedures, impacting the division’s ability to design more efficient waste collection routes.
  • Insufficient guidance and training may still be impacting the data the division uses for decision-making and it may also still be giving the division an inaccurate understanding of its response to residents’ requests.
  • The division still lacks the information it needs to assess whether the fees it collects for residents’ trash pickup will be effective at achieving the city’s goal to increase Denver’s waste diversion rate. Additionally, the division has not pursued other suggested actions including a resident satisfaction and service preference survey or an environmental cost analysis.

Auditor's Letter

August 1, 2024

In keeping with generally accepted government auditing standards and Auditor’s Office policy, as authorized by city ordinance, we have a responsibility to monitor and follow up on audit recommendations to ensure city agencies address audit findings through appropriate corrective action and to aid us in planning future audits.

In November 2022, we audited residential trash, recycling, and compost services and found risks involving a lack of strategic guidance and quality data, an aging fleet of waste collection trucks, insufficient staff, and missing elements in the design of the city’s new volume-based pricing program for trash pickup. The Solid Waste Management Division agreed to implement all nine of our recommendations.

We recently followed up and found the division fully implemented only a third of the recommendations. One recommendation was partially implemented, and five — meant to address significant risks — were not implemented.

Although the Department of Transportation & Infrastructure’s Solid Waste Management Division made notable progress, managers did not fully address all the risks associated with our original findings. The division has not followed through on clearly defining its strategies and goals for providing services. As a result, it cannot adequately assess its customer service or how well it is increasing waste diversion behaviors in the Denver households it serves. Consequently, we may revisit these risk areas in future audits to ensure the city takes appropriate corrective action.

We appreciate the leaders and team members in the Department of Transportation & Infrastructure who shared their time and knowledge with us throughout the audit and the follow-up process. Please contact me at 720-913-5000 with any questions.

Denver Auditor's Office

Auditor's Signature
Timothy O'Brien, CPA

Timothy O'Brien Official Headshot

AUDITOR TIMOTHY O'BRIEN, CPA
Denver Auditor

Denver Auditor's Office

201 W. Colfax Ave. #705 Denver, CO 80202
Email: auditor@denvergov.org
Call: 720-913-5000
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