Baked goods, bones, bread, cereal, cheese, coffee grounds, dairy products, eggs & eggshells, fish, fruits, gravy & sauces, meat, nuts, pasta, peanut butter, pizza, poultry, processed foods, rice, salads, sandwiches, spoiled or moldy food, and vegetables
Coffee filters, facial tissue, greasy pizza boxes, paper bags, paper napkins, non-coated paper plates, paper towels, tea bags, small paper items, plain white tissue paper, waxed cardboard, and wax paper
Flowers, grass clippings, houseplants, leaves, plant trimmings, small branches (no larger than 4 feet in length and 4 inches in diameter), and weeds
Pet hair, wooden chopsticks, stir sticks, and popsicle sticks
Contaminates in the compost stream increases the overall processing cost and devalues the marketability of the final product.
*Please note: The materials listed above are only examples of non-accepted items in the Denver Composts program and this list is not intended as an exclusive lists of non-accepted materials.
Compostable material does have a smell. It’s the same stuff you put in your garbage, but now it’s just in a different container. Odor is often caused by too much moisture. You can minimize odor by:
The green composting cart is designed to be pest-resistant with thick plastic and a tight-fitting lid. Compost can attract fruit flies, so be sure to keep the lid closed. If you have problems with bugs and rodents around your trash now, you may experience some problems. If you do not currently have problems with pests, you should not experience any additional problems with your green cart.
It is the resident’s responsibility to clean their cart. A simple rinse with the hose every couple of weeks should keep the cart clean. A great idea for cleaning your green cart is to use a broom to reach the bottom. You may also help keep your cart clean by lining it with newspaper or brown paper yard waste bags.
All branches or limbs placed in compost carts must be no longer than 4 feet in length, no larger than 4 inches in diameter, and no more than 50 pounds per piece.
Logs, stumps, and other larger yard debris are NOT accepted in the Denver Composts Program.
For information on dropping off larger yard debris materials visit Cherry Creek Recycling Drop-off.
Never place any plastic bags in your compost cart.
Plastic is a serious contaminant for composting. At the compost facility, all the compostable material is ground into fine pieces. When plastic is in the mix, we get small pieces of plastic that are hard to remove. Plastic is not compostable and will not break down in the composting process.
Most supermarkets in Denver take back their own bags for recycling, so check with your local store to find out if they accept plastic bags for recycling. Consider using a reusable bag instead. Many stores will give you a 5 cent credit for each bag reused.
Only Brown Paper Bags and BPI Certified Compostable Bags are allowed in the Denver Composts program.
If you choose to buy compostable bags to use in your kitchen pail or green cart, please make sure you purchase the right bags. All bags used for compostables other than plain paper bags, must carry the official BPI logo (Biodegradable Products Institute) . The BPI compostable logo lets the composting collector and processor know that products with this label have been tested to ensure that they will compost quickly, completely, and safely. Of course, newspaper and paper bags are still an easy way to keep composting cleaner and to save you money. Compostable bags may be purchased online and at some Whole Foods stores and Safeway stores. Call your local store in advance to see if they carry them.
Paper materials (such as cardboard, office paper, magazines, newspapers, and cartons) that are accepted in the Denver Recycles program should be recycled instead of composted. Although some of these items are compostable in small amounts, it is significantly more environmentally beneficial to recycle paper items.
Paper that is soiled and can't be recycled should be composted, for example greasy pizza box bottoms, newspaper used to wrap fish, or used paper plates (no plastic-coated plates).
Remember that paper plates, napkins, towels and tissues are NOT accepted for recycling in the purple cart but are accepted in the Denver Composts program.
The organic material collected through the Denver Composts collection program is sent to a commercial composting facility in Keenesburg, Colorado that is run by A1 Organics. There, organic material is ground into fine pieces by an industrial grinder and then composted under controlled conditions.
So materials that you wouldn't normally put in a backyard composting bin, such as meat, bones, processed foods, and soiled paper such paper napkins, can break down quickly in a commercial composting facility and contribute to making quality compost. After composting is complete A1 Organics performs a number of analytical tests on the compost, using an independent laboratory, to ensure the compost is a quality product before selling it.
Denver Recycles encourages you to continue backyard composting if you're already do so. You can still compost lots of materials in your backyard while putting your meat, dairy, grains, and food-soiled paper products, and excess yard waste out for pick-up in your green compost cart.
There are no real environmental benefits to disposing of food waste through the wastewater system. In fact, it requires extra water usage to do so. Also, food waste can be the source of many plumbing problems. Disposing food waste through a garbage disposal increases the likelihood of clogs, especially if the food waste contains unsaturated fats, which solidify at room temperature and can build up inside pipes.
Placing food items in your green compost cart is a better alternative both environmentally, and for your home. Backyard composting is good too, just not for the meat or fat items.
Only specific types of biodegradable products actual break down in the composting process. Products marked “planted-based” or made from plants are not considered truly compostable without the BPI certified compostable logo.
If plastic tableware does not contain a BPI certified logo, please do not put those items in your green compost cart.
Truly paper plates and bowls (non-coated) are compostable. Anything with appearing to have a waxed/plastic coating must be BPI certified. Typically to-go boxes from restaurants are lined with plastic and are not compostable.
The organic material collected through the Denver Composts program is sent to a commercial composting facility in Keenesburg, Colorado that is run by
A1 Organics. There, organic material is ground into fine pieces by an industrial grinder and then composted under controlled conditions, so it can break down quickly and contribute to making quality compost. After composting is complete, A1 Organics performs a number of analytical tests on the compost, using an independent laboratory, to ensure the compost is a quality product before selling it.
Denver Recycles offers bagged and unbagged compost for sale back to Denver Residents at a discounted price each year at the Annual Mulch Giveaway & Compost Sale.
It is now easier than ever to close the compost loop and return finished compost made from the materials collected in Denver’s green compost carts back into your soil. Thanks to our partners at A1 Organics and Ace Hardware, bags of Denver’s Own EcoGro™ Compost are now available for purchase at neighborhood Ace Hardware stores.
The finished compost is also sold to farmers and other retailers. If you are interested in purchasing A1 Organics compost, it can be purchased retail from Pioneer Sand and Gravel locations or other local Class I and II Compost Suppliers.
Denver Composts, a program of the City & County of Denver Public Works Department Solid Waste Management, is only authorized to provide services to residential homes of seven or fewer units and our own municipal facilites. Denver Composts is not authorized to provide services to commercial properties such as businesses and apartment communities.
Compost services are $29.25 per quarter (every three months). During first quarter, a discounted annual payment option of $107 is available for residents who pre-pay for service January-December.
The majority of participants choose to pay online. It saves money, paper and time! After you receive an invoice in the mail, you can submit a payment online at DenverGov.org/CompostPayment.
Quarterly schedule is as follows: 1st Quarter is January to March; 2nd Quarter is April to June; 3rd Quarter is July to September; and 4th Quarter is October to December. The $107.00 Discounted annual payment option is available for accounts with services January through December only.
Please note, if services are cancelled for non-payment the resident is responsible for contacting Solid Waste Manage to notify of payments submitted and arranging for services to be restored.
Invoices are only mailed to the physical service address. The current billing system for the Denver Composts program does not allow for invoices to be sent to secondary mailing addresses or sent by email.
Compost payment made on credit cards show up as "CITY&CTYOFDENVERONLINE 720-913-9306 CO"
Residents may submit their compost payments online by credit card (Visa, MasterCard, or Discover) or mail in payments by check. Autopayments are NOT currently available for the compost collection program.
The highest rate of compost payment errors generally occurs when residents improperly set up payment through the online Bill Pay system with their banking institution. When a payment is made through your bank’s Bill Pay system, the payment is NOT sent electronically to the City. Instead, the bank prints a check and sends it out in the mail. These checks arrive without the payment slip, so any incorrect information can result in the payment getting misdirected or improperly processed. When this occurs, Denver Solid Waste Management records might not show that any payment has been received. Please make sure your Bill Pay is set up with the correct mailing address (below), the account number, the correct payment amount, and made payable to "Manager of Finance."
**UPDATE: NEW MAILING ADDRESS**
To Pay By Mail (Check):
Denver Solid Waste Management
P.O. Box 734145
Dallas, TX 75373-4145
**A $50 fee will be applied to bounced checks and then sent to the City’s collection agency.
Please be sure to contact Solid Waste Management prior to moving to update your account status. Outdated account information could result in you continuing to be billed for services, payments made under the wrong account number or lost compost carts.
If you are moving to a new address within Denver, your account and payments can easily be transferred to the new address by contacting Solid Waste Management.
Please let us know if you are able to take the cart with you in the move! That's the best way for you to receive continuous service and for us to keep track of our carts.
If you are moving out of town or just want to cancel compost serves, please contact Solid Waste Management to close out your account.
Contact Solid Waste Management at 311 (720-913-1311) or Pocketgov.com.
If your compost services have been cancelled and you wish to restore services, please contact Solid Waste Management at 311 (720-913-1311) or Pocketgov.com.
Please note, if services are cancelled for non-payment the resident is responsible for contacting Solid Waste Manage to notify of payments submitted and arranging for services to be restored.
When enrolling for compost collection service the resident hereby agrees to pay quarterly payments of $29.25; understands that no part of the service fee is guaranteed to be refunded when services are cancelled for any reason; agrees to contact the City & County of Denver prior to cancelling or transferring services; acknowledges that the green compost cart remains the property of the City and County of Denver; and acknowledges that the green compost cart may be removed for failure to make service payments or if its use is deemed inappropriate by the City & County of Denver.
Your compost account number will appear on your mailed invoice.
To look up your compost account number online visit Your Pickup Schedule, enter your home address, and look for your account number in the gray box area just above the blue “Get a Reminder!” button.
If you are unable to determine your compost account number, please 311 (720-913-1311).