Boulder County Zero Waste Plan

Boulder County Colorado Government Online

Zero Waste Plan

Boulder County is developing a plan for residents and businesses that will incorporate a countywide strategy for meeting the Zero Waste goals adopted in 2005 for recycling, composting and reducing local demand for hazardous materials.

We're interested in your perspective

Read the draft plan (PDF 1.2MB)

A set of recommendations outlined in the draft Zero Waste plan developed by the county’s Resource Conservation Advisory Board (RCAB) are intended to boost the county’s overall diversion numbers to 70 percent or higher within the next decade and, as the 2005 Zero Waste Resolution intends, to “darn near” Zero Waste by 2025.

By late June, public feedback on the draft plan has included 42 responses to an online survey, 15 direct email responses from individuals and businesses, and in-person input at community meetings held May 26 & 27 in Longmont and Boulder.

Additional public comments may be emailed to Lisa Friend by July 20. The compiled comments will be included as an appendix to the final plan.

Why a Zero Waste Plan?

Boulder County residents and businesses throw away an estimated 250,000 TONS of garbage every year – even after recycling and composting!

This includes an estimated:*

· 25,000 tons of food and yard debris that create methane when they’re buried in landfills

Just ¾ of a ton of garbage. Photo courtesy of the TTF Watershed Partnership in Philadalphia, PA.

· 5,200 tons of paper and cardboard that could be used to make new products

· 5,100 tons of building materials such as hardware, wood flooring and asphalt shingles that could be used locally in new construction and road-building

Photo caption: Waste heap shows just 3/4 of a ton of garbage
(photo courtesy of the TTF Watershed Partnership, Philadelphia)

We need your help

Boulder County is determining the best way to recycle materials, compost organics and reduce local demand for hazardous products. Local residents and businesses need a way to measure progress - to see whether waste is decreasing and whether the local economy is getting a boost from new resources that were once seen as “waste.”

What’s the process?

Members of Boulder County’s Resource Conservation Advisory Board, made up of government, business, and citizen representatives, have studied Zero Waste policies and made recommendations to Boulder County Commissioners since the 2005 resolution was passed. Some of the biggest steps have already been taken:

Single-stream recycling
Pay-As-You-Throw garbage
Home collection of organics

A formal plan will help the Board of County Commissioners decide the most efficient and cost-effective next steps with input from a wider range of county residents and businesses. Three dozen new initiatives are under consideration, and together they promise to increase local waste diversion to nearly 70 percent over the next decade.

How will this affect me?

Residents and businesses in Boulder County are largely supportive of Zero Waste efforts. Homeowners in many areas save money when they use convenient recycling and compost services, and reduce their garbage service costs. More than 50 businesses in Boulder County provide reuse, recycling or composting services.

New policies to recycle and compost more will require some business changes, as will new opportunities for recycling construction waste. The programs will save fuel and conserve resources, however, and will help support local jobs.

If you have questions, please contact the Boulder County sustainability office.

* Figures from Boulder County Zero Waste Program Model, Skumatz Economic Research Associates, 2009