Finally, I Can Recycle At Home Again

So I finally have recycling collection at my new home, courtesy of the city of Denver.  But I lived in Denver before this new place, with no pickup…what gives?

Turns out that the city only provides residential pickup for homes with 7 or fewer apartment units.  According to the Denver Recycles website:

Denver Recycles is only authorized to serve residential homes of seven or fewer units, and…not authorized to provide services to commercial properties such as businesses and apartment communities.

I’m not surprised – Denver’s 10.5% recycling rate ranks 26th of the 30 biggest U.S. cities according to a recent Waste News survey.  For some perspective, San Francisco recycles at a 69% rate.  Hey, at least we’re not as bad as Houston, Texas…but pretty damn close.

Granted, these sprawling cities have a more difficult financial case to justify increasing recycling funds.  The additional mileage for collection trucks, inexpensive landfills space, and currently low revenue yields all make a strong statement.  

Solutions on the horizon

The good news is that Denver is taking the mile high road, and working to improve the overall recycling rate and achieve better economies of scale.  In 2005, the city launched single-stream recycling in conjunction with Waste Management, Inc. - which means you throw everything they allow (glass, paper, plastic, aluminum) into one big, purple container.  How lazy can you be NOT to recycle in that case?

Also in line for the city are some promising pilot programs.  Denver has sent postcards to 3,000 residents in test neighborhoods asking them to sign up for a green organics bin, to collect both food and yard composting waste.  Also, a program called “Recycle 8+ in 10” is in progress and designed to test recycling at 40 apartment complexes with 8 or more units.

The key is creating accessibility for all citizens to recycle materials.  This is a key part of the global, long-term effort to conserve natural resources, to reduce pollutants that threaten our health, and to strive toward energy efficiency.  Now where do I sign up for my composting bin?