Other/Miscellaneous Request Template (Appointments; ROW; Code Changes; Zoning Action, etc.)
Date Submitted: 5-30-2022
Requesting Agency: Department of Transportation and Infrastructure
Division:
Subject Matter Expert Name: Jason Gallardo
Email Address: Jason.Gallardo@denvergov.org
Phone Number:
Item Title & Description:
(Do not delete the following instructions)
These appear on the Council meeting agenda. Initially, the requesting agency will enter a 2-3 sentence description. Upon bill filling, the City Attorney’s Office should enter the title above the description (the title should be in bold font).
Both the title and description must be entered between the red “title” and “body” below. Do not at any time delete the red “title” or “body” markers from this template.
title
A bill for an ordinance amending Chapter 48 of the Revised Municipal Code of the City and County of Denver to repeal the fee on composting and implement a volume-based pricing system for trash, including recycling and composting services at no extra charge, to facilitate improved waste diversion and its related environmental benefits.
Amends Chapter 48 of the Denver Revised Municipal Code to repeal the fee on composting and implement a volume-based pricing system for trash, including recycling and composting services at no extra charge, to facilitate improved waste diversion and its related environmental benefits. The Committee approved filing this item at its meeting on 6-7-22.
body
Affected Council District(s) or citywide? Citywide
Executive Summary with Rationale and Impact:
Detailed description of the item and why we are doing it. This can be a separate attachment.
The City and County of Denver services about 180,000 households - specifically, single-family homes and multifamily buildings with seven or fewer units - approximately two-thirds of Denver residences. Large multifamily buildings and all other buildings in Denver contract and pay private providers for their waste hauling.
This bill will authorize Volume-based trash pricing, which means a system wherein fees are assessed in proportion to the amount of trash generated at each eligible property. Fees are set by the size of the trash container selected by the owner or occupant of the eligible property and provided to each eligible property by the city. Denver’s commitment to social equity includes developing one of the most robust affordability programs in the country to assist residents with income limitations. The city currently provides recycling every two weeks and gives an option for compost for a monthly fee. This bill will add weekly recycling and compost services for all eligible residents at no extra cost.
With an expansion of recycling and compost collection services, the City and County of Denver is looking to increase our recycling and composting rate, sending less of our waste to the landfill. Denver’s current rate is 26%, well below the national average of 34%. The more waste that ends up in the landfill, the more methane that is produced as that material decays over decades. The production of methane, a powerful greenhouse gas, hampers Denver from reaching its climate action goals, which residents have asked the city to rapidly advance.
Address/Location (if applicable):
Legal Description (if applicable):
Denver Revised Municipal Code (D.R.M.C.) Citation (if applicable):
Draft Bill Attached?