Fort Collins, Greeley move to eliminate waste

Fort Collins and Greeley have taken important steps recently in recycling and reducing waste.

An effort to encourage Fort Collins residents to compost yard and organic waste has been launched by the city’s Natural Resources Department.

“City council wants to divert 70 percent to 80 percent of the compostable waste stream,´ said Susie Gordon, environmental planner in the Natural

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Resources Department.

Because Fort Collins does not operate a municipal garbage service, curbside composting would be difficult. Approximately six different companies

haul trash in Fort Collins.

On the other hand, Loveland, which operates its own trash service, provides residents with large bins for yard waste. They are collected once a week

and the contents composted into a product that is sold in local stores as “Loveland’s Own.”

A study commissioned by the Fort Collins City Council suggested that a permanent composting facility operated by the city would cost $2 million.

Instead of committing that amount of money to such a project, council members agreed to work with existing composting businesses.

So far, Hageman Inc., a landscaping business at 3501 E. Prospect Road, has agreed to accept lawn clippings from Fort Collins residents for free and

handle the composting process. Leaving tree limbs at Hageman costs $2.50 a cubic yard because they have to be chipped.

“We agreed to publicize their business and any other one that comes forward,” Gordon said. “And, we will educate the public about composting.

“The most elegant solution,” she added, “is not even taking it (compostable waste) off of your property.”

To that end, the Natural Resources Department is working with Colorado State University’s extension program to promote composting seminars by

the extension’s master composters. They will teach residents how to make successful backyard compost piles.

Sessions are held at Lee Martinez Park, on north College Avenue near the Poudre River, on alternate Saturdays. This month’s composting classes are

June 15 and 29; the next are July 13 and 27; following is Aug. 10 and 24, and finally Sept. 7 and 21.

While Fort Collins works to increase composting, regional trash hauler BFI Waste Systems recently built a new transfer station in Greeley.

Located at 1925 First Ave., the new complex not only can handle up to 1,200 cubic yards of waste a day (a standard trash truck holds 20 cubic

yards), but it also includes a recycling facility open to the public.

Residents can bring bottles, cans, plastic, cardboard, paper and newspaper to the facility between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. Monday through Friday and from

8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturdays.

Construction of the transfer station was prompted by the closing of the Milliken landfill in December.

“We are the primary trash hauler in the Greeley area,´ said Bruce Philbrick, district safety manager for BFI. “Our choices were the Ault or Larimer

County landfills.”

Instead of sending garbage trucks from Greeley to those locations, though, waste is brought to the transfer station, then sent in large transfer trailers to

a BFI landfill in Denver.

“We did it to increase our own efficiency,” Philbrick said.

BFI invested about $1.4 million in improvements at the Greeley location. It should allow for a 35 percent growth factor over a minimum of 12 years.

Have an idea for The Green Page? Call Carol Wood at (970) 221-5400, 356-1683 or (800) 4403506. Her fax number is (970) 221-5432, and her

e-mail address is caroljwood@aol.com.