Boulder to become first city in state to require citywide recycling, composting

BOULDER — The Boulder City Council on Tuesday night approved an ordinance with a 7-0 vote that will require property owners and businesses in Boulder to recycle or compost their trash.

The “Universal Zero Waste” ordinance likely will become official at the council’s June 16 meeting when the council is expected to approve a few changes made Tuesday during the second reading of the ordinance, and businesses will have a year to implement their own recycling programs.

Boulder will become the first city in the state and third city in the country along with Seattle and San Francisco to require recycling and composting citywide.

“This gets us further on the road to our zero waste and carbon reduction goals,” said councilman Macon Cowles.

Cowles and other councilors commended the city’s staff for working on the details of the ordinance and involving members of the business community in the process.

The ordinance will require all property owners to provide  trash, recycling and composting service to their tenants and occupants.

All businesses must separate recyclables and compostables from the trash and provide containers and signs to facilitate the collection of recyclables and compostables. All special events in Boulder will be required to provide both recycling and composting collection stations.

“The city will work with businesses to help them comply with the new ordinance,” said city attorney Janet Michaels.

There was some opposition to a portion of the ordinance that requires all recyclable materials to be sent to the Boulder County Recycling Center.

Bryce Isaacson, vice president of marketing and sales for Western Disposal Services Inc. said the company supports the plan, but he expressed concern over requiring trash haulers to take all recyclables to the county’s recycling center. He said in some cases the company can make more money selling “clean cardboard” to other centers. “This potentially could penalize Western Disposal,” Isaacson said. “We would have to raise prices for customers if all cardboard went to the county recycling center, which might not pay as much as other centers.”

Resident Dan Powers, a longtime advocate of recycling in Boulder who previously worked for Western Disposal, said he endorsed the ordinance, but pointed out that businesses will need time to budget for and then implement a plan. He said trash haulers should be able to choose where they sell the recyclables they collect.

Darla Arians of the Boulder County Recycling Center explained that the center takes a variety of trash, including what she called “low-value recyclables” and needed the higher value recyclables like corrugated cardboard, to offset costs.

Former county commissioner Will Toor told the council it was important that higher value recyclables go to the county center.

City councilwoman Suzanne Jones recused herself from voting because she is the executive director of Eco-Cycle, a nonprofit that advocates recycling. Councilman Tim Plass was not present.

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