Universal Waste Collection in Broomfield

Update on City-Contracted Residential Waste Services / Universal Waste Collection

At the October 10, 2023 Council meeting, Broomfield City Council passed Resolution 2023-123 directing staff to issue a Request for Proposals (RFP) for City-Contracted Residential Waste Services (formerly “Universal Waste Collection”). The resolution moves Broomfield into the next phase of pursuing city-contracted services but does not enter Broomfield into a contract. Interested haulers will submit proposals to service single family homes and some small apartments (7 units or less). The city contract would include volume-based pricing (the smaller the trash cart, the lower the rate) and embedded costs for the recycling cart (the customer pays for trash and receives a recycle cart at no additional cost). Residents have the opportunity to opt-out of the city contract subject to an opt-out fee. The RFP will explore different service options for organics (compost) collection. It will also explore any cost differences for including HOAs compared to excluding HOAs. This program alone is expected to increase Broomfield’s waste diversion by 2 to 8%.

Staff will return to Council by the second quarter of 2024 for contract review and approval, and with the related residential recycling and composting ordinance Council requested at the April 18, 2023 study session. Detailed information about costs and services will be available at that time. Services would begin in the first quarter of 2025.

Universal Waste Collection in Broomfield

Learn more and provide feedback on Universal Waste Collection!

A Universal Waste Collection program would change the current residential waste collection system from many licensed haulers to a City and County of Broomfield managed contract consisting of a single hauler or a few haulers assigned to different parts of Broomfield.

The community expressed interest in the city exploring a single-hauler trash option in the 2021 Community Survey (61% of Community Survey respondents answered "yes" to "If you do not have current neighborhood trash services, would you be interested in the city exploring a single-hauler option?"). Broomfield City Council directed staff to explore a Universal Waste Collection program in Broomfield. As a result, Broomfield staff collected resident feedback via survey on the topic of Universal Waste Collection, gauging resident interest and their position of support and/or opposition.

During an in-depth study session on April 18, staff presented the Sustainability Update on Strategies to Reduce Residential Waste in Landfills: Universal Collection Program and Residential Recycling Ordinance memo to Council. City Council directed staff to pursue both a residential recycling ordinance and city-contracted services for residential trash, recycling and composting.

More information on next steps and timeline coming soon.

View the recorded study session here.

Background and Benefits

In early 2022, Broomfield’s Zero Waste Plan was completed and presented to Broomfield City Council at the July 26 Council Meeting. One of the main strategies identified in the plan is to implement a Universal Waste Collection program. A Universal Waste Collection program would:

• Give more residents the opportunity to recycle
• Change the current waste collection system from multiple licensed haulers to a single hauler or few haulers assigned to different parts of Broomfield.
• Hold the preferred hauler(s) accountable for customer service levels.
• Lower costs for residents who produce less trash.
• Reduce road impacts and traffic.
• Allow the city to obtain waste collection services at “bulk rate” prices for residents and guarantee transparent and standard pricing.

Currently, the City and County of Broomfield has no authority to address residents’ complaints of haulers’ poor service, price hikes or leaving residents without service. If the City and County pursues a Universal Waste Collection program, a bidding process would provide a fair, competitive, and transparent process that prioritizes expanded services at the best rate. The city could end the contract at any time and seek another bid if the city is unsatisfied with the service. The contract can set high service standards and charge the hauler fines for not meeting them.

Participation

The program will serve residents living in single-family homes and apartment/condominium complexes with 7 or fewer units, including residences in Homeowners Associations (HOAs). Individual households will be able to opt out of the program for a fee. Commercial properties will not be part of the program.

Volume-Based Pricing & Embedded Costs of Recycling

Volume-based pricing adjusts rates based on the trash cart size: the larger the trash cart the more it costs. With this model, households are incentivized to recycle as much as possible to opt for the smallest trash cart. Recycling would be included in the cost of trash pickup.

For comparison, the average monthly cost of similar services in Golden, Lafayette, and Louisville (all of which have a Universal Waste Collection system with trash, recycling, and composting services), are as follows:

• Small Cart (32 gallons): $14.50/month
• Medium Cart (64 gallons): $24.59/month
• Large Cart (96 gallons): $34.77/month

Composting Services

Some Universal Waste Collection programs include curbside composting. This would help Broomfield reach our waste diversion goals and make it easier for residents to compost if they wish to. However, adding curbside composting services brings additional logistical complications so we are looking at incorporating these services into the RFP with a couple different options, such as an opt-in or “add-on” service.

Landfill Waste Reduction

One of the primary goals of a Universal Waste Collection program is to increase recycling rates and reduce the number of materials going to landfill, helping Broomfield pursue its targets of 50% diversion of waste from landfills by 2025 and 100% diversion by 2035.

Currently 22% of Broomfield’s waste is recycled or composted. Other neighboring communities, such as Golden and Lafayette, that have implemented Universal Waste Collection programs have 33% and 31% diversion rates respectively.

Survey

View our survey results here.

If you have any questions about this survey or Universal Waste Collection, please contact sustainability@broomfield.org or 720-887-2278.