Currently, over 70% of Boulder’s households throw away two or more cans of garbage every week. A new City of Boulder ordinance seeks to change that and make Boulder a “one-can” town. The ordinance requires an expanded menu of recyclables to be collected at the curb and creates a financial incentive to reduce waste. It is hoped that Boulder will follow in the footsteps of communities like San Jose and Seattle where similar ordinances have helped nearly 90% of the residents reduce their garbage down to one can per week.

What is PAYT?
During the winter of 2000, EcoCycle began working with the city on ways to improve recycling services for Boulder residents. The idea that EcoCycle introduced, and which became the foundation of the new ordinance, was Pay As You Throw (PAYT). Over 4,000 communities across the U.S. use PAYT, and all of the towns with a waste diversion rate of 50% or higher (a goal Boulder hopes to reach by 2005) use the PAYT approach for charging for trash collection. San Jose saw its residential recycling rate increase from 28% to 43% in the first year of its PAYT program, and that rate has now climbed to 55%. Seattle is not far behind, with a 49% recycling rate, 2.5 times the pre-PAYT rate.

Under Boulder’s PAYT ordinance, trash haulers must charge the same price for each 32-gallon can of trash they pick up, just as each gallon of water or kilowatt of energy costs the same. Unlimited recycling, however, is provided at no extra charge, giving residents a financial incentive to recycle more and waste less.

The old system rewarded wasters with discounts for producing more trash. The new PAYT system rewards recyclers who reduce their waste and recycle. Your water rate doesn’t go down if you take longer showers, and you shouldn’t be rewarded if you produce more trash rather than less!

Taking Control of the Waste Stream
PAYT not only boosts recycling but treats trash for what it is-wasted resources that could otherwise have been used over and over again. The ordinance represents a change in the way our society views trash, and Boulder now joins the list of communities around the nation that are taking progressive action to significantly reduce their waste.

EcoCycle’s original vision for the new curbside program included full municipal control over Boulder’s waste stream. This approach would enable the city to set pricing and control where our town’s recyclables are processed. However, the city chose to pursue a “regulated free market” strategy, the pros and cons of which are sure to come clear over the next few years.

For example, there is some inherent risk in putting trash haulers in charge of recycling, as their profit is wrapped up in the tons of material that get landfilled, not recycled. Only time will tell if the program needs refinement.

More Recyclables Collected at the Curb
Boulder’s new trash ordinance not only requires trash haulers to provide unlimited recycling service, but also mandates ten types of recyclables to be collected at the curb. This list includes several new materials: cardboard, milk cartons, drink boxes, large paperboard boxes (e.g., cereal, shirt and shoe boxes), catalogs and magazines. Pricing among trash companies will vary, but all are required to charge according to the unit-based, Pay-As-You-Throw model described above.

So welcome to the new era of recycling in Boulder. With the Drop-off Center being brought to your curb, it really is just a matter of time before Boulder becomes a one-can town!

Questions about the ordinance? Call Recycle Boulder at 303-441-4234 or visit www.environmentalaffairs.com

Working Towards a One-Can Town

Now that the new Boulder Trash and Recycling Ordinance is in effect, a year from now this chart will likely look very different, with the majority of Boulder residents throwing away only one can of garbage per week or less.

Estimated Amount of Trash Service Currently Purchased by Boulder Residents from Local Trash Haulers