What’s Recyclable and Compostable?

In 2022, Denver’s combined recycling and composting rate was 26%. That’s better than the statewide rate of 16% but still not that great.

That’s a problem because that means nearly ¾’s of the city’s waste is just going right to the landfill, where it rots releasing methane pollution (a greenhouse gas 28 times more potent than carbon dioxide) and forcing us to mine, drill, and log for new virgin materials instead of reusing the glass, aluminum and paper we already have.

Nothing that can be recycled or reused should wind up in a landfill wasting away.

Many people don’t realize that nearly 50% of what winds up in our trash cans is organic matter (leaves, eggshells, bones, orange peels) and could be composted.
What is compost? It’s basically dirt. But really high-quality dirt. It contains nutrients that our gardens, parks and farmlands need.

We know the single easiest way to ensure people recycle and compost is if they have a bin that gets picked up from their curb (every week ideally).

If you live in Denver, that’s exactly what’s going to happen.

If you are in a single-family home or a multifamily unit serviced by the city (generally six units or less), you may have noticed your curbside purple recycling bin is now getting picked up every week.

In addition, everyone will be getting curbside, green, composting bins.

As of April, 30,000 Denver households already had curbside composting. Starting in July, an additional 150,000 households will receive curbside composting services, rolled out in phases based on collection districts. They’ll take months to add each new district so they can ensure the rollout is smooth and to give time to educate people on composting.

What’s the timeline for your area? You can find that information here.

You’ll also get some flyers when it’s coming.

Food scraps and yard waste.

That includes meat, dairy, bones, eggshells, banana peels, apple cores, orange rinds.

It also includes the leftovers that went bad.

You can also put weeds, leaves, dead plants, grass clippings and branches (make sure they are cut down to the right size…no tree trunks) in the compost bin.

Unfortunately, cups, bowls, napkins and other products that are not food scraps or yard waste cannot go in the compost bin even if they indicate they are compostable.

This may be news to you.

If you were like me, you’ve been putting these green and sustainable products in your compost bin for awhile – not just in Denver but if you live in Boulder, Longmont and other composting cities.

However, the facility that is in charge of taking what we put in our green compost bins and processing it into the high-quality dirt that becomes compost, was seeing way too much contamination from things that can’t be composted. That could result in dirt filled with broken up plastic pieces – not something any gardener or farmer wants to amend into their soil.

A big reason for this contamination is that many of us buy products that seem compostable – they may have words like “sustainable” or eco-friendly,” or they may literally be the color green, which to me means compostable.

But unless it has been designed with the right ingredients that can decompose in a composting facility, it just contaminates other compostable materials.

One solution – truth in labeling for compostable products so if it says it’s compostable it truly is compostable. That will reduce mistakes from consumers like you and me and reduce contamination so compost facilities have the confidence to accept them without undermining the quality of the compost they produce.

Good news! We passed a bill that will do exactly that. Starting January 1, 2024, SB23-253 prohibits companies from using labels, color schemes or images that would mislead a consumer into thinking a product is compostable when it is not.

Ideally this helps us get back to a point where Denver’s compost system can take those compostable bowls, cups, and other products because compost facilities will have more confidence that only compostable items will be in the compost bins.

The one exception to the food scraps and yard waste composting principle are green compost bags.

You can (and should) put your compost in compostable bags. They need to be 3 gallons or less. And you should look for the “CMA certified” label – that means it’s a product that has been certified to break down by the Compost Manufacturers Alliance.

You can find a list here.

I’ve been a part of the Denver curbside compost program for a few years. But when I first signed up, I was worried about the stench and the bugs, especially with the pail they give you to put your compost in.

But a few years in, I’ve got few complaints. The design of the pail ensures there is decent air flow and the smells you may expect are no more a problem than when you put food in your trash can.

Remember – this is the same stinky stuff you had before – you are just putting it in a different bin.

And just like your trash, take it out every few days and you are fine.

But Nina had some additional tips:

• Put your compost in the freezer. No smells. And when it’s full, put it in your curbside green cart and it will be thawed by the time it reaches the facility.
• You can also layer food scraps and yard waste – that helps reduce bugs.

Aluminum cans, glass, tin and steel cans (including empty aerosols), cardboard boxes, paper products, junk mail, paper boards (think cereal boxes) are all recyclable.

When it comes to plastics, containers are the best – think bottles, tubs, jugs and jars. Nina advises not to worry about the triangle chasing symbols with numbers in the middle and just ask yourself – is this a container. If it is, drop it in the recycling bin.

But even plastics that can be recycled have a limited lifespan. Materials like glass and aluminum can be recycled more times in their lifespan.

Don’t put plastic utensils, bags, shrink wrap/packaging or that soft/brittle plastic that is commonly referred to as styrofoam in your recycling bin. It doesn’t matter what its plastic number is.

It’s particularly important you don’t put single-use bags in the recycling bin because they can jam the sorting machines and drive up the costs of the whole recycling system.

Let me say that again – don’t put your recyclables in a plastic bag and then put that in the recycling bin.

No plastic bags!

Typically, you can’t recycle plastics that are malleable as well – think a toothpaste tube.

For any of these non-recyclables, the best thing to do is to avoid them up front with reusable items or items that can be recycled. But if you do have these non-recyclables, put them in the trash.

Putting non-recyclables in the recycling bin threatens to push good recyclables into the landfill because they get contaminated by the things that can’t be recycled.

Empty but not spotless.

Water is a precious resource, so you don’t need to use it to make sure something is completely spick and span. The recycling process can get at any remaining residues.

I think of it as a goop test. This container will be bumping around with a bunch of other containers in a truck. If it’s goopy and stuff leaks out, it will make a mess of the other items and could lead to them ALL being landfilled.

So think “goop free.”

Yes. Do not put a bottle in the recycling bin with soda or any other liquid in it. That liquid will leak out and could ruin the other recyclables it’s mixed in with.

They are too small on their own to get recycled. So if they are loose – toss them in the trash.

If they are still on the bottle (make sure the bottle does NOT have any liquid) then you can leave them on and put the bottle in the recycling bin.

One caveat is that if the lid is made from a different material than the bottle, it’s best to separate them and toss the cap or top. Remember – this stuff is getting sorted and so metal and plastic won’t go to the same facility. So remove the tops and toss them.

Yes. Even if the mail has the see through plastic pieces. And even if they have a staple or two.

No. Remember – this stuff needs to get sorted. It’s impossible to separate all the littles shreds of paper once they get mixed in with everything else.

Keep shredded paper or small scraps of paper out of the recycling bin.

No. In fact, it’s illegal to put electronics in the landfill in Colorado because many of them contain hazardous materials. They also contain a lot of valuable material we can and should reuse.

Click here for details on how you can schedule a hazardous waste pick-up and what items are eligible.

No. Some batteries can be unsafe in a landfill.

Click here for details on how you can schedule a hard to recycle waste pick-up and what items are eligible.

No. But they are an item you can schedule to have collected.

Click here for details on how you can schedule a hard to recycle waste pick-up.

No. But you can find a place to drop off your leftover paint for free using this site locator.

They can also be collected if you schedule a hard to recycle waste pick-up.

No. Not only can they not be recycled but they can get caught in the sorting machines at recycling facilities and jam the machines shutting down the whole facility.

No. It’s not a great material for recycling.

Pizza boxes are valuable recyclables because they are made out of cardboard, which can be collected and turned into something else relatively effectively.

However, it needs to be empty (no pizza or chunks of cheese caked on the box or leftover dipping sauce containers bouncing around).

A little bit of grease is fine (a few spots). If the box is soaked, you’ll need to throw it away, though I offer two tips.

• If it’s only the bottom of the box that is soaked, cut off the top and recycle it.
• If you have composting services, you may be able to compost it (though not in Denver right now – check with your service provider).

No. While that plastic can’t be recycled with the cardboard boxes or paper envelopes, most recycling facilities have the ability to remove the plastic film. So, no need to peel the film off the boxes and envelopes.