City Manager’s Office
Reference: Community Recycling and Composting
To: Mayor Gregory Mills and Members of City Council
Through: Michael P. Martinez, City Manager
Prepared By: Traci McLean, Sustainability Coordinator
Date Prepared: July 12, 2024
PURPOSE
This staff report outlines the results of a feasibility study that was conducted for the purpose of developing a contractual residential waste and recycling system. Brighton’s Sustainability team worked with a consultant to develop options for addressing concerns regarding our current waste management practices, including a lack of recycling and composting options, illegal dumping and illicit discharge incidents, and low recycling rates. These recommendations aim to increase community-wide waste diversion rates, reduce road infrastructure damage, develop a waste collection system that can accommodate our population size and projected growth, provide equitable costs and services to the community, and improve quality of life for all residents.
BACKGROUND
The City of Brighton had made previous attempts to increase waste diversion rates and offer services though use of a recycling drop-off dumpster, first located at City Hall and later moved to the street shop. This program quickly became unsustainable due to residents and visitors utilizing the drop-off for trash, and large items disposal, which resulted in contamination of entire recycling loads and additional work and expense for staff.
In 2022, the Brighton Sustainability team and previous Public Works Director Michael Woodruff began looking into options for increasing access to recycling and composting throughout the community. Director Woodruff presented a recommendation to pursue a municipally contracted residential waste and recycling system at the 2022 Council Strategic Visioning Session. Council indicated they wanted staff to continue to explore this as an option. In February 2023, the City’s Sustainability Coordinator presented to Council a community outreach strategy to solicit feedback for the public on a municipally contracted waste collection system. Four ward events were held, and a survey was provided at the events so residents could submit their feedback to city staff.
In May of 2023, the Sustainability Coordinator applied for the Colorado Front Range Technical Assistance Service Provider (TASP) grant to have access to free consulting services and technical support for this project. In November 2023, the City was awarded the grant and the consultant team worked with staff to enhance community outreach, analyze outreach data, and complete the feasibility study so that final recommendations to Council could be made based on our findings. The Sustainability team and TASP team worked together to host focus groups and provide educational materials for residents. Additionally, the City’s Sustainability team deployed the City’s first community-wide sustainability survey, which had 414 respondents. The results of that survey indicated that waste reduction, recycling, and composting were the second highest focus area identified by 58% of respondents, and limited access to recycling and composting options was ranked the second highest concern by 49% of all respondents. This is a clear indication from residents that more recycling and composting options are needed in the community.
All results from research and outreach activities have been used to inform final recommendations.
STAFF RECOMMENDATION
At a future City Council meeting, staff recommends that Brighton City Council approves a city-wide, community-based hauler contract, volume-based pricing, a waste hauler licensing ordinance, and a recycling education program.