2015 Community Recycling Ordinance project FAQs
Background: Existing recycling programs
Trash service in Fort Collins is provided by the private sector. Twenty years ago, the City passed a Pay-As-YouThrow (PAYT) ordinance which applies to single-family home residents and requires the following:
• Unlimited recycling is included with trash service for no additional charge
• Trash bills are based on the size of the trash container resident chooses (32, 64 or 96 gallons)
• Additional service fees such as an environmental fee or fuel fee cannot be charged
Fort Collins also has passed ordinances that ban the landfill disposal of cardboard (passed in 2013) and
electronics (passed in 2007).
The City of Fort Collins offers the Waste Reduction and Recycling Assistance Program (WRAP), which works
with businesses and apartment complexes to start or improve recycling programs.
Community Recycling Ordinance Project
Why now?
In 2013, Fort Collins City Council passed a goal of recycling or composting 75% of the community’s waste by
2020, 90% by 2025, and working toward zero waste by 2030. An accompanying plan called The Road to Zero
Waste included steps to achieve these goals.
One of the important projects called for in that plan was to update and expand the PAYT ordinance into a
Community Recycling Ordinance. 1 The updates to the PAYT ordinance and inclusion of the business and multifamily sectors of our community are important steps toward meeting community waste reduction goals.
What is being considered?
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Including multi-family customers in the ordinance for parity with single-family-residential customers.
Including commercial customers in the ordinance to incentivize recycling.
Considering curbside yard waste collection options for residents of single-family homes.
Updating the ordinance for single-family homes to continue to incentivize waste diversion, but also to
take into account recycling market volatility and stability of the program as we recycle and compost
more materials.
Why these topics?
These topics were identified in The Road to Zero Waste plan as important next steps to meeting community
goals.
Additionally, these are topics citizens regularly highlight as being important. In the 2011 Air Quality and
Recycling survey, 81% of respondents strongly or somewhat agreed that “single family residents should have
options for yard waste recycling.” In that same survey, 80% of respondents strongly or somewhat agreed that
“multi-family apartments should be required to recycle,” and 77% that “residents of single family homes
should be required to recycle.” 21% of respondents strongly, and 57% somewhat agreed that “all businesses
should be required to recycle.”
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The Road to Zero Waste plan used the terminology “Universal Recycling Ordinance” for the project now called the Community
Recycling Ordinance
How can I share my thoughts and keep in the loop?
Join us for an Open House
December 17
4:30-6:30pm
Community Room, 215 N. Mason St.
Additional information is available at www.fcgov.com/recycling/update.php, where you can also sign up to
receive updates about the project and share your opinion.
Project timeline:
June: request public input, research about best practices in other communities nation-wide, form
recommendations
July & August: conduct public outreach to solicit ideas and opinions about the recommendations
Public meetings: June 30, July 1, August 11 & 12
September: draft recommendations
October 13: share recommendations with Fort Collins City Council at work session
December 17: Public Open House
January 19: Fort Collins City Council will consider at regular session