Community Recycling Study
As part of their Strategic Plan Goal of a Beautiful and Environmentally Sensitive City, Westminster’s City Council has established as an objective a convenient recycling program for residents and businesses with a high level of participation. This objective was established in response to 2008 Citizen Survey results regarding recycling and on-going concerns received by Council from the community on recycling.
To reach this objective, Westminster is conducting a critical analysis of trash and recycling services in the City. Instead of running trash collection, Westminster licenses collectors for both trash and recycling. The current system has varying service levels from haulers and inconsistencies with pricing. Residents are confused over what can be recycled, how much it will cost and where materials are going.
Trash collectors, residents, businesses, Environmental Advisory Board members and the Green Team worked together in a Study Subcommittee to prepare recommendations to improve recycling in the community. On
June 4, 2012, City Council reviewed the recommendationsfrom the Board. Currently, the Board and Staff are working on recommended revisions to the Solid Waste Collection Code based on feedback from the Council including improvements to recycling education and the recycling drop-off location program.
PLEASE NOTE: Fees, a recycling diversion rate for the City, centralized collection under one contract, districting or requiring haulers to offer a pay-as-you-throw collection system are not being investigated.
Status of the Community Recycling Project:
Staff is currently implementing three recommendations from the Environmental Advisory Board to improve recycling in the community: improve the Solid Waste Collection Code, implement a communtiy recycling educaiton campaign and open a community recycling center staffed with hours of operation. The Board's recommendations were based on three years of work including the study of the issue by a subcommittee of stakeholders. The first part of the Board's recommendations, revisions to the Solid Waste Collection Code, have been implemented. The remaining two pieces, a community education campaign and a staffed community recycling center are currently in development. On March 4, 2013, City Council was provided an update on the construction of the community recycling center. Staff hopes to construct the new center by the end of 2013.
To get involved you can post/submit your comments or questions:
We are encouraging dialogue on this issue. You can email your comments to staff at rharlow@cityofwestminster.us.
You can also contact Sr. Projects Officer, Rachel Harlow-Schalk at 303-658-2189 to submit comments.
MORE ON the Community Recycling Study Subcommittee of the Environmental Advisory Board:
Between December of 2010 and the Spring of 2012, this Subcommittee studied recycling in Westminster to make a recommendation to the Environmental Advisory Board on ways to support City Council's Strategic Plan Objective of a convenient recycling program for residents and businesses with a high level of participation.
Members of the Recycling Study Subcommittee included:
*HOA management company representative (Todd Fakler, Management Specialists);
*Citizen living in a group trash collection area (Steve Mack, Westcliff HOA President);
*Three non-HOA/group trash collection resident (Shirley Garcia, Roman Kohler,
Jill McLoughlin, Barbara Garrett);
*Multifamily Resident (position vacant/resident resigned due to health concerns);
*Maintain the Status Quo resident (Gloria Fisher);
*Residential licensed trash collection companies (9);
*A representative of strip mall management company/developer (Dino Valente, Valente's Deli Bakery);
*Another business representative (Peter Smith, Smith Environmental & Engineering
and City Business Advisory Group Member);
*Environmental Advisory Board members: Nick Pizzuti and Lisa Bressler, Board Chairperson
For more information on the Subcommittee email: rharlow@cityofwestminster.us
NOTE: The Study Subcommittee did NOT evaluate a trash collection system that will centralize trash collection under one contract, district the City or require haulers offer a pay-as-you-throw collection system. See detailed information on the subcommittee's meetings at the bottom of this page.
Recommendations from the Study Subcommittee
On March 8, 2012, the Subcommittee held their last meeting and finalized their recommendations to the Environmental Advisory Board. The Board reviewed the Subcommittees recommendations at their April 26, 2012 meeting and on May 17, 2012 the Board completed their recommendations based on the Subcommittee's recommendations and new developments in recycling identified between the April and May 2012 meetings of the Board.
Recommendations from the Environmental Advisory Board to City Council
On June 4, 2012, the Board submitted their recommendations to improve recycling to City Council.
Find out more on this project:
Staff Reports to City Council:
Community Recycling Project Update - March 4, 2013
Second Reading of Edits to the Solid Waste Collection Code - November 26, 2012
First Reading of Edits to the Solid Waste Collection Code - November 12, 2012
Recommendations from the EAB on Community Recycling - June 4, 2012
Next Steps for the Community Recycling Project - Nov. 28, 2011
Community Recycling Project Review - Feb. 14, 2011
Community Recycling Project Update - Jan. 3, 2011
Report on Project Timeline - Oct. 18, 2010
Community Recycling Services Research Report to City Council - Sept. 13, 2010
Report to City Council regarding the Community Solid Waste and Recycling Project and work with Skumatz Economic Research Associates, Inc. - Dec. 21, 2009
Recommendations from the City's Green Team - Jan. 5, 2009
Community Recycling Research Report:
2010 Community Solid Waste and Recycling Analysis - City of Westminster by Skumatz Economic Research Associates - this is the full document.
Below are specific sections of the report based on topic of interest:
*Residential Trash Collection Street-side Set-out Survey
*Residential Trash and Recycling Web-Survey
--survey questions answered by residents
--survey confidence level and sampling results supplemental memorandum
*Commercial Trash and Recycling Service Analysis
*Analysis of City Recycling Drop-off Locations
*Interviews with Licensed Trash Collectors
*What other cities are doing
*Gap Analysis: Westminster Trash and Recycling Collection
*Report Recommendations and Review by the Environmental Advisory Board
*Pay-as-you-throw (PAYT) System Overview and Practices
One of the Recommendations Being Studied
*Full Research Summary and Conclusions
Residential and Business Survey Confidence Level and Sampling -Oct. 2010 Supplemental Memorandum to Skumatz Economic Research Associates Research Report
Pay-as-you-throw Trash Systems and Lack of Connection to Illegal Dumping-Aug. 2010 Supplemental Memorandum to Skumatz Economic Research Associates Report
2008 Citizen Survey:
2008 City of Westminster Citizen Survey
Nov. 9 and 10, 2010 Public Meeting Information:
Presentation to the Public at Nov. 9 and 10 Meetings
Meeting Handout
Note: provides more details on the status of the project not found in the presentation
Public Comments and Notes from the Meetings
Public Comments Received via Email, Voicemail and on Facebook prior to the Meetings
Note: all personal information on those who made comments has been removed
Current Trash Collection Requirements:
Solid Waste Collection Code
Solid Waste Business Licensing Requirement
Recommendations from the Community Recycling Study Subcommittee
of the Environmental Advisory Board:
Community Recycling Study Subcommittee Final Report - March 2012
Recommendations to City Council from the Environmental Advisory Board - June 4, 2012
Learn who is licensed to collect trash and recycling in Westminster
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Community Recycling Study Subcommittee Meetings:
Residents provided emailed and voicemailed comments and the Subcommittee learned what residents felt at public meetings. All comments were posted to the Green Team's Facebook page.
Dec. 16, 2010, 6:30 p.m.
Read the notes from the Dec. 16, 2010 meeting
Jan. 20, 2011, 6:30 p.m.
Read the notes from the Jan. 20, 2011 meeting
See the presentations given:
How did we get to these four opportunities?
Nick Pizzuti, Environmental Advisory Board Chairperson
Diversion Rate Goal Setting
David Freeman, Skumatz Economic Research Associates
Feb. 24, 2011, REVISED START TIME: 6 p.m.
Read the notes from the Feb. 24, 2011 meeting
See the presentations given:
City of Fort Collins Approach for Meeting 50% Waste Diversion Goal
Susan Gordon, Senior Environmental Planner, City of Fort Collins
Pay-As-You-Throw: The Nuts and Bolts of How the Program Works
David Freeman, Skumatz Economic Research Associates
March 17, 2011, REVISED START TIME: 6 p.m.
Read the notes from the March 17, 2011 meeting
See the presentations given
City of Westminster, Recycling Drop-off Location Program (PowerPoint)
Jerry Cinkosky, Facilities Manager and Rachel Harlow-Schalk, Environmental
and Administrative Services Officer, City of Westminster
Commercial Recycling Options
David Freeman, Skumatz Economic Research Associates
April 21, 2011, 6 p.m. REVISED START TIME
Read the notes from the April 21, 2011 meeting
See the presentations given
Westminster's Trash Collection Licensing System
Rachel Harlow-Schalk, Environmental and Administrative Services
Officer, City of Westminster
Calculating Diversion Rates
David Freeman, Skumatz Economic Research Associates
May 19, 2011, 6 p.m.
Read the notes from the May 19, 2011 meeting
See the presentations given
Other cities' recycling drop-off locations
SERA Report, City Comparables Appendix Drop-off Locations
Organics Collection Opportunities: What other cities do
David Freeman, Skumatz Economic Research Associates
Commercial Recycling Options-March 17, 2011 Presentation
David Freeman, Skumatz Economic Research Associates
Maps of Homeowner Association Recycling in Westminster
Rachel Harlow-Schalk, Environmental and Administrative Services
Officer, City of Westminster
June 16, 2011, 6 p.m.
Notes from this meeting are not available because the subcommittee drafted preliminary draft recommendations. Draft documentation is not being uploaded to the website.
March 8, 2012, 6 p.m.
The Community Recycling Study Subcommittee completed its recommendations.
After consideration of input from the Focus Group and drafted research by staff on the preliminary draft recommendations, the Community Recycling Study Subcommittee completed its recommendations to the Environmental Advisory Board. This was the final meeting of the Subcommittee unless the Board had further questions as a result of reviewing the recommendations.
Focus Group Input:
On Jan. 12, 2012, 11 residents volunteered to be a part of a focus group and react to the preliminary draft recommendations of the community recycling study subcommittee. A report of the moderator's findings from the focus group is available for review.
Public meetings:
Nov. 9 and 10, 2010 Public Meeting Information:
*Presentation to the Public at Nov. 9 and 10 Meetings
*Meeting Handout
Note: provides more details on the status of the project not found in the presentation
*Public Comments and Notes from the Meetings
*Public Comments Received via Email, Voicemail and on Facebook prior to the Meetings
Note: all personal information on those who made comments has been removed