Mountain ‘zero waste’ project exceeds goals

 

Compost projects, new services increase diversion rate

 

Boulder County, Colo. – Boulder County recently completed a “zero waste” project that more than doubled the composting and recycling rate in the communities of Allenspark, Eldora, Eldorado Springs, Gold Hill, Jamestown, Lyons, Nederland and Ward.

 

After providing grants and technical assistance, and improving waste diversion opportunities in the participating areas, nearly a third of materials discarded by community residents and businesses were sent to new uses, rather than to the landfill.

 

The efforts exceeded the county’s goal of doubling the diversion rate. “The previous estimate was that only one-eighth of mountain discards were collected for reuse, composting or recycling,” Sustainability Planner Lisa Friend said. “We doubled the rate and kept on going up to more than 30 percent. It’s a marked improvement over past diversion efforts.”

To improve zero waste practices, Boulder County staff provided mountain residents and businesses with information about existing composting and recycling programs. Diversion opportunities were enhanced at annual cleanup events in the mountains, and new programs for diverting wood waste, metal and textiles were established. The BuildSmart program that encourages diversion of construction materials was tracked through this project – especially for new construction in areas affected by the Fourmile Canyon Fire.

 

Boulder County staff helped the Town of Nederland begin a new compost program and provided a “Zero Waste Events” workshop to the Town of Lyons, with support from that town’s Sustainable Future Commission. The outreach was supported by a grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture rural development program.

 

Supplemental grants, awarded by the county’s Resource Conservation Division, helped the communities secure recycling and composting equipment, including downtown recycling bins in Lyons and a process that enabled Nederland to install two “Earth Tubs” to enhance its compost efforts. Additional grants recently awarded for 2012 include new bear-proof compost bins for Eldorado Springs and additional zero waste containers in Nederland.

 

In 2011, the county measured recycling, reuse and composting of more than 1,140 tons of recyclable and compostable materials – including electronics, scrap metal, building materials and more – of an estimated 3,600 tons of “waste” produced in the eight communities. An additional 1,325 tons of wood and slash were also managed at the county’s Community Forestry Sort Yards and through special grants for chipping.

 

Though USDA funding for mountain outreach has ended, county staff will continue to provide zero waste assistance to mountain communities as requested, including a Zero Waste Events Planning workshop in Nederland this spring and development of a handout that details opportunities for recycling electronic equipment by mail. Resource Conservation Division recycling programs at the Allenspark, Lyons and Nederland transfer stations will continue, as will the annual spring cleanup program and a variety of options offered to mountain residents by Boulder County-based recycling and compost collection services.

 

For more information about Boulder County’s zero waste technical assistance programs, contact the Commissioners’ Office sustainability staff at 303-441-3522 or visit www.BoulderCounty.org/zerowaste.