Starting in April, single-family residents have the option to pay for yard trimmings collection at the curb. All three residential trash haulers now offer this service from April to November for an additional fee as part of the City’s updated recycling ordinance.
Yard trimmings include small branches, leaves, grass clippings, and garden trimmings. All yard trimmings will be taken to local facilities to be turned into mulch or compost.
Subscribing to yard trimmings collection service provides multiple benefits. Without yard trimmings filling it up, residents may be able to reduce the size of their trash bin, which would decrease their trash bill. Composting yard trimmings also means less material filling up the landfill, which prevents methane emissions. Methane is a greenhouse gas 30 times more potent than carbon dioxide at trapping heat, and methane is emitted when materials such as yard trimmings break down in landfills.
This change was part of the Community Recycling Ordinance, which the Fort Collins City Council passed unanimously in September 2016. Within the city of Fort Collins, trash and recycling services are provided by the private sector in an open, competitive market system. The City regulates trash and recycling haulers through licensing requirements.
The updated Community Recycling Ordinance also allows residential haulers the option of charging a “service surcharge” of up to 25 percent of the cost for the smallest trash bin service (i.e. a surcharge of up to $3 or $4 per month). This surcharge allows the haulers to nimbly adapt to fluctuating costs of doing business such as fuel costs or a charge to deliver recyclables to the recycling center. Details about the Community Recycling Ordinance can be found at http://www.fcgov.com/recycling/updates.php.
Residents also have the option to bring yard trimmings, as well as many additional recyclables, to the newly-opened Timberline Recycling Center at 1903 S. Timberline Road. There is a $5 facility use fee, and additional fees apply for yard trimmings, lumber, and electronics. The hard-to-recycle yard is open Tuesday – Saturday from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.