Denver Helps Residents Prepare for Solid Waste Service Changes, New Sidewalk Fee in 2025
UPDATED 12/18/24
Denver Helps Residents Prepare for Solid Waste Service Changes, New Sidewalk Fee in 2025
DENVER— Denver’s Department of Transportation and Infrastructure (DOTI) is presenting new online tools and resources to help residents and property owners prepare for solid waste service changes and the new citywide sidewalk fee that starts next year.
Solid Waste Collection Schedule Changes and Compost Rollout
As it announced last month, DOTI is moving to every-other-week recycling collection and every-nine-week large item pickup service in 2025 as it accelerates the rollout of compost citywide. Solid Waste Management customers are encouraged to visit www.denvergov.org/trashschedule to review their collection schedules for recycling and large item pickup next year, or download the Denver Trash and Recycling Mobile App. Both online and via the app, people can choose to receive collection reminders for trash, recycling, compost and large item pickup as email, text or calendar reminders.
Also this week, Denver is kicking off its accelerated citywide compost rollout. About 60,000 Solid Waste Management customers are receiving letters in the mail, explaining how they can sign up for free compost service and asking them to let DOTI know what size compost cart they’d like to receive. Cart selections received by January 10 will be delivered in February and March, completing the rollout of compost service to all areas of the city.
City & County of Denver’s Compost Program Rollout
Resources and Outreach Materials
December 2024
Overview of Compost Program
In late 2023, the City & County of Denver began rolling out free, weekly compost service to residents who use the city’s solid waste services. Free citywide compost service is part of Denver’s initiative to reduce waste and encourage residents to take advantage of the volume-based-pricing trash service introduced in January of 2023. To learn more about volume-based-pricing in Denver, click here.
The city is rolling compost service out to all remaining solid waste customers at once in the first quarter of 2025 – nine months ahead of schedule! To support the accelerated rollout of compost service, recycling carts will be collected bi-weekly and large item pickup will change to an every-nine-week schedule beginning in January 2025. For more information on service changes coming in 2025, visit the Expanded Waste Collection Services page.
The remaining areas awaiting compost service include Solid Waste Collection Districts 1, 6, 7 and 9 — that’s you! Please help us spread the word by sharing the information and materials below through your organization’s respective channels.
Online Resources
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For more information about compost rollout updates, visit the Compost Rollout Page.
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Customers must request a compost cart to participate in compost service. Visit this page to learn how to request your compost cart.
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To learn more about how to use your green cart, check out our page on how to compost.
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Visit our Waste Directory to search specific items and learn how to properly dispose of them.
New Sidewalk Fee
Starting in 2025, the City and County of Denver will begin charging property owners a fee to fund a citywide sidewalk repair and construction program approved by voters in November 2022. Per adjustments made to the original ordinance, the vast majority of property owners will pay a $150 flat fee annually. The sidewalk fee will be added to people stormwater bills, with the first half of the annual fee charged the first half of the year and the second half of the annual fee charged the second half of the year.
Residents can visit www.denvergov.org/sidewalks for frequently asked questions and to access the new tools and resources listed below that were designed to support the launch of the new program, including:
- a new fee lookup tool property owners can use to confirm their sidewalk fee in 2025, based on their address and property frontage.
- a form people can use to apply for an instant rebate on their sidewalk fee based on income and household size. Property owners already receiving the instant rebate for solid waste management services will automatically receive the sidewalk rebate and need not re-apply until their current trash rebate ends.
- a place on Denver’s Online Services Hub where people can report major sidewalk damage. Note that sidewalk repairs are not on-demand, but damage reports received by the department are being inspected and triaged and those that meet certain criteria are being placed on a spot repair program. Reports of major sidewalk damage that have been received and inspected by DOTI and that meet spot repair program criteria can be viewed on this map along with their status. Examples of sidewalk issues that may be addressed in the spot repair program include: some text
- adjoining sections of sidewalk with an elevation difference greater than one inch
- adjoining sections of sidewalk with gaps greater than one inch
- extensive raveling and major breaking
Note the city does not currently have a timeline for when specific segments of sidewalk will be repaired or installed as part of the new sidewalk program. As it begins to receive revenue from the sidewalk fee in 2025, DOTI will secure a concrete contractor to make spot repairs and professional services support to develop a sidewalk master plan required by the ordinance that will include an initial investment plan. Currently, the department is seeking Requests for Qualifications (RFQ) for program management support.
Meanwhile Denver will continue to install new sidewalks next year, filling gaps in the sidewalk network citywide and in the Globeville and Elyria/Swansea neighborhoods, to complete its Elevate and Rise bond commitments.
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