Broomfield residents can now properly dispose of yard waste for free as you clean your yards to prepare for the winter months. The Tree Branch Recycling Facility will be accepting more types of yard waste between now and Jan. 4, 2025. Hours of operation are Wednesdays from 1- 5 p.m. and Saturdays from 8 a.m. – 5 p.m.

What is accepted:

• Tree and shrub branches (Branches more than 18 inches in diameter must be cut into 4-foot lengths)
• Grass clippings
• Weeds
• Leaves
• Pumpkins
• Flower bouquets

What is NOT accepted:

• No paper or plastic bags will be accepted – if you bring your debris in a bag, you will be required to take it out of the bag in order to deposit the debris in the bin.
• No wire, nails or metal of any kind is allowed due to potential damage to the tub grinder and risk to the operators.

Holiday trees will also be accepted later in the year. Check back for more details in December.

Location

2990 W 124th Avenue, within the Tree Branch Recycle & RV Wastewater Disposal Facility.

Learn more here!

Thank you to the Broomfield Community Update BintheLoop Newsletter for this content!

After a long journey with support and advocacy from many of you, the City of Broomfield has finally adopted a citywide Residential Waste Services program! You may have heard it referred to as a Universal Waste Collection system or the Single Hauler service, but they all mean the same thing, only one trash hauler will be servicing the whole city (non HOA homes).

Say goodbye to multiple trash trucks driving up and down your street every week! And more people now have access to recycling collection! Thank you to everyone who emailed and spoke with the City Council members, attended Council meetings, filled out surveys, informed others of the benefits, and generally lent their support for this issue! This is a big win for Sustainable Broomfield and the city!

What is the Residential Waste Services program?

The City and County of Broomfield has contracted with Waste Connections of Colorado for curbside collection of trash and recycling for the following residents:

• Residents who don’t live in a HOA
• Residents who live in HOAs without a contracted waste and recycling hauler

These residents will automatically be enrolled in the program and will no longer need to find their own trash or recycling collection services. Note: Residents do have the option to opt out of the program for a fee.

Trash cart rates are based on the size of the trash cart you choose to best meet your household’s needs. The smaller the trash cart the lower the cost; so the more you recycle and the less you waste, the more you save. With all sizes of trash cart, a large recycling cart is included. In this way, the program incentivizes residents to recycle as much as possible.

How do I enroll?

To participate, residents will need to choose their preferred trash cart size by Dec 21, 2024. Residents who do not choose their cart size by the deadline will automatically receive a 65-gallon trash cart and a 95-gallon recycle cart. Learn more about eligibility and choose your trash cart size (or opt out of the program) at
Broomfield.org/ResidentialWasteServices.

Questions?

Attend an open house to talk to subject matter experts about ther program. Open houses will be held on the following dates:

• Wed, Nov 20 from 6 – 8 p.m.
• Sat, Dec 14 from 10 a.m. – noon

Both will occur in the George Di Ciero City and County Building lobby located at 1 Descombes Drive.

Thank you to Broomfield’s Sustainability Newsletter for this content!

Zero Waste Gift Wrapping

Most wrapping paper has more clay content than paper fiber, making it difficult to recycle. Instead, choose to wrap gifts with reusable fabric, paper gift bags (reusable and recyclable), or recyclable comics, posters, maps, or calendars. If you are shipping gifts, replace foam or bubble wrap with balled-up, recyclable paper. Learn more about shipping in their Packaging & Mailers Guidelines!

Don’t Give “Stuff”

Instead of buying new products for your loved ones, give the gift of an experience (such as a membership or tickets to an event), make a donation to a nonprofit in their name, or gift a subscription to an online course. Something edible like a dessert or snack packaged in a reusable jar also makes a great gift! Finally, consider gifting products that will help reduce waste, such as reusable water bottles, mugs, straws, and to-go containers.

Prevent Food Waste

In the US, up to 40% of food is thrown out, wasting all the water and energy used to grow and transport that food. You can significantly reduce your household’s food waste by planning your meals, buying the right quantity, and storing produce properly to keep it fresh! Save bones, carrot peels, celery tops, and potato peels to boil and create your own vegetable stock. Add overripe fruits and veggies to smoothies, or bake fruit into cobblers and veggies into casseroles. Or, freeze fruits and veggies to preserve them for weeks (or months)!

Check out Eco-Cycle’s Holiday Guide for more ways to have a sustainable holiday and find places to recycle your waste (page 2)! Thank you to Eco-Cycle for this content.

Make your own gift bags and ornaments!
Sew Broomfield is inventHQ’s monthly sewing workshop that offers creativity, inspiration, and connection with fellow makers. A unique project is featured each month and all experience levels are welcome!

• On Sat, Nov 30th, machine sew some simple and reusable gift totes and learn to set rivets for the handles.
• On Sat, Dec 14th, hand sew a stuffed wool ornament (think beasties or ugly sweaters) and learn some hand embroidery techniques.

This program is for ages 12 and up. Arriving on time ensures your spot. Supplies may be limited to the first 16 participants. Learn more details here!

Eco-Cycle
To support Eco-Cycle and their initiatives to advance Zero Waste programs, policies, and infrastructure across Colorado, go to www.coloradogives.org/EcoCycle. Thank you for your support!

People & Pollinators Action Network
PPAN has a decade of hard-won strategic knowledge on how to protect both people and pollinators and they are ready to expand their capacity significantly in 2025. They will continue to enact policy changes at the local and state levels and work with the public and their coalition partners to grow this grassroots movement for healthy communities. They will plant the future, literally, through their Habitat Grants program, seed swaps, plant giveaways, and volunteer programs. To support PPAN, go to www.coloradogives.org/organization/peopleandpollinators

Or visit Coloradogives.org to search for your favorite nonprofit to support!

Eco-Cycle, in partnership with CoPIRG Foundation, is proud to present their 8th Annual State of Recycling and Composting in Colorado Report.

November 15 is America Recycles Day! In 2020, Governor Polis declared the third week of November “Colorado Recycles Week.” In celebration, Eco-Cycle and CoPIRG just released their 8th annual State of Recycling and Composting in Colorado Report that reveals promising strides toward a circular economy and early payoffs in waste reduction and recycling despite a growing population. The report also shows that composting services have led to a reduced amount of materials sent to landfills and increased support for local businesses.

Key findings from the report include:

• Waste has decreased while the population has increased. Total municipal waste generated dropped from 7.1 million tons in 2018 to 6.9 million tons in 2023. In the same timeframe, the state population has increased, and the benefits of recent waste reduction policies have yet to be realized.

• Colorado’s recycling and compost rate stubbornly stagnates at 15.5%. Disappointingly, Colorado’s recycling and compost rates remain low. However, thanks to a new policy championed by Eco-Cycle and partners, the roll-out of curbside recycling for ALL Coloradans in 2026 is expected to increase this rate.

• The cities of Boulder, Loveland, and Fort Collins have the highest recycling rates on the Front Range. Aspen and Durango have the best rates in Greater Colorado.

• Top recycling cities have a few things in common, including:
  • Every resident is provided a curbside recycling cart;
  • Volume-based pricing for trash encourages recycling and composting;
  • Convenient drop-off centers and access to curbside collections are available for food scraps and/or yard trimmings; and
  • Strong education programs exist to provide clear guidelines on what can and cannot be recycled, reused, and composted.

Read more about groundbreaking actions that the state, local communities, and businesses are taking, including Colorado’s groundbreaking Producer Responsibility for Recycling Packaging Act that will bring free recycling access to all Coloradans starting in 2026!

Thank you to Eco-Cycle for this content!