Boulder, Colorado, adopts recycling requirements

In 2016, property owners in Boulder, Colorado, will be required to provide recycling and composting services, according to an online report from the Boulder Daily Camera.

Although adoption of the requirements will be voted on one more time, the news report indicates the proposed ordinance has drawn “broad support from recycling advocates and businesses.”

Under the ordinance, business owners and multitenant building managers will “need to provide the ability to separate materials into trash, recycling and composting and train their employees to do so,” according to the Daily Camera.

One hardware store owner attending a city council meeting quoted in the article said of the ordinance, “This is easy. It’s not burdensome financially.”

Existing recyclers have expressed concern about a flow control measure that also is part of the ordinance. A provision of the ordinance requires all recycled materials to go to the Boulder County Recycling Center.

A representative from Boulder-based Western Disposal has told city council members the ordinance interferes with Western Disposal’s relationships with its commercial customers.

City officials say they plan to provide incentives and rebates to increase compliance after the ordinance goes into effect some time in 2016, while enforcement will focus on providing assistance as opposed to issuing tickets, according to officials.

The ordinance also includes a requirement that all city events “be zero waste,” according to the report.