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WEEK OF SEPTEMBER 14, 2023
VOLUME 96 | ISSUE 41
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Curbside composting comes to Denver
State reps agree to open meetings deal Settlement reached in lawsuit alleging ‘pervasive’ violations of open meetings laws BY JESSE PAUL AND ELLIOTT WENZLER THE COLORADO SUN
oritizing neighborhoods with lower diversion rates in its rollout, and will be reaching out directly to residents before their compost service begins so they can prepare.” The expansion is funded by a “pay as you throw” program that began in January and requires residents to pay a higher monthly fee for using larger trash bins until their compost cart arrives and they can divert more of their trash. Residents can exchange their current trash cart size for a small, medium or large one. District 2 residents received a small kitchen pail to separate their food and yard waste from their trash and recycling. That waste is then put into their green cart for weekly
A settlement has been reached in the unusual lawsuit filed this summer by two Democratic state representatives alleging “pervasive” violations of the state’s open meetings laws by members of the Colorado House. State Reps. Elisabeth Epps of Denver and Bob Marshall of Highlands Ranch offered in early September to enter into a court-enforced deal, known as a consent decree, with the Colorado House of Representatives, the chamber’s Democratic and Republican caucuses and partisan leadership in the chamber. As part of the settlement, which must be approved by a judge, the defendants agreed to not discuss public business or take a “formal action” during a meeting where a quorum of a state body is expected to be in attendance without first providing public notice of the gathering and promptly making minutes of the meeting publicly available. Also, two or more members of the House “shall not discuss public business through any electronic means (including, without limitation, any instant messaging platform or application) unless written minutes of such meetings are made publicly available upon request.” Those minutes
SEE COMPOST, P2
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Three recently-delivered compost bins sit on a curb in Denver’s City Park neighborhood in August.
Residents adjust to expanded waste services that divert food and yard scraps from the landfill BY NATALIE KERR SPECIAL TO COLORADO COMMUNITY MEDIA
Coloradans sent 326,000 tons of food waste and yard scraps to landfills in 2021 — approximately 54,000 dumpsters worth. Denver is behind on its goal of diverting 70% of its waste away from landfills — currently diversion is only at 31% — but that may soon change. Weekly curbside composting is coming to Denverites’ front
doors. And with it, the opportunity to reduce landfill volume, greenhouse gas emissions and energy consumption, while contributing to Colorado jobs. Compost services began in July for Denver’s Solid Waste District 2, which includes City Park, City Park West, Clayton, Cole, Elyria-Swansea, Five Points, Uptown, Skyland, Whittier and parts of Globeville. Montbello, Gateway and Green Valley Ranch will likely receive services next, though there is not an exact start date yet, said Vanessa Lacayo, a spokesperson for Denver’s Department of Transportation & Infrastructure. “The goal is to make sure residents are using the service correctly before moving on to the next area,” Lacayo said. “The department is pri-
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PHOTO BY NATALIE KERR
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