Colorado’s Organics Story: A Triple Win for Resources, Communities, and the Climate

Colorado’s new State of Recycling & Composting report authored by Eco-Cycle and CoPIRG Foundation, offers the important reminder that when communities treat organic material as a resource, not garbage, everyone benefits.  Composting, woody-material diversion, and food-scrap recovery deliver a triple win for soil health, household and municipal budgets, and community resilience — all while helping to slow global warming.

A resource win: Building healthier, more resilient soils

Organics diversion is an essential way to restore and protect Colorado’s natural systems. Compost builds local healthy soils, supports water retention, and helps communities withstand drought and flooding. This isn’t hypothetical. Cities, farms, and school districts in Colorado are using compost to filter stormwater, reduce the need for irrigation, and return nutrients to the land. These improvements strengthen the landscapes communities depend on every day.

The state is also scaling woody-material diversion — expanding capacity by 50 percent in just one year, from 250,000 to 375,000 tons. That shift reduces wildfire fuel, keeps valuable biomass in circulation, and puts material to productive use instead of burying it.

A community win: Lower costs and better services

Colorado’s organics momentum isn’t driven by abstract targets. It’s driven by communities looking for practical solutions that save money and expand access.

Aspen’s new Organic Waste Ordinance requiring food-scrap hauling led to a nearly 350 percent increase in composted materials in one year, from 804 tons in 2023 to 2,600 tons in 2024. Denver expanded residential compost service to 75,000 homes and saw diversion jump by 55 percent. These programs allow residents and businesses to cut trash bills, reduce hauling needs, and avoid costly and harmful landfill expansions.

Schools are also showing what’s possible at the community level. Eco-Cycle’s Green Star Schools Program (award-winning!) helped some districts cut waste by up to 67 percent while teaching students how composting works and why it matters. These programs build smart habits early and make waste reduction a shared community norm.

The State of Colorado is backing these local efforts with statewide support. The Circular Communities (C3) Enterprise is funding composting facilities, local governments, nonprofits, and businesses to expand organics infrastructure, because as fast as you can make good compost, the demand is there for it! 

A health and climate win: Cutting methane by keeping organics out of landfills

Thousands of Colorado children are attending schools just miles from landfills that are actively leaking methane and toxic air pollutants. The waste sector in Colorado emitted more than 6.2 million metric tons (MMT) of CO2 equivalent (CO2e) methane in 2022, on a 20-year global warming potential. That’s 20% more emissions than the coal mining industry (4.95 MMT) in the same year, and nearly three times as much as aviation fuels (2.62 MMT).

Landfills also leak leachate and toxic air pollutants that harm the health of nearby communities, including carcinogens like benzene and toluene. So the health and climate benefits in keeping organic waste from being burned or buried are unmistakable. Every ton of food scraps, yard trimmings, woody material, and organic waste diverted away from landfills helps prevent methane emissions and nasty co-pollutants like benzene and VOCs. 

What Colorado proves

The state’s progress offers a clear takeaway for policymakers everywhere: organics diversion and recycling policy works and it delivers immediate value to communities. Colorado isn’t waiting for perfect systems or distant targets. It’s acting now, and the benefits are multiplying.

This is the kind of grounded, practical leadership that moves states forward. Organics are no longer treated as waste in Colorado. They are treated as they should be - as a resource—and the payoff is showing up in healthier soils, lower costs, stronger communities, and a meaningful dent in harmful methane.