The City of Arvada has received a 2020 Colorado Recycling Award recognizing the City Council, the Arvada Sustainability Advisory Committee and City Staff for their work to bring organized waste hauling to the community, which is expected to have a large impact on the city and region’s recycling and waste diversion efforts. Read the press release.
At its June 15 business meeting, the Arvada City Council held a public hearing and approved the related ordinance and agreements to institute the system by a vote of 4 to 3. Read the June 16 press release. A recording of the meeting is available at youtu.be/UN0WuTpjK84.
As part of next steps in the project, the City and Republic Services will finalize an implementation plan. Within the next six to 12 months, the City is expected to select a cart provider and residents will be invited to choose cart sizes. The program is slated to begin July 2021. More details about the project and the implementation will be posted as they become available.
Organized Waste Hauling Documents
Benefits Fact Sheet
FAQs (English)
FAQs (Spanish)
Waste Hauling Overview Slides
Organized Waste Hauling Ordinance
Project Background
Arvada residents have consistently indicated that an efficient waste hauling system is extremely important to them (85 percent in the 2015 and prior community surveys); and in the 2017 and 2019 Community surveys, two-thirds of residents supported the idea of an organized trash-hauling and recycling system. In response to results from the Arvada Community Surveys and recommendations from the City’s Sustainability Advisory Committee, the City of Arvada is exploring organized waste hauling in our community. The City anticipates this project would identify options that would be safer, cleaner and less expensive for the community by:
- Creating fewer trucks on the road (and less often) for:
- increased safety
- reduced road damage
- decreased noise and air pollution
- Reducing costs to residents
- Increasing recycling options
- Increasing quality of customer service
Project Timeline
- Council workshop December 10, 2018: Arvada's citizen-led Sustainability Advisory Committee presented their recommendations to Council for an organized trash-hauling recycling system.
- Council workshop February 11, 2019: Staff presented to Council; Council permitted residents' questions; Staff generated an FAQ page in response
- Council workshop May 13, 2019: Staff presented results of the Speak Up Arvada survey and other information to Council
- May 2019: Staff released a Request for Proposal (RFP) to waste hauling companies
- Council workshop July 22, 2019: Staff presented a summary of the RFP information received from waste hauling companies
- Council business meeting May 4, 2020: City Council heard a first reading on a proposed ordinance to allow an organized waste hauling system in Arvada. View video. Download Proposed Organized Waste Hauling Ordinance
- Council workshop May 11, 2020: City Council further discussed the project. View video.
- Public Forum May 28, 2020: View video
- Council business meeting/public hearing June 15, 2020. Council approved ordinance and agreement to move forward with an organized system. View Video
Public Engagement
- May 2020: Speak Up Arvada, Public Forum, In-Person "office hours" appointments
- March through May 2019: Public survey posted on Speak Up Arvada to help refine RFP scope
- February 2019: Council invited the public to share their questions regarding organized waste hauling in Arvada at their Feb. 11 council workshop. All questions were compiled.
- February 2019: FAQ document generated from residents' questions; posted on arvada.org and on Speak Up Arvada.
Additional Information
Recycling Information: Arvada residents frequently request information regarding recycling. Please keep in mind that the recycling industry changes rapidly and information goes out of date quickly; additionally, recycling is handled differently in various locales: arvada.org/residents/recycling-resources.
2012 Waste Hauling Study: The City of Arvada explored waste-hauling in 2011. If you would like to view the results of the study, you may download the document here. Download the 2011 Residential Hauling Study (2.17MB)
Contact
City Manager's Office, 720-898-7500
