Carbondale environmental board urges targeted use of $80,000 bag-fee reserve for composting pilot and recycling outreach

Carbondale’s Environmental Board presented a set of proposals to the Town Council work session, asking the town to allocate a portion of roughly $80,000 held in the bag-fee fund to expand composting, improve recycling outreach and pilot multifamily compost service.

The board asked the town to “ramp up the use” of the bag-fee fund for 2026 and recommended an initial spend of “maybe possibly between 20 and $25,000,” with a smaller recurring budget of about $8,000–$10,000 annually to sustain the work, Environmental Board member Beth Shoemaker said.

The request would fund four main items: a public-awareness campaign (estimated $2,000) for recycling and composting best practices; a six-month, 50% subsidy for single-family households and restaurants to enroll in curbside composting, intended as an educational onboarding window; a one-year pilot offering free compost service for multifamily dwellings (with bear‑proof enclosures and education); and a training video for event organizers to stage zero-waste events.

Why it matters: board members and staff said the proposals aim to increase waste diversion without immediate mandates that can produce contamination and operational problems. “The 6 month period is important because it’s an educational…time period to get everybody up to speed,” the board said, quoting outreach contractor recommendations.

Board chair Fred Malo and members described how the town’s curbside recycling program is established but that composting would be the next step to reduce landfill tonnage. Doug Goldsmith, sales manager for Mountain Waste Recycling, told the council that focusing funds on multifamily complexes offers higher impact per dollar because one can serve multiple households from a single container.

The board also raised issues with construction and demolition waste, describing it as a complex problem in which on-site separation is often infeasible. “If you mix it all together, it is $255 a ton. If you separate the things that can be recycled out of it, it’s a $120–$130 a ton,” Goldsmith said, noting the economic disincentive contractors face when staging and space are constrained.

Electrification and solar readiness: Sam Cobrick, a member who previously worked as a research scientist at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory and now works for a clean‑tech nonprofit, urged the town to consider “solar ready” roofing or concurrent solar installation when repairing or replacing roofs at Town Hall and the aquatic center. Cobrick said simple design steps — conduit runs, structural design for additional load and standing‑seam metal roofs — can cut 30–35% of future solar installation soft costs and reduce payback periods. He modeled payback at roughly four years under earlier federal incentives and noted that changes to the investment tax credit could lengthen payback.

Board direction and next steps: Council members signaled support for a carrot‑forward approach (incentives rather than mandates) and asked staff and the board to return with a more detailed budget and contractor proposals. Council members asked the board to include concrete cost estimates for the multifamily pilot, bear‑proof enclosures, and the restaurant subsidy so the town can evaluate tradeoffs and preserve principal in the bag‑fee account.

Discussion versus decision: the work session produced consensus to investigate and scope the proposals further; no formal appropriation or motion was taken at the meeting.

Clarifying details: the board stated the bag-fee fund balance is about $80,000 and proposed an initial spend of $20,000–$25,000 for 2026, followed by annual spending of $8,000–$10,000 to preserve principal. The multifamily pilot targets buildings not covered by the municipal contract; Evergreen Zero Waste’s representative recommended a six‑month onboarding window; the restaurant subsidy would be 50% for six months.

Ending: Council members praised the board’s collaboration and asked for a follow-up report with costed options and implementation steps so the council can consider budget-year allocations.