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Carbondale board weighs compost expansion and a town drop‑off pilot; Evergreen 0 Waste outlines existing options
Summary
Board members discussed expanding residential and commercial composting, a Basalt‑style locked drop‑off shed as a possible pilot, and using a small bag‑fee surplus for start‑up costs; staff said roughly 20% of Carbondale households currently have curbside composting available.
On April 21 the Carbondale Environmental Board discussed options to expand composting and recycling services, including a possible pilot for a locked shed drop‑off (modeled on Basalt’s program) and incentives to boost residential signups.
Fred Malo summarized a conversation with Evergreen 0 Waste staff and trustee Erica Sparhawk: Evergreen offers curbside composting to residents and about 20% of Carbondale households currently subscribe. Restaurants in town were reported to be largely participating already. Malo described Basalt’s model, where residents register online, receive a four‑digit access code, and use a locked shed with a 96‑gallon cart to drop off material; Basalt’s program carries a small municipal subsidy and an initial shed and lock were the main up‑front costs.
Board members discussed a pilot that could subsidize the first month(s) of subscription fees (Evergreen’s residential service was quoted in discussion at about $20–$22 per month) and establishing a town‑hosted drop‑off point (roughly a 10x10 footprint with parking and a lockable enclosure was suggested). Participants said the town’s bag‑fee fund has a small one‑time surplus that could seed a pilot; the exact surplus amount was not specified in the meeting.
Doug Goldsmith (Waste Connections district sales manager) described regional recycling and composting work, noting his company already collects a significant portion of valley recycling and is building a materials recovery facility in Commerce City to handle more recyclables starting in 2026.
Board members generally favored incentives and pilot approaches over mandates for Carbondale, emphasizing education and easy trial access as ways to increase participation. Staff and volunteers agreed to explore site options near existing public works/cardboard‑drop locations and to coordinate with Evergreen on possible subsidy arrangements and a brief trial period.
"The people that want to compost do a great job of it," Malo said, arguing that voluntary expansion and targeted incentives would be more effective than a mandatory program.
Next steps: staff to discuss possible pilot site locations with Public Works; Fred, Doug and Evergreen contacts to explore a subsidy pilot and logistics; eBoard to follow up with a short recommendation for trustees if a pilot budget and location are confirmed.
