Carbondale environmental board recommends using bag-fee fund for composting trial, multifamily pilot and outreach

The Carbondale Environmental Board voted to recommend that the town trustees allocate money from the municipality's bag-fee fund toward composting and public-education initiatives.

Board members recommended a package that would: fund a public-awareness campaign (including PSAs and print ads); offer a 50% discount on composting for six months to single-family homes and restaurants; pilot providing one year of fully funded compost collection for multifamily buildings (with bear-proof enclosures and targeted education), subject to annual renewal and budget availability; and enter negotiations to financially assist Alyssa Rendell in producing a training video for event organizers on composting and zero-waste event practices.

The board’s motion, approved at the meeting, recommended an initial ramp-up budget of around $25,000 in 2026 and an annual target of about $10,000 thereafter, drawn from the bag-fee fund principal and ongoing fee revenues. Board members noted the fund currently holds about $80,000, with roughly $35,000 expected to be collected annually and about $25,000 currently spent each year, yielding an estimated net increase of about $10,000 per year if current patterns continue.

Why it matters: Board members…