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Centennial council backs study of four waste‑diversion steps, urges more outreach
Summary
City staff outlined a regional South Metro waste‑diversion plan and recommended four near‑term initiatives — expanded recycling/compost events, hauler licensing feasibility, an 'equal space' ordinance for new development, and education funded by state EPR money; council directed staff to pursue further analysis and a study session.
Centennial city staff presented the South Metro waste‑diversion plan and asked council this week to approve carrying four initial implementation steps into a 2026 pilot and feasibility work. Melanie Ward, the city’s manager of development foresight and infrastructure readiness, and Senior Strategic Advisor Wyatt Peterson said the regional study — conducted with Littleton, Englewood and Sheridan — showed significant diversion opportunities.
"About 78% of the waste stream could potentially be diverted through recycling, composting and special collection programs," Peterson said, citing a two‑season composition study that sorted more than 10,000 pounds of material into 32 categories. Ward added the outreach effort produced roughly 1,300 survey responses, about 500 from Centennial residents.
Staff recommended four near‑term steps: add more diversion events (including an extra e‑waste collection and expanded yard‑waste chip/mulch sites), explore a waste‑hauler licensing program to require basic tonnage reporting and minimum service standards, adopt an "equal space" ordinance to require new commercial and multifamily projects to include dedicated recycling space, and use extended producer responsibility (EPR) funds for education and outreach. Ward said Centennial could expect about $92,000 a year in EPR‑related education funding if the city participates in the state program.
Council members raised concerns about small haulers and regulatory burden, possible effects on competition and the workload for staff to review hauler reports. "I'm worried that licensing could be a burden for small, innovative haulers and may push them out of our market," Council member Sheehan said. Peterson replied the proposal is exploratory: the city would first use free STEPS (Strategic Technical Expertise for the Public Sector) technical assistance hours to engage haulers and test options.
Several council members urged a cautious, incremental approach and requested cost estimates, outreach plans for landlords and multifamily residents, and clearer dates for pilot events. Ward said the proposed diversion events would be funded from the city's single‑use bag fee revenue and the existing $100,000 decision package established for waste diversion; staff framed the work as a 2026 pilot with metrics to inform the 2027 budget process.
After extended Q&A, council indicated by thumbs‑up polling that it supported moving all four items forward for further study and directed staff to schedule a study session and return with more detailed options and cost projections.
What’s next: staff will pursue hauler engagement using STEPS technical assistance, refine dates and costs for added diversion events, and return to council with an implementation and funding recommendation in advance of the 2027 budget cycle.
