Colorado Composting Council Proposal
Colorado Compost Contamination Toolkit
Project Lead:
David Friedland, Eco-Products Sustainability Manager
Executive Summary:
Contrary to public perception, Colorado lags behind in waste diversion compared to most of the United States. As of 2019, Colorado only diverts 17% of total waste generated in our state from the landfill. In order to reach the Front Range goal of 32% waste diversion by 2021, we need to kick recycling and composting into high gear. Luckily, composting of organic material can help us reach our goals, because 37% of our landfilled waste is compostable. In other words, increasing organic waste diversion can be instrumental in helping our state reach our waste diversion goals, which in turn helps us to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and mitigate the impacts of climate change. Compost can also be a key component of improving soil health in order to create regenerative food systems and increase carbon sequestration potential in our landscapes.
As organic waste collection increases in Colorado communities across all sectors (residential, commercial and industrial), it is imperative that all stakeholders collaborate to develop best practices and guidelines specific to the Front Range and I-70 corridor waste-shed. In this project, Masters of the Environment candidates will work closely with the Compost Contamination Action Team (an initiative of the Colorado Compost Council) to examine the existing Washington State Organics Contamination Reduction report and toolkit, and use it as a template to design an updated toolkit specific to Colorado. David Fridland, Sustainability Manager at Eco-Products, a member of the Colorado Compost Council, will be the direct advisor for this project.
Through this hands-on, real world effort, candidates will contribute to the worthy goal of decreasing contamination in the compost stream and supporting communities that want to increase organic waste diversion from landfills.
Key words:
Organic waste management, landfill diversion, recycling and composting, food waste