Zero Waste

The Town collaborates with local businesses, organizations and other municipalities in the region to provide opportunities for residents to responsibly dispose of materials and keep them out of the landfill. Policies, programs and initiatives to improve waste diversion have taken place in Superior for over 20 years with the support of regional partners. These efforts include the development of a yard waste collection facility, participation in an intergovernmental agreement with the Boulder County Hazardous Materials Management Facility (HMMF), household hazardous waste and hard-to-recycle collection events, education and programming in Superior schools, a dog waste compost program, and zero waste infrastructure at Town facilities.

While large strides have been taken on the Town’s path to zero waste, many opportunities exist to increase the town-wide diversion rate, refine data collection and management processes around waste diversion, and improve the programs and services offered to residents in an equitable and affordable manner.

Waste diversion is the process of keeping waste out of the landfill through reducing consumption, recycling, reusing and composting. Waste diversion keeps our landfills from expanding and reduces the impact on the landscape. A waste diversion rate represents how much waste is diverted from the landfill through the different strategies mentioned above.

Opportunities exist at multiple phases of a products life to reduce waste, extend product longevity and improve reuse and recovery potential. Zero Waste takes a systems approach to eliminating wasteful practices, developing reuse systems, recycling, and composting, to maximize the best use of resources that can then be reinvested in the local economy to create more income, wealth and jobs for residents. Each phase of the Zero Waste Cycle reduces negative health and environmental impacts and adds value to our economic and natural systems. The strategies in this plan address each phase of the Zero Waste Cycle through various mechanisms including education, incentives and policies.