Spur Change Data-Metrics

Knowing you cannot manage what you do not measure, this information is intended to provide progress towards the Routt County Climate Action Plan Waste Sector (CAP) strategies.

Waste Sector Strategies

Reduce the amount of solid waste disposed of in the landfill.
Increase waste diversion.
Support waste reduction initiatives at the State level.

The 2018 Northwest Colorado Waste Diversion Study categorized Routt County’s waste composition in the chart below. The study revealed that only 22.5% of the waste sorted represents garbage that could not be diverted.

Routt County is home to many programs that provide the opportunity to divert most of these materials from the landfill. Diversion programs include opportunities to donate used items, metals and aggregate recycling, traditional recyclables drop-off (Twin Enviro Services and WM) and curbside collection, zero waste events, organics drop-off and curbside collection (Cowgirl Compost CO, and Twin Enviro Services), and drop-off of hazardous and special wastes. For example, Yampa Valley Recycles Depot (The Recycles Depot) in Steamboat Springs is a partnership of Yampa Valley Sustainability Council, Routt County, and the City of Steamboat Springs. The Recycles Depot accepts hard-to-recycle materials such as electronics, lightbulbs, ballasts, batteries, mattresses/box springs, and ink printer cartridges. For more information about The Recycles Depot check out the 2022 Annual Report. To learn more about how and where to recycle, check out Yampa Valley Recycles Depot.

Steamboat Springs Waste Hauler Reporting Data

The following data metrics are aggregated from waste hauler tonnage reports. The tonnage data is divided into two sectors being residential and commercial, and includes major waste categories of trash, recyclables, and organics. The reported tonnages of waste were collected from within the City of Steamboat Springs by licensed local haulers in accordance with Ordinance 2871 of municipal code Chapter 19 Solid Waste.

For purposes of this report, residential is defined as single‐family homes or duplexes receiving curbside cart collection services and commercial is defined as multifamily residential triplexes or larger units and any non‐residential customer including but not limited to stores, hotels, markets, special events, offices, restaurants, warehouses, institutions, and community and government operations receiving waste collection services provided via roll-offs, dumpsters, and carts. The major categories of waste are defined as follows:

Recyclables consists of mixed paper, cardboard, plastic containers, glass containers, aluminum cans, steel/tin cans, scrap metal, aggregate, and contaminants.
Organics consists of some wood waste, food waste, and manure. Biosolids are not included in this data.
Household hazardous waste and hard to recycle materials that have been recycled appropriately are not included in this data.
Trash consists of all waste that is not diverted, even though some of this waste could potentially be diverted as recyclables, organics, household hazardous waste, or hard to recycle materials.

Waste haulers report their data quarterly. The following tables and charts illustrate:

current landfill diversion rate compared to 2030 and 2050 CAP goals. The diversion rate is calculated by dividing the total recyclables and organics tonnages by the total waste generated (trash, recyclables, and organics).
contamination rate of recyclables. The contamination rate is the weighted average of contamination as reported by all haulers. The contamination rate does not include contaminated loads of recyclables that were rejected in the field and collected as trash. This is because the contamination rate is calculated at the sorting facility. Anything that happens before the materials are sorted is not captured in this data.
waste generation by material type and sector.

Reporting Period	Q1 2023
Total Waste Generated	8,375.6 tons
Diversion Rate	32.5%¹
Contamination (*as measured at sorting facilities)	4.5%²
¹Increase largely due to aggregate and scrap metal recycling. ²Reduction in contamination due to increase in recycling tonnage without increased contamination