Important new composting rules

On April 1, the composting rules for most of Colorado's collectors were changed after the state's largest compost manufacturer, A1 Organics, struggled to handle the large volume of contaminants that end up in its supply chain.

Now, Colorado residents should only put food and yard waste in their bins if they are serviced by A1 Organics. All packaging, paper, utensils, and other products that claim to be compostable or biodegradable must go in the regular garbage. According to Eco-Cycle and Western Disposal Services, entire compost truck loads containing anything other than food scraps and yard and plant trimmings will be refused by the compost manufacturer and landfilled.

"Our intention is to really clean up the compost stream, because we were experiencing quite a bit of contamination that was coming from a whole bunch of different sources," said Marti Matsch, Deputy Director of Eco-Cycle, Inc. "We found things that were definitely not on the composting guidelines, such as diapers, rugs, and latex gloves. There are some legitimate compostable products on the market, but unfortunately, there are a lot of companies that greenwash their products and make their customers believe that the product is compostable, when in actuality, it's not. In most cases, products that don't have the compost certification on them, also known as the DPI certification, means that their product has plastic in them."

Too many people were confused by labelings that read "biodegradable" or "plant-based," which led to these products getting composted and creating microplastic pollution in the soil.

Composting reduces the amount of waste poured into the state's landfills and reduces greenhouse gas emissions. As it grows in popularity, it's been challenging to keep the supply chain clean.

COLORADO NEW COMPOSTING RULES

What you can put in the bin:

As a general rule, if you can eat it or feed it to an animal, you can put it in your bin. That includes:

• Eggshells

• Coffee grounds

• Cereal

• Pretzels and chips

• Meat, raw or cooked

• Fruit peels and cores

• Chicken skins and bones

• Old leftovers from the fridge

• Small branches (Check with hauler for maximum size.)

• Grass trimmings and clippings

• Leaves

• Weeds

• Dead houseplants

What to leave out:

• Old dirt/soil

• Limbs and branches longer than two feet

• Pizza boxes

• Paper towels

• No packaging even if it says compostable

• Diapers

• Glass

• Trash bags, except for certain compostable-certified garbage bags

• All plastics

• Fruit and vegetable stickers