Greening Our Fleet with Renewable Natural Gas
Western’s collection vehicles log more than 1.5 million miles annually, and reducing the climate impact of those miles is among our top priorities.
Essential Tips to Recycling Like a Pro
Recycling right is the key to maximizing its benefit; understanding what can be recycled locally keeps the materials stream clean and marketable. There are items in the “NO” section of our local guidelines that are recyclable in other areas. This is because each recycling center employs a unique mix of equipment and processing methods, which…
Put the Brakes on Food Waste
By any measure, the amount, impacts, and lost opportunity of our food waste are enormous. The USDA estimates that 133 billion pounds of food at the retail and consumer level goes uneaten; in a country where 12 % of households, and 1 in 3 Coloradans, lack consistent access to adequate food. Wasted food represents 22%…
Compostable vs. Biodegradable – What’s the Difference?
Many of our customers are confused by the wide variety of products that claim to be either compostable or biodegradable and whether these products can go into a compost container. These terms do have a key difference that impacts their disposal. For an item to be considered compostable, it must be able to break down…
Spotlight: Greens Point Catering
The event industry, and by extension catering, was one of the hardest hit during the pandemic. With a ‘Stay at Home’ order enacted early on, and gatherings limited to 10 people, business evaporated almost overnight. It’s somewhat ironic then that Bridget Nannen, owner and founder of Greens Point Catering located in Longmont, reflects on the…
Compost Contamination Threatens Viability of Local Program
We’ve all heard the adage “small actions can make a big difference”. Unfortunately in the case of our local composting program, small actions of carelessness and indifference are wreaking havoc, contaminating the compost material stream and threatening the program’s very existence. A1 Organics, one of the only processors in the region that accepts food waste…
Disposable Bag Fee Going State-wide
The city of Boulder’s disposable bag fee, in effect since July 2013, is charged on all plastic and paper checkout bags at all food stores in the city. Revenue from this fee, which generates approximately $240,000 annually, is earmarked for programs related to keeping single-use bags out of the waste stream. It funds numerous local…
Boulder & Broomfield County Mattress Recycling
An estimated 55,000 mattresses and box springs are discarded each day in the US, resulting in 450 million pounds of waste annually and filling more than 100 million feet of landfill space. Spring Back Colorado, Western Disposal’s partner in mattress recycling, located in Commerce City and serving counties in the Mountains and across the Front…
Convenient Recycling for Hard to Recycle Materials
There is huge opportunity to recycle items that cannot go into your curbside bin. Often referred to as ‘hard-to-recycle’, these items are typically heavy, bulky or require special handling or disposal. Accessibility and convenience are key to increasing recycling participation, and when designing our new Materials Management Center (MMC), located at 2051 63rd Street in…
A Circular Economy
A circular economy approach changes the very system of value creation and consumption, transitioning beyond the goal of diverting waste to maximizing resources and reducing the overall amount of waste being created.
