Building a Wasteless Colorado Springs
The City of Colorado Springs developed the Waste Diversion Action Plan to identify practical ways to reduce waste and expand recycling and composting services across the community. Building on the WastelessCOS initiative, this plan evaluates how waste is currently managed in homes, businesses, and City operations, and outlines strategies to make recycling and composting more accessible and effective. With input from residents, local businesses, and industry partners, the plan provides a roadmap for reaching a 37% community-wide diversion rate by 2045 – helping to create a cleaner, more sustainable Colorado Springs for future generations.
This project is funded by Colorado Circular Communities (C3).
A more sustainable future for our city
Colorado Springs is growing quickly, and with that growth comes more waste. Today, only about 16% of the community’s waste is recycled or composted – below the Front Range average. Much of what ends up in the landfill could actually be reused, recycled, or composted, including materials like cardboard, paper, food scraps, and yard debris.
The Waste Diversion Action Plan gives the City a roadmap to reduce waste, expand recycling and composting access, and make responsible disposal easier for everyone. By setting clear goals, improving infrastructure, and investing in education, the City can reach a 37% community-wide diversion rate by 2045, keeping thousands of tons of material out of landfills each year.
Reducing waste isn’t just good for the environment – it also benefits the local economy. The recycling and reuse industries in El Paso County already support more than 2,700 jobs and generate over $400 million in local economic activity. By strengthening recycling and composting programs, Colorado Springs can support local businesses, attract new investment, and help build a cleaner, more sustainable city for future generations.
What We Learned
To better understand what’s being thrown away in Colorado Springs, the City conducted a Waste Characterization Study alongside the development of the Waste Diversion Action Plan. Over two seasons, more than 9,000 pounds of trash and recycling from homes and businesses were hand-sorted to identify what could be kept out of the landfill.
What's in our waste
Over 75% of the city’s waste could be recovered or diverted from the landfill.
- 22% is recyclable, including cardboard, paper, glass, and cans.
- 25% is compostable, such as food scraps, yard debris, and paper products.
- 33% is potentially recoverable, including rigid plastics, textiles, and construction debris.
- Only 20% is non-recoverable with current technology
Contamination & recycling habits
- Nearly 1 in 4 recycling carts (27%) contained contamination, most often plastic bags, food-soiled items, or non-recyclable plastics.
- 42% of trash carts contained items that could have been recycled – most often cardboard and yard debris.
- Cleaner, more consistent recycling habits could significantly improve efficiency and reduce disposal costs.
Organics opportunity
- Food and yard waste make up the largest share of material still going to the landfill.
- Expanding composting programs would dramatically reduce disposal needs and help build a stronger circular system for the community.
What We Heard
Stakeholder Meetings
Stakeholder Meetings
As part of the WastelessCOS project, the City and RRS hosted four virtual stakeholder meetings – two for residents, one for businesses, and one for service providers – between October 14–22, 2025. These sessions gathered input on recycling access, organics, education needs, barriers, and opportunities to improve waste diversion in Colorado Springs. Additional written comments were collected from participants who could not attend live meetings.
Who Participated
- 58 residents (homeowners, renters, HOA members)
- 16 businesses & institutions (retail, manufacturing, universities, nonprofits)
- 23 service providers (haulers, recyclers, composters, processors)
Key Themes From Residents
Residents expressed strong interest in waste diversion but noted several barriers to full participation:
- Expand access & convenience: Desire for universal curbside recycling, more drop-off sites, and equitable access for multifamily and rural areas.
- Improve education: Confusion about accepted materials, inconsistent hauler guidelines, and lack of clear city-level messaging.
- Increase organics collection: High demand for citywide yard waste and food scrap programs; 39% already compost at home.
- Affordability matters: Cost is a major barrier for those without recycling.
- Distrust in the system: Many are unsure whether recycling is actually recycled.
- Leadership & visibility: Desire for city involvement through public-space recycling, school programs, and consistent messaging.
Key Themes From Businesses
Businesses shared operational, financial, and informational challenges:
- Contamination and staff capacity are top barriers to effective recycling.
- Costs (service fees, training, space constraints) limit adoption.
- Limited control – many businesses renting space depend on property owners for service decisions.
- Organics interest is high, but capacity to manage food scraps is limited.
Key Themes From Service Providers
- Education and contamination are ranked as the biggest barriers.
- Infrastructure limitations – current facilities may not meet the city’s future needs.
- Need for policy and enforcement (e.g., universal recycling ordinances, hauler licensing, commercial requirements).
- Funding & land access needed for new composting and recycling infrastructure.
- Open-market challenges: Fragmented hauler market reduces route efficiency.
- Improved public trust is essential for higher participation.
Citywide Residential Survey
To better understand resident perspectives on waste services and future opportunities, the City conducted a citywide residential survey from October 31 through November 21, 2025. After data review, 841 responses were included, providing results with a 99% confidence level and a ±5% margin of error for Colorado Springs.
The survey results show strong participation in recycling, with most residents citing environmental responsibility as a key motivator, but also reveal clear barriers related to cost, access, and confusion about what can and cannot be recycled. Residents expressed broad support for expanding recycling and organics programs - particularly yard waste and food waste diversion - as well as increased access to household hazardous waste and hard-to-recycle material drop-off options. Many respondents also emphasized the need for clearer, more consistent education and City-led communication to build trust and make waste diversion easier for all households.
Key Statistics from the Survey
- 69.6% of respondents want curbside yard waste collection.
- 50.4 % of respondents want curbside food waste collection.
- 39% of respondents already compost at home.
- 72.5% of respondents lack confidence that recycling actually gets recycled.
- 48.9% of respondents say recycling costs too much.
- 40.3% of respondents say it’s hard to know what can be recycled.
- 85% of respondents participate in Household Hazardous Waste (HHW) programs.
- 43% of respondents want more HHW drop-off locations.
- 72.1% of respondents want drop-off options for hard-to-recycle materials.
- Over 70% of respondents believe diverting electronics and hard-to-recycle materials is important
Frequently Asked Questions
If your question isn't answered below, contact COS-Sustainability.SMB@ColoradoSprings.gov.
What is the Waste Diversion Action Plan?
The Waste Diversion Action Plan is a 20-year plan designed to reduce waste and make recycling and composting services more accessible and effective. In addition to strategies and corresponding recommended actions, the plan includes a target to increase the citywide waste diversion rate from 16% to 37% by 2045.
Why did the City create this plan?
The City of Colorado Springs has experienced rapid population growth and is projected to become the state’s largest city by land and population by 2050. Colorado’s Front Range, of which Colorado Springs is a part, also has established an ambitious waste diversion goal of diverting 51% by 2036. Prior to conducting this study, Colorado Springs lacked comprehensive data and a clear roadmap to support its evolving waste diversion needs. Recognizing these challenges, the City secured funding from Colorado Circular Communities (C3) to support the development of a waste characterization study and action plan for both the community and government operations.
Does this plan change how my trash or recycling is collected today?
No, the plan does not create any immediate changes to how trash and recycling are collected. Rather, it provides a roadmap for improving recycling and composting services and resources over time. While this Plan does not change how recycling and trash are collected today, statewide policy, Colorado’s Producer Responsibility Program for Statewide Recycling Act, also referred to as Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR), will begin being implemented throughout the state of Colorado in 2026. EPR will cover 100% of the net costs of hauling and processing for recycling services provided to residents. For residents, this shifts the financial burden of recycling costs to the producers of packaging products, effectively enabling residents to receive access to recycling services as conveniently as trash, at no cost to residents.
What is the timeline for the plan?
The plan is a 20-year roadmap, including 2045 waste diversion targets by sector, key strategies, and corresponding recommended actions. Recommended actions will be implemented as funding and resources allow. Colorado Springs will regularly report on progress made.
What is EPR and how will it affect me?
Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) holds producers responsible for recycling and waste reduction efforts with the goal to shift the burden of recycling costs to producers from local governments and their constituents. Frequently referred to as EPR, Colorado’s Producer Responsibility Program for Statewide Recycling Act, House Bill 22-1355, was signed into law in 2022. This law requires companies that sell packaging and paper products to fund a statewide recycling system to recycle those materials. EPR will cover 100% of the net costs of hauling and processing for recycling services provided to residents. For residents, this shifts the financial burden of recycling costs to the producers of packaging products, effectively enabling residents to receive access to recycling services as conveniently as trash, at no cost to residents.
How does this plan impact costs?
The plan estimates annual fiscal impact of each recommended action to the City. The estimated cost to implement each strategy is the sum of the estimated cost of the corresponding recommended actions. Where applicable, it is noted which strategies and corresponding actions may be associated with additional staff time or capital costs. Please note that capital costs may be borne by Colorado Springs or the private sector, depending on how the strategy is implemented. Strategies requiring staff time also are noted.
Recommended strategies will be further evaluated for fiscal impact to residents and businesses prior to implementation.
What is a Waste Characterization Study?
To understand what residents and businesses are throwing away, the City of Colorado Springs partnered with Resource Recycling Systems (RRS) to conduct a waste characterization study. Over two seasons in 2024, more than 9,000 pounds of trash and recycling were sorted and analyzed. The results show big opportunities to keep valuable materials out of the landfill and move toward a cleaner, more sustainable city. To learn more, please read the Waste Characterization Study Fact Sheet or read the full Waste Characterization Study.
How does recycling and composting affect jobs?
The recycling and reuse industries in El Paso County support 2,709 jobs and contribute more than $412 million to the County’s total economic output. In total, the recycling and reuse market of El Paso County contributes one percent of total county employment and 0.3 percent of total economic output. Table 9 summarizes the direct, indirect, and induced economic contributions of the recycling and reuse industries in El Paso County.
How were residents, businesses, and community groups involved in developing this plan?
The project team hosted stakeholder meetings and conducted a residential survey to gather feedback on current services offered, participation, and opportunities for expansion of services and programs. In total, over 800 residents, 16 businesses, and 23 service providers participated in the stakeholder meetings and/or responded to the resident survey.
What were the most common issues and/or interest in new services raised by residents?
Access to Recycling
76.2% of residents want recycling collection provided with curbside trash collection for all
Organics
More than half of residents surveyed are in support of more organics collection service offerings.
Barriers to Recycling
72.5% of residents surveyed had low trust that materials are getting recycled.
Household Hazardous Waste and Hard to Recycle Materials
- 43% of meeting participants expressed interest in HHW drop-off locations.
- 72.1% of residents surveyed were interested in a drop-off facility for hard to recycle materials
Education and Outreach
Surveyed residents expressed interest in a variety of tools and resources ranging from an enhanced city website to in-person community outreach.
How can residents stay informed about progress and updates?
Progress on Plan implementation will be posted as available. Please check this page for updates.