Denver's trash program will get a full cost study in 2027. Here's how the Council voted to create it

As the City Council heads toward its final 2027 budget vote on Nov. 9, Mayor Mike Johnston has agreed to a 2027 study of Denver's volume-based trash program and what it really costs, after the City Council asked for one in its budget letter, CBS Colorado reported. The Council wants a committee presentation by mid-2027.

Why it matters: the program charges households by trash cart size, and the fees do not cover the cost of service. Rates are likely to rise whether the city keeps collecting trash or contracts it out, the head of the Department of Transportation and Infrastructure told the Council in September, Colorado Politics reported.

The numbers

According to Colorado Politics' account of the Sept. 22 and 24 budget hearings:

• Trash service charges bring in about $33 million a year.
• Trash collection costs about $42.9 million, not counting the trucks.
• The 2027 budget includes a $6 million General Fund subsidy for the program.
• Monthly rates run from $9 to $21, depending on cart size. Recycling and compost are included.

Transportation Executive Director Amy Ford said a rate study is required by 2027 and that the program is "not on the edge of being in the black," according to the report.

What Council members have said

Council member Amanda Sawyer of District 5 is leading the push. At the Sept. 22 hearing she called the program "an absolute abject failure" and "a drain on our resources" (video). She also told CBS Colorado, "I wish I had voted no on volume-based trash," and asked the department to study full or partial privatization of trash, recycling and compost collection.

Council member Amanda Sandoval of District 1 also backed privatization at the hearings, saying she was tired of calls about missed trash, Colorado Politics reported. Sandoval also objected to crews working on some civic and cultural holidays; a department spokesperson said the Solid Waste team overwhelmingly supported working them, according to the report.

What our records add: the 2022 vote

The Council created the current system on June 27, 2022, when it passed an ordinance that dropped the separate compost fee and set volume-based pricing for trash, with recycling and composting at no extra charge (bill). It passed 8-5 (roll call).

Seven of today's members were on the Council then:

• Voted yes: Chris Hinds, Paul Kashmann, Amanda Sandoval, Amanda Sawyer and Jamie Torres.
• Voted no: Kevin Flynn and Stacie Gilmore.

The other yes votes came from Kendra Black, Jolon Clark and Robin Kniech, and the other no votes from Candi CdeBaca, Chris Herndon and Debbie Ortega, all since departed. Before the final vote, the Council took up four floor amendments; one passed and three failed, the city's records show.

Other recent trash votes. In July, the Council approved a contract with HEF-P Denver for six electric solid waste trucks and charging equipment, 26-0955. In September it approved moving a citywide trash removal contract from BDKC Holdings to 5280 Waste Solutions, 26-1290.

Monday's budget amendments. None of the amendments the Council took up Monday night would have changed the trash subsidy (meeting). Both versions of Shontel Lewis's Denver Day Works amendment would have taken $50,000 from two other Solid Waste lines, the graffiti program and Keep Denver Beautiful (text). The Denver Gazette did not list Day Works among the amendments approved, as our results story explains.

The department's staffing. The transportation department's filled positions fell from an average of 451 in 2024 to 377 this year, about 16%, Colorado Politics reported.

What's next

• 2027: The city studies the program's full cost of service and shares the results with the Council in committee, according to the mayor's response reported by CBS Colorado.
• Mid-2027: The Council's requested committee presentation.
• The 2022 rates were set by ordinance in the city code, so a rate change would come back to the Council as a bill. None has been filed.