What We Do

Policies and infrastructure investments that advance composting and build soil health will benefit all Coloradans. Diverting organic matter from landfills, and applying resulting soil amendments like compost, mulch, digestate and biochar presents huge opportunities for our state, including:

• Improving soil health and increasing flood, drought, and fire resilience.
  • Adding nutrients and organic matter to soils, which helps rebuild soil health to support nutrient-dense crops and grasses.
  • Improving the soil’s ability to absorb and retain water, which reduces irrigation needs and decreases fire risk.
  • Filtering stormwater runoff and prevents topsoil erosion from flooding and high winds.
• Helping mitigate climate change
  • Composting is more cost-effective than other climate solutions per ton of GHG reductions.
  • Diverting organics from landfills reduces emissions of methane, a greenhouse gas (GHG) 83 times more potent than CO2.
  • Applying compost supports plant life, which draws carbon out of the atmosphere, sequestering it in the soil.
• Strengthening local circular economies
  • Making and using compost creates five times more jobs per ton of material than landfilling.
  • Compost can be made and used close to the communities that generate the material, supporting local composting businesses and agriculture.
  • Using locally sourced compost in public works and other municipal projects can save Colorado communities money.
• Addressing local community priorities
  • Reducing food insecurity by directing edible food to hungry people.
  • Diverting organics from landfills extends the life of existing landfills, saving communities tremendous costs.
  • Meeting resident and business demands for access to composting and compost.
  • Applying compost reduces the need for synthetic fertilizers, pesticides, and herbicides, which, in turn, reduces chemical run-off.

Colorado is taking strides to expand organics diversion and compost use, but there is more work to be done! We ask State and local government leaders to take action by:

1. Prioritizing goals for greenhouse gas reduction, responsible water use, and waste reduction. Turning organic discards into soil-building compost helps achieve these and other goals.
2. Adopting policies to expand composting capacity and use. Multiple Colorado jurisdictions require diversion, expand access to composting services, and/or require the use of compost in landscaping. State agencies such as CDOT require the use of compost in infrastructure projects.
3. Supporting programs that provide funding and technical assistance like Colorado Circular Communities (C3), and Saving Tomorrow’s Agricultural Resources (STAR), as well as local efforts that expand capacity, programs, and education.
4. Partnering with the Colorado Composting Council, composting businesses and community composters to develop and implement organics diversion and compost utilization programs statewide.