Superior’s New Waste Contract

Expiring Trash Contract & Historical Diversion Rate Challenges

Since 2008, the Town has contracted with a third-party vendor to provide waste collection service. We currently provide service to approximately 1,000 homes in the following neighborhoods: Original Town, Sagamore, The Ridge, Coal Creek Crossing, Downtown Superior, Calmante, Lanterns, Autrey Shores, and Rogers Farm.

The Town’s contract for waste collection service was set to expire at the end of 2024, so we worked throughout 2024 to perform community engagement and receive resident feedback, met with and received recommendations from our Advisory Committee for Environmental Sustainability (ACES), and ultimately, bid out a contract for services pursuant to the Town’s purchasing policy.

What we heard through this engagement process from residents was that they wanted more choice. Residents wanted the ability to be able to select the right-sized trash bin that would work for them. Not every residence in Superior is the same size and what works for a large single family home, might not work for a townhouse or condominium.

In addition, we also wanted to make progress towards the goals set forth in our Sustainability Action Plan (adopted in 2022). One way to make significant progress towards those goals was to increase our “diversion rate.” The diversion rate is the percent of our waste stream that we are diverting away from landfills through recycling or composting.

Communities along the Front Range vary in how much they divert away from landfills. As of 2023, Boulder diverts 52% and Loveland diverts almost 60%. For the past 10 years, Superior has only diverted about 25% of our waste on average. That’s one of the lowest diversion rates in the region… which is embarrassing for a community that cares about the environment.

One of the easiest ways to increase our diversion rate, and reduce the amount of waste we’re sending to landfills, is to increase composting. In fact, all of the top performing communities with the highest diversion rates in the State have composting as a part of their diversion plans.

Why is composting important? When organic waste decomposes in landfills without oxygen, it produces methane, a greenhouse gas far more potent than carbon dioxide (CO2) in trapping heat. Composting, on the other hand, occurs in the presence of oxygen, producing mostly CO2, which is less harmful. Composting also enriches soil, reduces the volume of waste in landfills, sequesters carbon in soil, and reduces the need for chemical fertilizers, by providing natural, nutrient-rich soil amendments.

New Town Trash Contract

The Town received a number of bids and on October 28, 2024, the Town Board approved a contract with Republic Services.

The Town’s previous contract with Waste Connections provided weekly garbage and recycling collection for $17.91 per month with 96-gallon bins. It also provided opt-in every other week composting, (in addition to weekly garbage and recycling) for a total price of $32.90 per month.

The Town’s new contract with Republic Services provides weekly garbage and recycling and also includes every other week compost collection (picked up by electric trucks). There is no longer a need to opt-in to composting. Residents will now be charged for services based on the size of garbage bin that they select (any size recycle/compost bins are included in the cost):

• 35-gallon garbage bin: $19.14 per month
• 65-gallon garbage bin: $30.58 per month
• 95-gallon garbage bin: $42.02 per month

Why did the Town move to a volume-based pricing structure? Implementing a volume-based pricing structure incentivizes residents to minimize waste and participate actively in recycling and compost programs. This approach is paired with offering residents flexibility to adjust trash, recycle, and compost bin sizes to fit their needs.

Why roll out composting to everyone? We know that composting is beneficial. Unfortunately, opt-in composting faces low participation rates, with factors like cost, inconvenience, and lack of awareness serving as barriers for entry. Removing these barriers to entry will increase composting in Superior, driving up our diversion rates, and ultimately move us closer towards achieving our Sustainability Action Plan goals.

Service for Town waste customers starts with Republic Services on March 31, 2025. Republic will deliver your selected new bins the week of March 24 and Waste Connections will pick up their bins that same week after your weekly service.

Impacts on Rock Creek Neighborhood

The new Town trash contract does not apply to Rock Creek, the Summit, or Saddlebrooke neighborhoods. However, on September 23, 2024, the Town Board did adopt an Ordinance establishing a single residential waste service provider area. This means that beginning on July 1, 2028, all areas of Town (including Rock Creek Ranch subdivision, the Summit at Rock Creek Subdivision, and the Saddlebrook Subdivision) will be serviced by the same residential waste services provider. We crafted the ordinance to be effective three years from now, on July 1, 2028, which allows for the current contract that the Rock Creek HOA has with Waste Connections to be fully performed.

Recently, the Rock Creek HOA has sent out some email correspondence to its membership about the Town’s decision to take-over trash service from the HOA. Unfortunately, the HOA’s email (and the survey included within) includes some inaccurate information as to the relevant rates that residents are paying. Specifically, the HOA inflated the price of the Town’s 65-gallon bins by 15% (representing the Town’s rate at $35.08 when it is actually $30.58) and then discounting the cost that the HOA charges for its opt-in composting by more than 33% (the HOA represents that composting services are available for $15* per month — when it currently costs anywhere from $15.00 to $22.50 depending on how long you’ve been a composting customer).

For those in Rock Creek who do not compost, according to the Rock Creek HOA, you pay $14.66 per month for trash and recycling with 95-gallon bins.  If we’re going to try to actually compare apples to apples, for those in Rock Creek opting-in to composting, you currently pay anywhere between $29.66 to $37.16 per month (depending on how long you’ve been a composting customer). Under the Town’s contract, you’d either pay $19.14 per month (35 gallon); $30.58 per month (65 gallon), or $42.02 per month (95 gallon)–as you can see, the price you’d pay would depend on the size of the trash bin you select. Also under the Town’s new contract, trash, recycling, and composting would be collected by quieter, more environmentally-friendly, EV trucks.

It’s important to note, however, that the Town has not yet agreed on trash services for Rock Creek, the Summit, or Saddlebrooke.  Adding over 3,000 additional homes in 2028 to the trash contract will affect the pricing and we should benefit from economies of scale, but this is subject to future negotiations. We also do not know what prices the Rock Creek HOA could potentially negotiate with Waste Connections (or any other vendor), if it were going to continue providing service to its members. While I applaud the Rock Creek HOA for their efforts to increase communication, it’s complicated when you try to compare the Rock Creek HOA’s contract price from several years ago, to the Town’s new contract that offers different levels of service and options, and then guess at what prices might be in the future.

Please note, when the Town negotiates the prices for waste services to include Rock Creek, the Summit, and Saddlebrooke in the future, this will be done in a public process, with the opportunity for residents to weigh-in on our decision. Cost will be a factor to consider in making our decision, but so will achieving our sustainability goals. Also, by the time 2028 rolls around, we will have had 3 years working with this new vendor and have a better understanding of their service levels and if they are a fit to roll-out to the entire community.

Upcoming Event this Weekend

The Town of Superior and Republic Services will host a free, family-friendly Touch-an-EV Truck event to celebrate the introduction of a new waste collection service featuring state-of-the-art electric vehicles (EVs). This event—open to all and featuring free sweet and savory crepes and hot drinks—offers a unique chance for kids and adults alike to explore, touch, and climb aboard these state-of-the-art mechanical marvels. Come learn how these new trucks generate less noise and pollution when out and about our community, and help us welcome Republic Services to Superior.

Touch-an-EV Truck Celebration
Saturday, March 15
11 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Superior Community Center
1500 Coalton Road