<\/p>\n
Even though recycling is on the rise regionally, consumers in Southwest Colorado are sending more trash to landfills than they were in 2007.<\/p>\n
For example, WCA Waste, which operates the Bondad Landfill, has seen an almost 7 percent increase from 243,487 cubic yards of garbage in 2007 to 260,528 in 2015, according to the Southwest Colorado Index Report.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s definitely room for improvement,\u201d said Donna Graves, who helped edit the report for Region 9 Economic Development District of Southwest Colorado.<\/p>\n
On average, each person in Southwest Colorado is producing 5.9 pounds of trash a day, which is a more than a third higher than the national average of 4.4 pounds per day.<\/p>\n
However, recycling programs in both Cortez and Durango have seen a boost in participation.<\/p>\n
Cortez has improved collection, diverting 687,655 pounds in 2007 and 855,690 pounds in 2015. Plastic recycling began last year in Cortez.<\/p>\n
These facilities have increased collections even though revenues from the sales of plastics, metals and other recyclables have fallen sharply. These declines and a volatile market has made it hard for haulers to budget, but it may be positive in the long term, said Juri Freeman, president of the Colorado Association for Recycling.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think it will make recyclers more efficient,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
While facilities are collecting more materials, the region as a whole is diverting only 14 percent of the materials that could be recycled.<\/p>\n
Organic materials make up 37 percent of what is hauled to landfills locally, according to an audit by the Southwest Colorado Council of Governments.<\/p>\n
While many municipal landfills don\u2019t compost, the Montezuma County Landfill has seen success composting yard and human waste for a little over a year, and it plans to expand into food waste next year, said Shak Power, the landfill manager.<\/p>\n
Food-waste produces both methane and leachate, the liquid that can accumulate at the bottom of a landfill.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf you don\u2019t produce any leachate because you keep the organics out, you are one step further ahead,\u201d Powers said.<\/p>\n
He expects to target supermarkets and casinos because they are the biggest producers of food waste. The Durango Recycling Center diverted 19 million pounds in 2015, up from 7 million pounds in 2006. In addition to serving La Plata County, the center takes material from private companies in Montezuma and Archuleta counties.<\/p>\n
The city of Durango\u2019s single-stream collection has helped keep more material out of the landfill, Graves said.<\/p>\n
\u201cDurango has really made it simple to recycle,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
In Durango, David Golden recently launched Table to Farm Compost, and his business could potentially divert about 100 cubic yards of material from about 400 households.<\/p>\n
But Golden expects it may take time to attract that many customers.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have room to grow for sure. \u2026 We\u2019re not diverting tons of food waste, but some,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Fort Lewis College has diverted between 45 to 50 tons of food from the Student Union annually over the last three years, said Rachel Landis, coordinator of the environmental center.<\/p>\n
At this point, the composter cannot handle more food annually, but the college is still throwing food away.<\/p>\n
To further reduce waste, the college plans to work with Sodexo, the college\u2019s food service provider, to meet student demand without producing excess, she said.<\/p>\n