FAQs

Broomfield City Council has directed staff to explore the Universal Collection in Broomfield. This includes gauging resident interest and their position of support and/or opposition. As a result, Broomfield staff is collecting resident feedback on the topic of Universal Collection and will share the feedback with Broomfield City Council in Spring 2023.

A Universal Collection program would change the current residential waste collection system from many licensed haulers to a single hauler or a few haulers assigned to different parts of Broomfield in order to increase efficiency, hold the preferred hauler(s) accountable for service levels, lower costs for residents who produce less trash, reduce road impacts and traffic. The contract would provide the city the option to obtain waste collection services at “bulk rate” prices for residents.

Volume-based pricing adjusts rates based on the trash cart size: the larger the trash cart the more it costs. With this model, households are incentivized to recycle as much as possible to be able to opt for the smallest size trash cart.

Some Universal Collection programs include curbside composting. This would help Broomfield reach our waste diversion goals and make it easier for residents to compost if they wish to. However, these services bring added logistical complications and may not be feasible to include in an initial Universal Collection program.

The community expressed interest in the city exploring a single-hauler trash option last year in the Community Survey (61% of Community Survey respondents answered "yes" to "If you do not have current neighborhood trash services, would you be interested in the city exploring a single-hauler option?" Broomfield City Council has directed staff to explore the Universal Collection in Broomfield. This includes gauging resident interest and their position of support and/or opposition.

Some of the expected benefits include:

• Lower costs for residents who produce less trash.
• Give more residents the opportunity to recycle
• Fewer trucks, reducing wear and tear on Broomfield roads
• Reduced air and noise pollution 
• Increased waste diversion
• Reduced greenhouse gas emissions

For comparison, the average monthly cost of similar services in Golden, Lafayette, and Louisville (all of which have a Universal Collection system with trash, recycling, and composting services), are as follows:

• Small Cart (32 gallons): $14.50/month
• Medium Cart (64 gallons): $24.59/month
• Large Cart (96 gallons): $34.77/month

January–March: The City and County of Broomfield is using a combination of focus group discussions, community events and a survey to solicit resident feedback on Universal Collection. 

• The feedback received will be used to inform City and County Broomfield staff and City Council on whether the Universal Collection program should move forward.  

April–May: City and County staff will make a recommendation to Broomfield City Council and then proceed pending Council direction.

State statute prevents apartment and condominium complexes with more than seven units from participating in the Universal Collection program. Apartment/condominium complexes with 7 or less units may be eligible but additional conversations and research are needed to determine whether these properties would be included in the Universal Collection program. 

The Universal Collection program is only for residential properties. Commercial properties would not be part of the program. 

HOAs can be included. Staff is conducting outreach and research to determine whether HOAs would be included in a Universal Collection program in Broomfield. 

If you have any questions about Universal Collection, please contact Garrett McDaniel, Sustainability Manager, at gmcdaniel@broomfield.org or 720-887-2249.