Metric Definition
This includes waste generated by all sectors of the community: residential, commercial, industrial, and municipal operations. A decrease in waste is a positive trend. The amount of waste is calculated from information reported to the City from waste haulers, the Larimer County Landfill (information about individual self-hauled material), and City departments that directly haul material to the landfill.
Why Is This Important?
To support the economy and provide environmental benefits, Fort Collins has set ambitious goals for landfill reduction. When materials are landfilled, their potential value as a commodity is lost and new natural resources must be harvested to make new products, rather than using recycled materials. Additionally, organic materials that could be composted, such as yard trimmings, generate methane, which is a potent greenhouse gas.
City Organization Impact on Performance
Medium – The City creates ordinances, educational programs and infrastructure such as the Timberline Recycling Center to foster materials being reduced, reused, or recycled rather than landfilled. The material landfilled from municipal operations represented 9% of the total amount landfilled from the community in 2017.
Benchmark Information
This metric is not benchmarked against other communities at this time.