The Steamboat Springs City Council has directed city staff to update the municipal code to require residential trash haulers to charge customers based on the amount of waste they throw away — a move expected to reduce landfill waste and promote recycling across the community.

The decision, debated at council’s regular meeting on Tuesday, July 15, marks a turning point in how the city regulates residential waste disposal — a shift from ongoing deliberation over a “single-hauler” system to immediate action on volume-based pricing via strengthened hauler licensing requirements.

Community Recycling and Action Plan Coordinator Alicia Archibald, in tandem with consultants Coryanne Mansell from Resource Recycling Systems and Audrey Wheeler from Eco-Cycle, presented to council their findings on waste-hauling models used in Colorado. 

The city received no-cost consulting services from Resource Recycling Systems and Eco-Cyle through a statewide program called the Colorado Circular Communities Enterprise.

Wheeler described Steamboat’s current system as an “open market,” where customers independently select their hauler, leading to inconsistent rates among residents. 

Council and staff have debated two primary avenues for reform. 

One option is pursuing a single-hauler municipal contract, in which the city would issue a request for proposals, accept bids and contract with one hauler to serve the city, locking in prices and service requirements for residents — a method currently utilized in Hayden and Glenwood Springs. 

Alternatively, the city could update its enforcement code to require volume-based pricing through its existing licensing process for haulers. 

A municipal contract could theoretically reduce costs for residents due to group rates, ensure every household pays the same for the same service and regulate additional services like composting. 

“The city of Fort Collins actually did a study before they moved to a municipal contract for hauling where they found that pricing varied greatly for trash and recycling services,” said Wheeler. “Some residents in Fort Collins were paying $6-22 more per month for the exact same services as their neighbors.” 

“Even in the same location with the same hauler, prices were really varying a lot,” Wheeler added. “A city contract can get rid of that and make sure that everyone is paying the same amount for the same services.”

This approach, however, could also introduce challenges — administrative burden for city staff, the need for full-scale competitive bidding and public concern over opt-out fees required by state law. 

The process itself could “take anywhere from 18 to 24 months,” Archibald told council, with significant time needed to draft the RFP, attract bidders, review proposals and negotiate a final contract.

Archibald ultimately recommended the simpler, swifter option: amending Steamboat’s hauler license rules to require volume-based pricing. 

“The recommendation of staff is for the next step to be really making that hauler licensing a little more robust by requiring volume-based pricing through the hauler licensing,” she said. 

“Basically, you pay more based on the amount of trash,” Archibald explained. “If you have a 95-gallon cart of trash, 95 recycle, maybe you pay $80 a month. If you have a 65-gallon cart of trash, and 95 recycle, maybe you pay $50 a month. So it’s based on the volume of trash, and the recycling stays the same.”

The new policy is expected to enhance local recycling rates and help residents “use their money to recycle more, landfill less,” she added. 

“Apex has also gone to volume-based pricing,” said Councilor Steve Muntean following the presentation. “They have the 95 and the 65, correct?” 

“Yes, they’ve opted to do that as a part of the way they do business,” she confirmed. “The difference might be, if we set in a license that we want three service levels, that would be different.”

Public comment from Caitlin Farkas, waste diversion coordinator for the Yampa Valley Sustainability Council, as well as Scott Lukach, president of Apex Waste Solutions, provided strong support for the new direction. 

“We at the YVSC acknowledge the city’s efforts to advance its waste-diversion goals, and particularly support the intention to integrate volume-based pricing,” said Farkas. “We recommend that however you proceed … volume-based pricing be included as previously directed.” 

Farkas added that she operates the Yampa Valley Recycles Depot during its open hours and described her frequent interaction with members of the public, noting a local receptiveness to volume-based pricing. 

“There’s an important residential base in Steamboat that would be glad to participate in a program that helps them save money by recycling more,” she said.

Lukach supported the city’s move to “pause the single-hauler and really explore the other components.” 

Apex, which took over Twin Enviro’s regional service a year ago, has already implemented variable rate pricing and restructured recycling collection to improve consistency. 

“One (change) was a variable rate, which we did once we put the businesses together,” said Lukach. “The re-route and getting consistency in terms of recycling collection … is already helping.”

The new mandate also aligns with Steamboat’s climate targets. 

Volume-based pricing is linked to higher diversion rates in leading Colorado communities such as Aspen, Durango and Fort Collins, said Farkas, who mentioned the city’s target to raise its current 14% municipal solid waste diversion rate and achieve the Climate Action Plan goal of 46% diversion by 2030.

City staff and partners also pledged to prioritize public education and outreach — critical for the transition’s smooth rollout. 

“Many clients ask me questions about what can be recycled, which is itself an illustration of the need for clear, cohesive and consistent education to the public,” said Farkas.

With this shift in policy, Steamboat joins several other Colorado communities reconsidering how to manage household waste, choosing a path that aims to tie costs to consumption and support citywide recycling efforts.

With direction provided from council, city staff will now go about updating the municipal code before returning with the revised code for a council vote.