Boulder-ing Towards Beautiful Bins

Supriya Ambwani
Sep 6, 2018 · 4 min read

I just got back from the sunny land of chill: COLORADO!!!!!! My favourite Bay Stater, Celine, and I spent five glorious days feasting on farm-fresh peaches, nourishing our souls with regular doses of margaritas, and mangling our toes whilst hiking. As true urbanites, we spent hours drinking in the views from the Denver light rail and the city’s surprisingly pleasant buses before heading to Boulder’s world-famous… strip malls! Ugly, highway-driven development at the periphery of Boulder aside, we fell in love with its exceptional hiking trails, mountain views, and inherent funkiness.

Outside Union Station in Denver at the weekly Farmers’ Market (1 September 2018)

The most incredible thing about Boulder, however, was the ubiquity of public compost bins in the city. In New York City, waste in public places is thrown into three types of bins: trash; paper recycling; and metal, glass, and plastic recycling. It is still rare to find recycling bins in many neighbourhoods, forcing sidewalk-users to throw all their waste into single trash cans which are then carted off to landfills. Even in areas with all three bins, it is obvious that New Yorkers, well, suck at separating their waste.

At the Red Rocks Amphitheatre (1 September 2018)

Boulder, on the other hand, has some wonderfully designed bins which separate waste into three categories: trash, recycling, and compost. The detailed labels made me sigh in pleasure. In the limited time I spent there and the few neighbourhoods I visited, I noticed people taking great care to put their waste in the correct bins. For example, at a street festival that we visited, I watched a harried-looking mother speaking into a headset while shepherding two whining children and juggling multiple food and beverage containers. She stopped in front of a bin and, with as much ease as a New Yorker throwing a Styrofoam box into a trash can without breaking stride, took the containers apart, dumped the food waste and soiled paper into the compost bin, and threw the containers in the recycling. I wanted to applaud at her dedication to the environment but then I looked around and noticed that EVERYONE was doing the same. Young people, old people, tourists, bikers, acrobats… Waste separation is not rocket science! Public behaviour can be changed! That is why I call bullshit on New York City’s refusal to enforce better waste separation practices.

At the Chautauqua Trailhead, Boulder. Notice how well it is sealed to keep wildlife out (3 September 2018)

According to the City of Boulder’s website, 51% of its waste was recycled, composted, or reused in 2017. In comparison, New York City’s residential waste diversion rate was 17%. Boulder acknowledges that it has a long way to go before it reaches the likes of San Francisco (and many other cities around the world). However, as of now, it appears to be doing a great job. We saw compost bins everywhere — in bar bathrooms, on Pearl Street, in the library, at street fairs, outside a tea factory… I was in waste management heaven. Although we saw a few public compost bins in Denver, they were definitely not as common as in Boulder- of course, this does not include residential waste separation.

Makeshift bins at a street fair in Boulder (3 September 2018)

Finally, for those who are skeptical about public compost bins because of the smell — I made it a point to sniff every bin I saw (stop judging — smelling garbage is part of my job) and was floored by the absolute lack of odours. If only I could have those bins outside my window instead of the piles of festering garbage that make my apartment smell like Fresh Kills in 2000!

A bin on Pearl Street with a street performer balancing on a pile of chairs in the background (3 September 2018)
Bathroom composting (for items like used paper napkins) under the sink in a bar in Boulder (3 September 2018)
Countertop compost bin in a coffee shop in Boulder (4 September 2018)
Compost bins at the Boulder Public Library. I love the detailed signs all over the city which make it easier to know what to throw in each bin (4 September 2018)
At the Celestial Seasonings Tea Factory in Boulder (5 September 2018)

Supriya Ambwani

Written by

Helping New York City Stop Destroying the Planet with Waste via Terreform's New York City (Steady) State Project.

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