One of the great perks of civilization is that other people come and haul away our garbage. And in Denver, residents haven’t had to even pay for that service, except through regular taxes.
But tough economic times have led city officials to consider tinkering with that perk as they try to make up a $120 million budget shortfall.
City Council President Jeanne Robb wants to start charging a monthly fee for trash service, and Councilman Chris Nevitt wants to engage in a complete overhaul of the system, including charging residents by the bag.
Eventually, residents may have to pay a fee for regular trash pickup.
It’s not easy to close a $120 million shortfall without somehow increasing revenue. But it doesn’t make sense to institute a fee to expand Denver’s garbage and recycling system, as Nevitt is proposing, in this economy.
About $24 million in general taxes, such as property taxes and sales taxes, now pays for garbage pickup, recycling and graffiti removal.
In a recent non-scientific (and demographically skewed) Internet survey, 40 percent of respondents favored a $10-a-month fee for garbage collection as a means of getting the city budget under control. (Respondents were nearly 80 percent white and 60 percent were women, though Denver’s population is 50 percent female, 55 percent white.)
Such a fee, the city says, would generate about $20 million a year.
Mayor John Hickenlooper doesn’t support adding a garbage fee in a recession, and we tend to agree.
No doubt seeking political cover, the mayor says the council ought to bring the monthly fee for garbage to a vote of the people. We can’t imagine such a ballot measure finding much support, but if the mayor wants to sell it, who knows?
Nearly half of the garbage hauled to the landfill in Denver is organic waste, such as lawn clippings and food scraps. If the city’s pilot program for composting, which is now funded through grants, could be extended citywide, Nevitt argues that future costs would decrease.
He wants a trash fee to help pay for that expansion, and we think it’s unwise to expand programs the city can’t even afford as it is.
It’s possible that some day composting could save the city money, but so far the program shows composting costs more than it makes.
The program expires in 2010 but merits further study, so we hope the city is looking for additional grants.
Nevitt raises some points that are worthy of future consideration, including nixing Dumpster collection in place of a “pay-as-you-throw” system to encourage waste reduction.
Denver officials are putting together a long-range plan, due out next year, that considers the full spectrum of pickups, recycling and composting. The council should wait for that study before moving toward a new fee, especially one that expands programs.
