Denver restaurant owners and other businesses are preparing for new recycling and composting requirements that take effect Sept. 1 under the city’s Universal Recycling and Composting Ordinance. The ordinance requires restaurants to provide recycling services front of house and back of house, and composting services in the back of house, as well.
Multifamily residential buildings, permanent events, and construction and demolition projects are also covered under the new rules. The City and County of Denver hosted a resource fair at McGregor Square to answer questions from business owners concerned about what it takes to comply with the ordinance.
Kelsie DeFrancia, a senior administrator with Denver’s Office of Climate Action, Sustainability, and Resiliency, said the ordinance is focused on keeping valuable materials out of landfills. “Restaurants, for example, are going to be required to provide recycling, front of house, back of house, and then back of house also have to have composting services,” DeFrancia said.