Western Disposal – Boulder County, Colorado
Western Disposal is a local, family-owned business in Boulder County that provides trash, recycling, and compost collection services to residential and commercial customers throughout Boulder, Broomfield, and neighboring counties. In addition to the standard hauling services, Western Disposal also offers construction waste sorting and recycling, giving contractors, builders, and homeowners an avenue to meet LEED, BuildSmart, and City of Boulder construction waste recycling requirements.
Prior to receiving a FRWD grant in 2021, Western Disposal sorted and recycled construction waste manually. However, they saw an increasing need to grow their construction waste sorting operation, as more communities in the Front Range move toward higher waste diversion goals and encourage or require sustainable deconstruction. Western Disposal received a $338,084 FRWD grant to partially fund a semi-automated C&D waste sorting system along with the first year of expected operating expenses.
The construction waste sorting conveyer system helps increase efficiency not only for Western Disposal but also for the contractors that are actively involved in construction and deconstruction projects. They can now comingle waste material in one roll-off container instead of separating material into multiple containers, saving space and time. Western Disposal separates and recycles clean wood, scrap metal, cardboard, and aggregates (concrete, bricks, asphalt, pavers, and porcelains).
In 2021, when the company was still sorting construction waste material by hand, they were able to divert 24 percent of what came to their facility, which was approximately 225 tons of material. So far in 2022, after the construction waste sorting conveyer came online, the company has diverted 62 percent or approximately 740 tons of C&D material. The increase in efficiency and tons diverted is a direct result of the FRWD grant funding. Western Disposal’s Community Relations Manager, Kathy Carroll, also uses the center to educate the public; she has led approximately 400 people on educational tours through the center.
According to Kathy, opening the center has helped the company do what it has always set out to do – serve its local community by helping people responsibly manage their waste, regardless of what it is.