Fort Collins is warming up with longer, sunnier days and Environmental Services is is looking forward to an exciting spring! This can be the perfect time for a fresh start, and to explore new ways to bring sustainability into our everyday lives.  

During your spring cleaning, think about creative ways to re-use products around your home, and recycle what you can. Waste diversion can be done in big or small ways. This newsletter focuses on ways we are working to divert waste from the landfill, and how you can too! This includes articles on: 

• Hard-to-recycle materials at the TRC with Ben Sumanis
• Updates on plastic pollution policy
• Yard trimmings - Divert material from the landfill in your own backyard 

March's OCF Action of the Month is all about finding new ways to reduce your plastic waste, so read on to learn more!  

Be sure to check out this month's events and opportunities, including a space to offer feedback on the Natural Areas strategic plan, and the newly published OCF Action website!

Didn’t participate in January? No problem! You can join anytime and still earn chances to win your choice of a mystery gift (a gift card may be an option ). 

This month's "Action of the Month" is to BE BRAVE and use a new reusable item or a reusable item you already have in a new place. Here are a couple of ideas: 

• Bring a reusable storage container when you go out to eat and fill it up with your leftovers
• Bring a reusable bag when you go on your weekend shopping spree 
• Say no to plastic silverware when getting takeout
• Bring a reusable water bottle on your spring hike 

Take a photo of yourself doing your goal and hold onto it – we’ll ask you to submit the photos later this spring. 

Curious about the sustainability initiatives currently taking place in Fort Collins? You’re in luck! We recently updated the Our Climate Future (OCF) in Action webpage which highlights the impactful work being done right here in our community!  

OCF in Action includes project highlights from each Big Move - the themes that the community laid out for a sustainable Fort Collins. It also features several initiatives funded by the new 2050 Sales Tax, which is already supporting key climate initiatives. 

Reducing plastic pollution is a City priority that focuses on preventing plastics from entering our waterways, parks, and neighborhoods. By reducing plastic pollution, we also reduce our exposure to chemicals that harm both human and environmental health.  

As a result of efforts from Environmental Services staff and City residents, plastic bags and Styrofoam® food containers are becoming less common ways to carry-out our favorite items. Less plastic entering circulation reduces the amount of plastic pollution in our community!  

A recent update to local ordinance in alignment with state regulations will expand requirements on bag policies to additional stores and restaurants in town. This may change the way you carry your products home.  

What does this look like in practice? Continue to carry your reusable bags to your favorite grocers and your favorite stores. Even though some small businesses are exempt from this update, reusable bags are accepted anywhere! 

Should you need, there is still an option to purchase recycled paper bags at participating stores. Funds from these bags support ongoing sustainability actions of both the business and the City.  

Spring is just around the corner, and if you have a yard, it is starting to wake up after a cold winter. Before you know it, your backyard gardens will be flourishing, and the leaves will be back on the trees! Wondering what you can do with your excess greenery? That’s what a yard trimmings cart is for!  

Yard trimmings carts are one way that organic materials can be diverted from landfills. Collected curbside, these carts are a convenient way to have lawn clippings, leaves, garden trimmings, small branches, twigs and untreated wood be broken down and re-used in a zero-waste model. This helps Fort Collins move closer to the goals outlined in Our Climate Future, including Big Move 2: Zero Waste Neighborhoods!  

I’m sure you’re wondering, is a yard trimmings cart the same as a food compost bin? The answer: No! They’re different, and here’s a tip to know where your materials can go:  

Yard trimmings carts are not the place for your food scraps. One trick to remember this is that if the materials were ever in the kitchen, they should be treated as compost, not yard trimmings.   

In Fort Collins, there are more facilities that compost yard trimmings than food scraps. Yard trimmings are less expensive to compost than food scraps, mainly because of the reduced risk of contamination in the carts. 

So, please be mindful of contamination, and be sure to separate your food scraps from the greenery in your yard trimmings cart!  

For more information about how to divert green materials from landfills, please click the link below!

Did you know that Fort Collins has a goal of being a zero-waste community by 2030, as part of Our Climate Future? Read more about Our Climate Future here. 

Know someone who shares your excitement for sustainability? Forward them this newsletter and invite them to subscribe to FoCo Environmental News to stay informed about our community's progress in climate action, clean air, and waste reduction. 

Environmental Services promotes sustainability in Fort Collins - driving programs, policies and partnerships to support a healthy and resilient community. Learn more about our work which supports the community's Our Climate Future framework.