Composting Facility Could Take 11 Years to Build, Frustrating Some Fort Collins Council Members

A planned municipal composting facility won't come online until 2032 at the earliest—more than a decade after Fort Collins City Council members first requested it—prompting frustration from councilors questioning whether the extended timeline conflicts with the city's climate emergency declaration.

Council Member Kelly Ohlson expressed dismay during the October 28 work session after staff presented a timeline showing a composting facility reaching operational status roughly 11 years after council initially prioritized improved composting and food waste management at a 2021 retreat.

"My head explodes," Ohlson said. "Rawhide took less time than that," referring to the coal-fired power plant near Wellington that required less time from conception to operation than the proposed composting facility.

The timeline presented by Environmental Services staff shows the composting pilot program running through the end of 2026, followed by a five to six-year development period for infrastructure that includes site selection, permitting, design, construction and regional partnership negotiations.

Pilot Program Sees Strong Community Participation

Fort Collins currently operates a composting pilot program through a partnership with local business Compost Queen, subsidizing residential and commercial food scrap collection to test community demand. The program has filled 480 of 600 available slots, demonstrating significant interest in organic waste diversion services.

The pilot, funded through the 2050 climate tax approved by voters in November 2023, provides deeply discounted rates for participants to试out composting services before the city commits to major infrastructure investments.

Jacob Castillo, chief sustainability officer, defended the measured approach during the work session, emphasizing the need to understand community behavior and demand before recommending a $15 million to $25 million capital investment to council.

"We want to understand how the community is going to act and operate and invest accordingly," Castillo said. "We want to do some learning, acting, learning and acting while we make some informed recommendations."

Regional Collaboration Adds Complexity

Staff indicated that developing a composting facility requires extensive coordination with Larimer County and potentially other municipalities to achieve economies of scale that would make the operation financially sustainable.

A feasibility study presented to council in April emphasized regional collaboration as critical to maximizing diversion rates and lowering per-resident costs. Fort Collins, Loveland and Larimer County have a history of joint waste management cooperation dating to 1972, when the entities established a jointly owned landfill.

Honore Depew, manager in Environmental Services, told council the timeline accounts for the complexity of regional infrastructure projects.

"Infrastructure takes a long time to develop," Depew said, noting that voters will decide November 5 whether to approve the Community Capital Improvement Plan, which includes $7 million toward the future composting facility.

Even with voter approval, the feasibility study indicates full project costs could range from $15 million to $25 million depending on facility scale and technology choices, requiring multiple funding sources and potentially years of budget planning.

Council Questions Urgency Given Climate Goals

The extended timeline drew sharp criticism from Ohlson, who argued the city's August 20, 2019 climate emergency resolution—which acknowledged a global climate crisis and reaffirmed Fort Collins' commitment to local action—demands faster progress on major emissions reduction strategies.

"We declared a climate emergency," Ohlson said. "This is our chance to actually do something. If we don't do anything, I think it's beyond embarrassing."

Fort Collins adopted its Our Climate Future plan in 2021 with ambitious targets including carbon neutrality by 2050. The plan identifies waste diversion as a key strategy, though buildings and transportation account for larger shares of community emissions.

The city has made progress on organic waste capture through its 2023 transition to single-hauler trash service, which included organic materials collection—the largest organics capture program in Fort Collins history, according to Castillo.

Mayor Jeni Arndt offered a different perspective, noting that composting remains largely a matter of personal responsibility that doesn't require city infrastructure.

"Composting is also personal responsibility. It doesn't have to be done by the city," Arndt said, referencing her mother's decades of home composting. "We have made big strides and it is complicated."

Infrastructure Plan Considers Multiple Funding Sources

The strategic funding plan presented to council shows composting facility development incorporating multiple revenue streams over the 15-year planning horizon, including 2050 tax dollars, potential state and federal grants, and enterprise fund savings.

Staff proposed a phased investment approach where the city would accumulate capital over several years before spending down reserves to construct the facility. Once operational, the facility would unlock additional policy levers including a community-wide collection program and potential regulatory requirements for businesses.

The November ballot measure, if approved by voters, would provide $7 million in Community Capital Improvement Plan funding as a down payment on facility costs, though staff acknowledge additional funding sources would be necessary to complete the project.

Grant Stump, lead specialist with Environmental Services, emphasized that the facility represents just one component of the city's broader waste diversion strategy, which includes continued education and outreach, pilot programs and eventual policy changes.

Colorado State University began campus composting in 1995, and Fort Collins mandated composting for large grocery stores generating significant food waste in 2016, demonstrating the city's incremental approach to organic waste management over nearly three decades.

The city received a grant in 2024 to identify pathways for composting infrastructure, and consulting firms are currently analyzing potential facility options as part of that assessment.

For information about the composting pilot program, residents can visit Compost Queen's website. The 2050 climate tax and Community Capital Improvement Plan information is available at fcgov.com.