
Courtesy of Denver’s Department of Transportation and Infrastructure
The day your trash is collected in Denver will most likely change starting Jan. 3 — but it will vary by neighborhood.
What's happening: The city's transportation department announced new routes that will reduce trash pickups to four days and require 70% of Denver customers to set out bins out on a different day.
- The changes are expected to make pickup services more efficient, saving 62,000 miles driven and reducing fuel use and greenhouse gas emissions.
Why it matters: The tweak marked the first route alteration in at least 15 years, city officials tell Axios.
- The modifications come as a result of a growing population and a shortage of trash drivers. The city is working to fill 25 of its 131 positions with $2,500 signing bonuses, city spokesperson Vanessa Lacayo told Axios.
What they're saying: "When you have a route system that hasn't grown in 15 years and in a city that's grown by about 200,000 people … it made sense at this time to rethink how we can be more efficient," Lacayo said.
The bottom line: The changes are intended to equalize travel mileage among drivers, ensure more consistency of trash pickups and reduce transportation costs.
Explore the city's interactive map
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