What Is the Complete URCO Composting Compliance Checklist for Denver?

Ethan Babil
Aug 17
3 min read

Seven steps get a Denver property compliant: confirm coverage, calculate capacity in gallons, coordinate a City-licensed hauler, install containers and bilingual signage, train staff and educate occupants, build a Waste Diversion Plan, and open a records file.

The order is not arbitrary. Two of those steps carry nearly all the lead time, and doing them out of sequence is how properties end up buying the wrong service. This is the master checklist for every covered segment.

The master, cross-segment sequence from coverage check to audit-ready records.

Step 1: Confirm coverage

Establish whether the premises is covered and on what basis.

Multifamily: count dwelling units. 8 or more means covered. Townhomes and rowhomes holding their own account with Denver Solid Waste Management are excluded.
Food service: if the operation prepares, serves, or sells food, assume food waste producer status.
Hotels: covered, including in-house food operations.

Write down the basis. It becomes section two of your Waste Diversion Plan.

Step 2: Calculate capacity in gallons

URCO measures service capacity by volume under §2.29, not weight. Weekly capacity equals container volume times collection frequency.

Do this before you shop for service. You cannot evaluate a quote without knowing how many gallons you need, and vendors quoting in tons are describing something the ordinance does not measure.

Measure your actual volume across two to four weeks and size to your peak week, not your average. Full method: how URCO capacity is calculated in gallons.

Step 3: Coordinate a licensed hauler

The hauler must be licensed by the City and County of Denver. Verify it rather than taking a sales representative's word.

This is the longest lead item on the list. Contract negotiation, container delivery, and route scheduling can run two to six weeks. Start here once you have your gallons figure.

Step 4: Install containers and signage

Containers where the waste is generated, not where there happens to be room.

Every container needs identification. Accepted and prohibited materials signage goes on or adjacent to each container, in English and Spanish at minimum. Signage has to reflect what the processor actually accepts, which for Denver organics means food scraps and yard trimmings only.

Step 5: Train staff and educate occupants

Different work for different segments.

Multifamily: move-in materials, ongoing resident communication, porter and on-site staff training.
Food service: shift-proof training at prep line and dish pit, quick-reference cards, onboarding for new hires.
Hotels: cross-department, including banquet, housekeeping, and staff dining.

Deliver in English and Spanish. Document what went out and when.

Step 6: Build the Waste Diversion Plan

Denver has not published an official form, so build broad enough to satisfy any reasonable interpretation.

Nine sections: property and responsible party, covered status and basis, stream inventory, capacity in gallons, hauling arrangement, signage and labeling, education plan, contamination management, recordkeeping. Detail: what a Waste Diversion Plan needs.

Step 7: Open the records file

Service documentation, capacity figures, signage photographs, education records, contamination logs. Self-haul documentation retained one year.

Dated and specific. This is the file that answers questions during a cure period.

What is the quick self-audit version?

Nine questions. Any no is a gap.

Do we have organics collection on site?
Is our hauler licensed by the City and County of Denver?
Do we know our weekly organics capacity in gallons?
Does the container overflow between pickups?
Is every container labeled?
Is accepted-materials signage posted in English and Spanish?
Have staff or residents been educated this year, with records?
Do we have a current Waste Diversion Plan?
Could we produce the records file today?

What are the penalties for gaps?

Denver Municipal Code §48-47: $150 first citation, $500 second, $999 third and each subsequent, with each continuing day a separate offense under §1-13. Denver generally issues a notice of violation with a roughly 30-day cure period first.

Frequently asked questions

How long does the whole sequence take? A single-location cafe can be compliant in two weeks. A large apartment community or a full-service hotel takes considerably longer, driven mostly by hauler lead time and education rollout.

Can steps be done in parallel? Steps 4 through 7 can overlap. Steps 1 through 3 are sequential because each one feeds the next.

Do we need one checklist per property? Yes. Compliance is per premises.

What if we already have composting service? Start at step 2. Undersized capacity and missing documentation are the two most common gaps at properties that believe they are already compliant.

Run the checklist with us

Melly's Recycling is a Denver URCO compliance company, not a hauler. We run this entire sequence for covered properties: coverage determination, capacity in gallons, bilingual signage, staff and occupant education, the Waste Diversion Plan, and the records file. Hauling service is coordinated separately through licensed Denver haulers on a sealed-bid basis, with Melly's as the sole contracting party.

You finish what you started.

Request your free URCO compliance audit.