Denver residents could see their trash bills climb as the city's collection program runs about $9.9 million short each year, prompting at least two city councilmembers to argue it's time to hand the job to private companies. The Department of Transportation and Infrastructure collects about $33 million annually in trash service charges, but spends $42.9 million on collection alone, not even counting the cost of maintaining its fleet of trucks.
That gap is why Denver trash rates will likely increase to keep the program solvent, according to the Denver Gazette. The program is also set to lean on the city's General Fund for a $6 million subsidy next year just to stay afloat. Right now, Denver households pay between $9 and $21 a month depending on their cart size, rates the Gazette reports are the lowest among major cities that use a quality-based pricing structure for trash pickup.
Two Councilmembers Push for Outsourcing
Councilmembers Amanda Sawyer and Amanda Sandoval have both called for privatizing Denver's trash pickup, according to the same report. Sawyer made her case for the change in east Denver, while Sandoval backed the idea in northwest Denver and criticized missed pickups.
Sandoval has also taken aim at a separate issue affecting the roughly 200-person solid waste management team: a schedule that requires crews to work through several civic and cultural observances. She called the holiday work schedule unacceptable, and said long-serving trash employees have left the department to work for neighboring cities, according to her account relayed in the Gazette's reporting.
Why the Holiday Schedule Exists
The practice of working through holidays started in 2025, and DOTI's solid waste crews now observe six holidays on the job, including MLK Day, Sí Se Puede, Juneteenth and Indigenous Peoples Day, per the Gazette. Workers receive overtime pay for working a holiday, and the report notes the solid waste team overwhelmingly supported the arrangement, even as Sandoval objects to it. The crews otherwise work four 10-hour days per week.
Amy Ford said a trash rate study is required by 2027. No specific rate increase, effective date, or new fee schedule has been announced.
A Budget Squeezed on Multiple Fronts
The trash program's financial strain is unfolding against a broader staffing contraction at DOTI. Transportation staffing fell from an average of 451 filled positions in 2024 to 377 this year, a decline of about 16%, even as the department has proposed a $56.5 million staffing budget for 2027. Citywide, Denver eliminated 957 positions while balancing its 2026 budget, with about 80% of those cuts coming from vacant roles and 20% from layoffs, while Mayor Mike Johnston's proposed budget calls for no further layoffs or furloughs.
Denver's General Fund revenue has been choppy in recent years: it dropped 9.4% in 2020, rebounded 12.1% in 2021, then grew 9.3% in 2022, 4.3% in 2023 and 2.3% in 2024, before declining 0.1% in 2025. The city expects only 0.2% growth this year, and projects $1.684 billion in General Fund revenue next year, about $17.5 million or 1.1% above this year's total. Personnel costs make up 70% of the proposed budget, with public safety accounting for 37.2% of spending. Denver City Council plans to vote on Johnston's proposed 2027 budget next month.
How Denver Compares
Nationally, Americans typically pay between $20 and $50 per month for garbage collection, according to a Dropcurb study cited by the Gazette, underscoring how far below the market Denver's current rates sit. Privatizing government services remains a subject of debate, with arguments on both sides. Whether Denver would benefit from privatization, or which private companies might bid on the work, remains uncertain.
