City of Denton: Solid Waste and Recycling and Wastewater Departments, Denton

The city of Denton is taking bold steps toward sustainability with its goal of diverting 30% of its total waste from landfills by 2030, as part of its Comprehensive Solid Waste Management Strategy. To achieve this, the Denton Solid Waste and Recycling (SWR) Department, in partnership with the Wastewater Department, launched the Commercial Organics Diversion Pilot Initiative. This program targets post-consumer food waste from local restaurants.

Restaurants in the historic downtown area benefit from a premium valet waste and recycling service that collects food waste for composting. Participating businesses are provided with indoor bins for food waste, which are then emptied into outdoor, lockable carts designed to prevent spills, scavenging, and pest issues. These smaller carts replace the large, unsightly dumpsters that previously cluttered the downtown area and attracted illegal dumping, including tires and bulky refuse.

Each day, the SWR Valet Team exchanges the filled carts for empty ones and delivers the food waste to Denton’s Pecan Creek Water Reclamation Plant for processing. At the plant, the food waste is ground into fine particles and injected into the aerobic digester, where it is processed. The resulting biosolid material is integrated into the city’s composting operations, producing valuable compost and methane gas.

This innovative approach not only reduces landfill waste but also supports the city’s sustainability goals, contributing to a cleaner, more efficient downtown. By transforming food waste into valuable resources, the city of Denton is leading the way in environmentally responsible urban waste management.