The City of Denver recycles only 18 percent of waste generated by single-family homes and apartments with less than seven units and many residents in large apartment complexes have no access to recycling bins, according to a new report.

The city’s recycling rate is “abysmal,” according to a study by Colorado Public Interest Research Group, a consumer watchdog nonprofit, and Eco-Cycle, a nonprofit recycler.

The report, released on Monday, came as hundreds of civic leaders gathered at the Downtown Denver Sheraton for the city’s annual Sustainable Denver Summit.

Denver Recycles, the City and County of Denver’s recycling arm, didn’t return a call for comment about the report.

“When it comes to recycling, there is little to celebrate,” said Danny Katz, CoPirg director. “Denver has one of the worst recycling rates in the country, and many of the city’s current policies make it difficult for residents to do the right thing.”

The problem? Not enough purple recycling bins for the number of residents and a monthly charge of about $10 to pick up green composting bins that hold organic waste like leaves, grass clippings and food scraps.

Currently one-third of Denver’s housing stock is made up of apartment complexes with eight or more units, but unlike smaller apartments, those properties are not required to provide residents with recycling or composting services, the report said.

“Apartment residents should have the same services as those in households,” said Kate Bailey, of Eco-Cycle, who co-authored the report.

The city also requires residents to pay approximately $10 per month fee to pick up compost, even though roughly half the waste in residential trash bins is food scraps and other organic material.

The report recommends that Denver “provide composting service to single-family homes at no additional charge.”

The report also recommends the city:

Provide financial incentives to recycle and compost. “Those who waste more, should pay more.”

Set a zero waste goal, which would lead to roughly 90 percent of waste being reused, recycled or used in manufacturing.

Create a plan to double its business recycling rate by 2020. Currently businesses provide a large portion of Denver’s general fund through property taxes, but they must hire private haulers to provide recycling services. “Businesses subsidize residents, resulting in a price system that encourages residents to throw it all away,” the report said.

At least seven other Front Range cities are far ahead of Denver by providing residents with comprehensive recycling and composting programs that have boosted local recycling rates as high as 54 percent, the report said.

Boulder, Louisville, Longmont and other Colorado cities, have recycling rates that are two or three times higher than Denver’s, according to the report.

Denver is also behind Salt Lake City, Utah; Charlotte, N.C.; Austin, Texas, and other cities of similar size that have municipally-run trash and recycling services. Those cities have recycling rates that are twice that of Denver’s 18 percent.

The city has recently added routes to its compost program, and taken other steps to improve its waste diversion, the study found, but more needs to be done.

By improving recycling and composting programs, Denver can recover millions of dollars of materials now being sent to landfills, the report said.

“When it comes to recycling, Denver can go from being one of the worst cities of its size in the country to one of the best,” the report said.

Steps to improve recycling