In 2023, 1.5 to 1.8 billion fewer bags were used in Colorado. That's according to an estimate by Eco-Cycle, a nonprofit recycling center that focuses on zero waste.

Read the Full Article

Last week, the City of Boulder's Emily Freeman was awarded the 2023 Green Champion award from the Colorado Green Building Guild for her work in deconstruction and outreach. Emily oversees the success of the City of Boulder’s deconstruction ordinance to keep carbon intensive building materials available for reuse and recycling. Since ordinance implementation, Boulder has diverted 77% of building materials from the landfill. Emily is leading efforts to identify opportunities for improvement, engage with the deconstruction community, and drive progress towards the city’s goals.

"Last October, the ordinance went into effect to ensure all businesses within Aspen city limits with retail food licenses have been composting, donating, or disposing of organic waste instead of placing it within regular trash cans as had previously been accepted. And according to Waste Diversion and Recycling Administrator Ainsley Brosnan-Smith, since the program’s inception, it’s been nothing short of a complete success."

Read the Full Success Story

The Producer Responsibility Program for Statewide Recycling is accepting applications for a vacancy on the Producer Responsibility Advisory Board. This individual will represent the hauler of recyclable materials seat and continue in a three-year term that ends in December of 2025. We are accepting applications until January 26 or until the seat is filled.

Denver, Colorado – 5280 Waste Solutions is pleased to announce it has formed a strategic partnership with the City and County of Denver to provide solid waste collection services at all City-owned facilities.

THE DENVER SERIES AIMS TO INCREASE GLASS RECYCLING RATES THROUGH A CITY-WIDE CHALLENGE IN PARTNERSHIP WITH LEADING GLASS BOTTLE MANUFACTURER AND COMMUNITY PARTNER

Americans generate 23% more waste in December than other months of the year. Want to celebrate the holidays more sustainably? Check out Eco-Cycle's Zero Waste Holiday Guide, with new tips to help you find sustainable alternatives to traditional gift wrapping paper, reduce food waste, host Zero Waste gatherings, and more! 

Attention retail food establishments! Denver’s new Reuse Denver program can help your small business save money, reduce waste and create a better customer experience!

In 2020, Governor Polis declared the third week of November “Colorado Recycles Week,” and in celebration, Eco-Cycle and CoPIRG just released our 7th annual State of Recycling and Composting in Colorado Report that examines the progress made by the state and Colorado communities in recycling and composting. Despite a low recycling rate, Colorado is poised for significant breakthroughs in reducing waste!

The City of Boulder’s first deconstruction project since its 2020 sustainability ordinance has single-handedly kept 60.8 million pounds out of the landfill. The deconstruction of the ex-hospital is the first of its kind in the United States. We are proud of the work by our member in the Construction & Deconstruction field. Read the article to learn more on how deconstruction and reuse can be possible even for large commercial buildings and projects! 

Read the Colorado Sun Article

Read the 5280 Article

The President first named right to repair as a priority in his Executive Order on Promoting Competition. Since then, we have seen an uptick in state legislative efforts and voluntary movement in the private sector, in addition to action by the Biden-Harris Administration, all aimed at giving consumers more control over fixing what they own — whether it’s a tractor or a smartphone. On Tuesday, October 24, join Senior Advisor to the President and Intergovernmental Affairs (IGA) Director Tom Perez, National Economic Council (NEC) Director Lael Brainard, Federal Trade Commission (FTC) Chair Lina Khan, Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Deputy Administrator Janet McCabe, and legislative leaders from across the country to learn about federal and state efforts to strengthen the right to repair.

The US EPA’s new Food Waste Scale is a long-awaited recognition of the importance of composting inedible food scrap and will bring much needed clarity to this issue. The USCC has been urging EPA to make this change for the past decade. The new (Food Waste Scale) revisits the food waste hierarchy and changes the framework to prioritize actions that prevent and divert wasted food from disposal. Tiers of the scale highlight different pathways for preventing or managing wasted food in order from most preferred to least preferred. The USCC believes composting is the superior and most economical option for inedible food scraps.

JOIN THE 2023-2024 NEXTCYCLE COLORADO COHORT!

CAA has enhanced its website to feature need-to-know information for those who are looking for key EPR implementation milestones and tracking where each state is in the regulatory process.

CDPHE’s Division of Environmental Health and Sustainability is seeking stakeholder feedback on a legislative proposal that aims to streamline waste diversion grant funding. The proposal would merge the Front Range Waste Diversion enterprise and the Recycling Resources Economic Opportunity grant program into the existing enterprise and expand it to have a statewide focus. This change would allow all grant recipients to benefit from the flexible and long-term funding provided by an enterprise and would enable the regional partnerships afforded by a statewide program like RREO.

Air quality and climate action are a top priority in Colorado. The Colorado Energy Office (CEO) is implementing the Clean Air Program (CAP) to provide funding for project implementation and technical support to the industrial sector, including material recovery facilities, landfill operators, municipalities, and more, with the aim of reducing air pollution and decrease energy consumption. Here is a summary of the key offerings supplied by the program:

Circular Action Alliance (CAA), HDR Engineering and Eunomia hosted a webinar yesterday to discuss Colorado’s extended producer responsibility (EPR) program for paper and packaging recycling. Haulers across Colorado were invited to the approximately 40-minute session to learn about the next steps in the implementation process and discuss the upcoming needs assessment period. 

Read the Full Article

SALIDA, CO - The dream of a new recycling center and waste transfer station in Chaffee County is a major step closer to reality following today's announcement of a $4 million grant award from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).