The idea of recycling is nice. But with few companies recycling consumer waste into something useful, efforts seem futile. Don’t despair. Here are companies making new stuff out of old stuff in Colorado.

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The City of Steamboat Springs, in partnership with Routt County Regional Building Department, has contracted with Vert Sites, LLC, to perform a study of waste materials generated locally from new construction, renovation, and demolition/deconstruction (C&D). A major component of this study is stakeholder engagement with construction waste haulers/processors, and local building professionals and contractors.

On May 17th, 2023 the Standards for Products Represented as Compostable, Senate Bill 23-253 was signed into law.

Used mattress foam piling up at Spring Back Colorado’s recycling plant in Commerce City is due to a lack of a market, a problem that recyclers of other materials are wrestling with, too.

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Circular Action Alliance has announced Juri Freeman as the organization's new executive director for Colorado operations, effective June 18, 2024. 

The 2024 NextCycle Colorado Pitch Competition was an energizing showcase of creativity and dedication, highlighting the innovative spirit within our community. We're deeply grateful to the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE) for the opportunity to collaborate with such exceptional individuals and organizations committed to driving positive change.

CDPHE seeks applications for the Colorado Circular Communities Enterprise Board of Directors. Individuals with an interest in designing and delivering circular economy services and statewide solutions are encouraged to review this Colorado Circular Communities (C3) Enterprise Overview. Specifically, the department seeks applications from individuals across the state who have expertise in:

The Producer Responsibility Program for Statewide Recycling is accepting applications for a vacancy on the Producer Responsibility Advisory Board. This individual will represent the manufacturer of recycled paper products seat and continue in a two-year term that ends in December of 2024. We are accepting applications until May 24 or until the seats filled.

Colorado’s Producer Responsibility Advisory Board will hold its 25th meeting virtually on May 8, 2024 from 12:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. Stakeholders and members of the public are welcome to observe the meeting, which will include Spanish interpretation, and provide public comment. Register for the meeting here.

Thanks to the submissions from many dedicated project teams and organizations, the Front Range Waste Diversion (FRWD) program has received and reviewed a remarkable array of projects submitted in response to RFA #SF011224 and RFA #MC030824. These projects exemplify the very essence of FRWD’s mission to reduce the amount of waste going into Front Range landfills and to support the region in achieving 39% waste diversion by 2026 and 51% by 2036.

Recycle Colorado's 17th Annual Poster Contest: Trash to Treasure!

During the 2023 legislative session, the Colorado General Assembly passed HB 23-1194, creating the Closed Landfill Remediation Grant Program. The program will provide grants to eligible local governments to help with the costs of environmental remediation efforts for, and management of, closed landfills owned by local governments. 

The Pitkin County Solid Waste Center and its Motherlode Mercantile shop were involved in a collaborative project where 126 bikes, bike parts, and wheels were donated to the nonprofit, NavajoYES, according to a Pitkin County press release. 

As of March 30, 2024, revisions to Section 14 of the Solid Waste Regulations are effective.  The primary aim of these revisions was to address a lack of mid-tier food waste composting options within our regulatory structure.  The following is a summary of changes to increase food waste composting opportunities:

The Town of Avon is thrilled to announce that the proposed “Avon Community Styrofoam Recycling Program” has received a significant boost with the approval of a $111,105 grant from the Recycling Resources Economic Opportunity (RREO) program provided by the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE). This grant will empower Avon to implement an innovative Styrofoam recycling program that will benefit all of Eagle County and is the first of its kind in the Colorado mountain regions.

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The purpose of the upcoming RREO rebate is to assist free public recycling drop-off sites by offsetting a portion of the transportation costs incurred by shipping recyclables to market or to a processing center. The rebate period covers costs incurred by drop-off sites from January 1, 2023, through December 31, 2023. To be eligible for the rebate, each public drop-off site must have collected a minimum of 10 tons of qualifying recyclables during the rebate period and must continue to be operational and open to the public today. Additional eligibility requirements will be provided within the application.

Based on feedback, Circular Action Alliance (CAA) revised the three proposed recycling scenarios to: