Membership Snack & Shares
Join us during your lunch hour to network, learn, and have fun with the Recycle Colorado membership!
Each month we will host a member spotlight presentation which will allow you to learn about the various industries and recyclers across Colorado. We will be celebrating achievements and milestones within everyone organization, sharing what's in store for Recycle Colorado, and creating a space to share challenges and brainstorm solutions. All members and nonmembers are welcome to join.
Generally each Snack & Share follows a similar structure with exceptions dependent upon the topic of the meeting. The first 30 minutes (11:30am-12:00pm) consist of introductions, a fun icebreaker, and discussion around any celebrations and challenges within each of our organizations. Next, we head into our Presentation (12:00pm-12:30pm) where we learn about various new innovations and solutions in our industry. See the list of presenters below. Finally we move to the final portion of the meeting where we have a Q&A session for our presenter and updates from Recycle Colorado.
If you are interested in presenting during any of the available dates below, please send us an email.
2024 Presentation Lineup
JANUARY 18th: Mile High Workshop Tour
 "Mile High WorkShop isn't just up-cycling banners, they are up-cycling people too and giving them the chance they deserve"
We were fortunate enough to get a behind the scenes look at the Mile High Workshop (MHW) today during our Snack & Share. The MHW repurposing project focuses on diverting discarded marketing materials by up-cycling retired billboards, used vinyl banners, & other synthetic materials. This process not only contributes to a more sustainable end market but also generates meaningful employment opportunities for individuals facing barriers due to addictions, homelessness, and incarceration. MHW's participants undergo paid on-the-job training, acquiring skills in production and industrial sewing that opens doors to long-term employment.
Since its inception in 2015, MHW has diverted over 12 tons of waste to recycling and repurposed items, averaging around 1.5 tons annually. Simultaneously, the project has offered over 36,0056 paid job training hours for program participants in the sew shop.
Learn more about how you can support or partner with Mile High Workshop: milehighworkshop.org
FEBRUARY 15th: Liz Mauro & Dan Roper, Glenwood Springs Compost Application
Walking the Talk on Sustainability: The City of Glenwood Springs Parks Department is diverting organics from the landfill and using bulk compost made from those materials in their projects. The City of Glenwood Springs owns and operates a Class III composting facility at their South Canyon Landfill which produces STA Certified compost. Dan Roper from the Parks Department shares his experience and recommendations for buying and using compost and soil blends made from compost.
Contact info: [email protected] & [email protected]
   
MARCH 21st: Matium
 Matium Network is an interactive supply chain platform for manufacturers, recyclers, logistics providers, and traders to transact materials and services more efficiently. In their presentation, Matium will be covered the industry problem that helps to solve, followed by a demonstration of how Matium’s products (Network and CORE) work, highlighting the unparalleled functionality/value-add and necessity for broad adoption to support a more sustainable tomorrow.
Learn more about Matium - Visit Website
Connect with the Matium team: [email protected], [email protected], [email protected]
APRIL 11th: Young Professionals Meet Up with SWANA touring the FlyteCo Brewery in Denver
Recycle Colorado will be partnering with SWANA to host a young professionals meet up this April. Young professional meet ups are for those who are new to the industry and are looking to connect, learn, and have fun with others involved in recycling, waste and composting. This is not an age limited event and we invite anyone who is new and looking to get more involved to join. We will be touring the Denver brewery "FlyteCo", to learn about their operations and sustainability initiatives. We encourage you to bring a co-worker to share a drink with!
Please RSVP for the tour in Denver so we know how many people we can expect.
MAY 16th: Enviroscreen with Rani Kumar from CDPHE - RSVP
JUNE 20th: NREL Innovators with Julia Curley & Kevin Sullivan - RSVP
Julie will present on EsterCycle and Kevin on Tereform.
JULY 18th: Anheuser Busch Glass Collection 'National Recycling League' - RSVP
The Denver Series comes as Colorado’s recycling rate remains below the national average of 32%, despite progress in recent years. Given the difficulties in recycling glass and the unique benefits in doing so – glass is infinitely reusable and able to be repurposed into new glass packaging in as little as 30 days – the Series aims to help inspire Denver area residents to increase Colorado’s rate by bringing their bottles to the bins. Anheuser-Busch and O-I have placed branded glass recycling bins in select Colorado neighborhoods and are encouraging residents to fill the bins with glass bottles.
AUGUST 15th: Email if interested in presenting
SEPTEMBER 19th: Tour of GreenSheen Paint Facility - RSVP
- Watch the previous Snack & Share on GreenSheen's Paint bucket wash line
OCTOBER 17th: Eco-Cycle & Walking Mountains Schools team - RSVP
NOVEMBER 21st: Email if interested in presenting
DECEMBER 19th: Email if interested in presenting
2023 Spotlight Presentations
JANUARY 19th: First Meeting with Recycle Colorado Updates and Introductions
FEBRUARY 16th: Foam Cycle & SustainAbility
MARCH 16th: Clear Solutions, the nonprofit applying to be the Producer Responsibility Organization (PRO) in Colorado
- Watch the Video of the presentation from Circular Action Alliance - CAA (previously called Clear Strategies), Olivia Barker & John Hite, the PRO in Colorado
- Visit the Circular Action Alliance Website
- Contact Olivia ([email protected]) or John ([email protected]) for any questions about the Circular Action Alliance
APRIL 20th: The Hefty Renew Program
- Watch the Video of the presentation from the Hefty Renew Program's Catherine Chertudi & Paul Benvenut
- Visit the Hefty Renew Program Website
- Contact Paul (813-505-3087, [email protected]) with any additional questions on the program
JUNE 15th: Trash Panda
- Watch the video of the presentation from Trash Panda's Jesse Stedman
- Visit the Trash Panda's Website
- Check out Trash Panda's YouTube Channel
- Contact Jesse ([email protected]) with any questions about Trash Panda
- Recycle your old frisbees and discs with Trash Panda
AUGUST 17th: Greensheen Paint
Emily Wilson, Director of Special Projects and Circularity for GreenSheen Paint, will discuss a recently completed RREO grant project. GreenSheen used funding to create a bucket wash line so they can simply wash, and reuse paint buckets collected through Colorado’s paint stewardship program. Reuse is less impactful than sending buckets through an energy intensive and problematic recycling process. This first it its kind wash line, features a water reclamation and filtration system so no wastewater is produced. GreenSheen will reuse buckets to package their 100% recycled content in, sell reused buckets, and offer bucket washing as a service to all entities.
- Watch the video of the presentation on Greensheen's RREO grant project to create a paint bucket wash line
- Visit the Greensheen Paint Website
- Contact Emily ([email protected]) with any questions about GreenSheen or their wash line
SEPTEMBER 21st: Terracycle's Free Cigarette Recycling Program
Cigarette butts are the most littered item on the planet. Up to 80% of the litter tossed on our beaches, parks, roadways, and sidewalks, by unit, is cigarette waste. Cigarette filters consist of a fibrous form of a plastic called cellulose acetate, and when it enters the environment, it causes countless problems. TerraCycle is a mission-based company that develops solutions to recycle many kinds of difficult-to-recycle materials. Among its initiatives,TerraCycle, with its charity partner Keep America Beautiful, offers an innovative free program that allows communities, organizations, businesses, and individuals to recycle cigarette butts, and raise money for a good cause in the process. Learn everything you need to know about implementing this amazing and impactful program in your community from Eric Ascalon, the company's Global Director of Community Development.
- If you have any questions or are interested in participating in the cigarette recycling program, please contact Eric ([email protected])
- Visit Terracycle's website to view additional programs and sign up for the cigarette recycling program.
- View Terracycle's Presentation Slideshow.
- Watch the video of the presentation Terracycle's free cigarette recycling program.
- Watch the video on the Cigarette Recycling Process.
- Read the Keep America Beautiful Study on cigarette recycling programs.
- Check out the products Terracycle has made from recycled materials.
OCTOBER 19th: The Compost Queen, Jamie Blanchard-Poling
- If you have any questions or want to learn more about Compost Queen, please contact Jamie ([email protected])
- Visit Compost Queen's Website
- Watch the video of the presentation to learn more about composting in Colorado, composting legislation and resources, and to hear how Jamie became the Compost QUEEN
NOVEMBER 16th: Darla Arians with CDPHE
- If you have any questions or want to how you can be involved in the Producer Responsibility Program, please contact Darla ([email protected])
- Watch the video for an update on the Producer Responsibility Legislation and Needs Assessment
- Learn more about Colorado's Producer Responsibility Program
DECEMBER 5th: Prairie Robotics
Prairie Robotics revolutionizes waste management by equipping recycling and organics trucks with state-of-the-art AI cameras, GPS technology, and advanced computer systems. This cutting-edge technology enables automatic identification of contamination at the individual household level. Once contamination is detected, Prairie Robotics delivers highly personalized educational content to households through postcards, text messages, and/or emails.
Collaborating with municipalities across Canada and the United States, as well as leading haulers like GFL and Waste Connections, Prairie Robotics offers a comprehensive suite of ready-to-deploy education campaigns. With years of experience, we are well-positioned to provide expert recommendations on the most effective methods for educating residents about "What Goes Where?"
The three key steps outlined below illustrate how our platform is meticulously designed to streamline the process:
Experience the power of our platform in action by watching our video demonstration and exploring our existing education campaigns here.
- If you have any questions or want to learn more about Prairie Robotics, please contact Sheldon Alderton ([email protected]) or Sam Dietrich ([email protected])
- Visit Prairie Robotic's Website
- Watch the video to learn more about Prairie Robotics innovative technology
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