If We’re Going to Get to Zero Waste, We’ll Need a Model

Eco-Cycle started in 1976 in Boulder County, Colorado. Volunteers climbed aboard repurposed school buses to make Boulder one of the first 20 communities in the nation to offer curbside recycling collections. Since our founding, we have created many more innovations, such as the first commingled container processing system in the state, the first comprehensive Zero Waste Schools Program, the first Center for Hard-to-Recycle Materials (CHaRM), and recently, the first EV compost collection truck.

Our efforts have transformed Boulder County and its municipalities into leaders within the state, but we still have more to do if we are to make our community a model for Zero Waste. See below the progress we’ve made, and the infrastructure, policies, and programs that have led to our Zero Waste success. The road ahead that gets us closer to meeting our Zero Waste goals will include more infrastructure, such as a compost facility located within the county, and additional policies to transform the norm from disposing our waste to conserving it for a circular economy.